Electronics Engineer
$110KHigh match
High demand
Live · Guide v1.06185 · Career GuideValidated · Lightcast Labor DataUpdated · Q2 20262026 Cohort Active
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NAVY · 6185Career Guide · Operations · VWC.CG.6185.R.04
6185 · NAVY · OfficerSurface Warfare Electronics
Surface Warfare Electronics
Officer.
Navy 6185 (Surface Warfare Electronics Officer). 480 hours of formal training translate to 5 validated civilian career pathways with salary bands of $75K–$130K. Sourced from DoD training data and Lightcast labor signals.
Training hours480DoD pipeline
ACE creditACEUp to 6 semester hours in electronics technology and management
Tech roles4mapped to your code
Civilian pathways5validated
Cert coverage3/7direct + partial
/ 01 · Tech Roles
Roles your code maps to.
Industry tech roles your 6185 background maps to — picked from BLS-anchored occupations using your training, cognitive skills, and systems experience.
Sort · Match descending
/ 02 · Skill Bridge
The gap, named.
What 6185 training already gave you, and the specific gaps to close — not a generic checklist.
Already have09
- 01Electronic Systems Maintenance and Troubleshooting→ Troubleshooting complex systems, debugging
- 02Combat Systems Operation→ Understanding of system architecture and integration
- 03Operational Risk Management→ Risk assessment and mitigation strategies
- 04Leadership and Team Management→ Team coordination and project oversight
- 05System Modeling→ Designing and analyzing multifaceted systems
- 06Situational Awareness→ Understanding the big picture and anticipating potential challenges
- 07SESEF→ Automated testing and diagnostic software
- 08NICASS→ Predictive maintenance software
- 09CANES→ Enterprise network management and cybersecurity platforms
To learn09
The concrete gap to bridge — specific to the roles above, not a generic checklist.
+Network protocols (TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP)+Cloud networking (AWS VPC, Azure VNet)+Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation)+CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab CI)+Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)+Network security principles+Threat detection and incident response+Project management methodologies (Agile, Scrum)+Software development lifecycle (SDLC)
How VWC fits
Vets Who Code is a free, full-time software engineering accelerator for veterans, active duty, and military spouses. We close the fundamentals — terminal, web platform, AI tooling, portfolio projects — so the rest of this list becomes specialization, not square one.
See VWC Programs →/ 03 · Civilian Pathways
Where your code lands.
Technical Project Manager
$120KHigh match
High demand
Skills to develop
- — PMP Certification
- — Agile methodologies
Field Service Engineer
$85KGood match
Growing demand
Skills to develop
- — Specific product training
- — Customer service skills
Training and Development Specialist
$75KGood match
Stable demand
Skills to develop
- — Instructional design
- — E-learning development
Sales Engineer
$130KModerate match
Growing demand
Skills to develop
- — Sales techniques
- — CRM software
- — Industry-specific knowledge
/ 04 · Hidden Strengths
What the code built.
Cognitive skills your 6185 training built — and where they transfer in civilian work.
System Modeling
As a 6185 officer, you analyze complex electronic systems to understand their architecture, interdependencies, and operational characteristics. This includes creating mental or actual models to predict system behavior under various conditions.
Transfers to
This ability to understand and model complex systems translates directly to roles where you need to design, analyze, or troubleshoot multifaceted operations or technologies.
Rapid Prioritization
You're responsible for overseeing the installation, operation, and maintenance of critical electronics systems. When issues arise, you must quickly assess the severity and impact to prioritize tasks and allocate resources effectively to minimize downtime.
Transfers to
Your experience in rapidly assessing and prioritizing issues in high-pressure environments is invaluable in roles that demand quick decision-making and resource management.
Situational Awareness
Maintaining a broad awareness of the operational status of electronic systems within a unit is critical. This includes understanding how these systems integrate with other components and the overall mission, allowing you to anticipate potential problems and react proactively.
Transfers to
This heightened sense of situational awareness makes you adept at understanding the big picture and anticipating potential challenges, a valuable asset in any leadership or management role.
Resource Optimization
You are involved in planning and supervising the use of resources (personnel, equipment, budget) for the installation, operation, and maintenance of electronics systems. This requires efficiently allocating resources to maximize system performance and minimize costs.
Transfers to
Your experience in optimizing resources to ensure efficient operations translates directly to roles where you will be responsible for budgets, personnel, or equipment.
/ 05 · Non-Obvious Matches
Roles the recruiter won't suggest.
Adjacent civilian roles your training maps to that conventional military-to-civilian advice tends to miss.
Technical Program Manager
SOC 11-9041.01You've been planning, coordinating, and supervising complex electronics projects. Your ability to understand technical details, manage resources, and maintain situational awareness makes you a natural fit for guiding technical projects to success.
Adjacent · MatchManagement Consultant
SOC 13-1111.00You've been providing operational and technical input to improve electronics systems and processes. Your system modeling, prioritization, and resource optimization skills are directly applicable to identifying inefficiencies and recommending improvements to organizations.
Adjacent · MatchBusiness Continuity Planner
SOC 13-1199.05You've been ensuring the smooth operation of critical electronic systems even in degraded modes. Your experience in situational awareness, system modeling, and rapid prioritization makes you well-suited to develop and implement plans to minimize disruptions and ensure business continuity in unforeseen circumstances.
Adjacent · Match/ 06 · Training & Certs
What you trained on.
Academy
Surface Warfare Officer School (SWOS)
Newport, RI and Afloat Training Organization (ATO) San Diego, CA480hHours
12wkWeeks
ACECredit
Up to 6 semester hours in electronics technology and management
Topics · 7
- Naval Surface Warfare Fundamentals
- Electronic Systems Maintenance and Troubleshooting
- Radar and Navigation Systems
- Communications Systems
- Combat Systems Operation
- Leadership and Team Management
- Operational Risk Management
Partial coverage · 3
- CompTIA Network+70%
Networking fundamentals, specific protocols, and troubleshooting techniques beyond military-specific systems.
- CompTIA Security+60%
General cybersecurity principles, risk management, compliance standards, and incident response procedures relevant to civilian networks.
- Certified Electronics Technician (CET)80%
Consumer electronics, specific troubleshooting outside military equipment, and current industry repair practices.
Recommended next · 04
- Project Management Professional (PMP)Adjacent
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)Adjacent
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – AssociateAdjacent
- ITIL 4 FoundationAdjacent
/ 07 · Systems Translation
What you ran, in their words.
Military systems you operated and their civilian equivalents for your resume.
| Military System | Civilian Equivalent | Domain |
|---|---|---|
| Shipboard Electronic Systems Evaluation Program (SESEF) | Automated testing and diagnostic software for complex electronic systems | Operations |
| Navy Integrated Condition Assessment System (NICASS) | Predictive maintenance software for industrial equipment | Operations |
| Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) | Enterprise network management and cybersecurity platforms | Networking |
| Global Command and Control System - Maritime (GCCS-M) | Maritime domain awareness and port security software | Networking |
| AEGIS Combat System | Integrated defense systems for critical infrastructure | Operations |
| Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) | Networked sensor fusion and data distribution systems | Operations |
/ Translator · Live
Translate 6185 into a resume that ships.
Pair this guide with the VWC AI-powered translator: drop in your service record, get back ATS-optimized civilian resume language tuned to the tech roles above.