Construct and repair buildings, airfields, bridges, and other structures. Perform carpentry, masonry, and concrete work in construction projects.
ASVAB AR+MC+AS: 145 OR VE+AR+MK+AO: 209
Catalog listing, not a contract offer. Confirm with a recruiter.
Seabee Builders are the Navy's carpenters, concrete workers and general construction tradesmen, and the projects are actual buildings. A rotation might have you framing walls, setting forms and pouring slabs, hanging roofing, finishing interiors or repairing structures wrecked by a storm. Battalion life alternates between homeport periods of training and local projects and deployments of several months constructing for fleet and Marine forces overseas. You also learn to build while armed and in the field, because Seabees work in places that are not entirely safe. Days are physical and outdoors, and they end with something standing that was not there in the morning.
You learn rough and finish carpentry, concrete formwork and placement, masonry, roofing and blueprint reading to trade standard. Project planning comes with it, including estimating materials, sequencing crews and holding a schedule with whatever equipment you actually have. Expedient construction teaches you to build with limited tools, which makes you formidable on a normal job site. Safety, scaffolding, fall protection and quality inspection are part of the trade rather than an afterthought. Supervising a crew arrives early, since junior Builders often run a work party within a couple of years.
Construction work builds physical durability and the plain satisfaction of having made something that will outlast you. You develop practical judgment, since a drawing meets reality the moment you break ground and reality usually wins the argument. Leading crews young teaches you to give clear direction, keep people safe, and take responsibility out loud when a job goes sideways. Deployments add adaptability, because materials, weather and timelines all change without consulting you first. Builders tend to become steady, useful people who look at a problem and see work to be done rather than an obstacle.
This is one of the strongest civilian translations in the entire military, because the trade is identical on the outside. Union carpentry apprenticeships often credit documented military construction time toward the hours required for journeyman standing, which can shorten the path considerably. From there the ladder runs to foreman, superintendent and project management, none of which demands a degree. Many veterans go further and license as general contractors, running their own crews on residential and commercial work. Construction hiring follows the economy, but skilled hands and people who can run a job stay busy.
Published personal accounts with source links. Each describes an individual experience, not a typical assignment or a guarantee of your own experience.
“The biggest thing I wanted was a stable job.”
“My favorite part of my job is probably that I’m in my own little world back there. I have a lot of independence. I can kind of do what I want to do, and I guess that is what motivates me.”
“The ocean every day, the weather, fishing -- I like being outside, so Diego Garcia was awesome.”
“The Seabees, we’re a special breed.”
“We are actually built like a Marine Corps fire team. Because of that we have seven different types of rates in the group Seabees.”
“So we have to learn from the civilian professionals and have our senior Seabees mentor the junior personnel.”
Quotes are from U.S. government public-domain news stories (DVIDS, army.mil and other official sources). Individuals and units are named as reported at time of publication.
You start the day reviewing blueprints and staging lumber and tools at the job site with your Seabee crew. Your work is framing, forming, and finishing buildings, bridges, and airfields through carpentry, masonry, and concrete work. Swinging hammers, pouring slabs, and raising structures in the field defines your hands-on construction day.
No suitable exact-MOS or related career-field video has been verified for this page yet. No unrelated video or search-results page is substituted.
$43,902–$74,948
2026 basic pay only; the same grade and service time pay the same across jobs. Promotions are assumed, not promised. Excludes allowances, bonuses and special pays.
Possibilities for serving Sailors, including those in support roles—not guaranteed admission or awards. Individual eligibility, assignment, selection, available training or competition places and successful qualification apply.
Assignment-dependent qualification and insignia earned aboard a qualifying surface ship or afloat staff—not automatically awarded for this rating.
For enlisted Sailors in an eligible surface assignment, including support ratings. Complete the command's current qualification standards, assessments and approval process. A shore or submarine assignment alone does not establish eligibility; confirm current enrollment rules with the command.
Assignment-dependent aviation qualification and insignia; support Sailors may qualify at authorized aviation commands.
Requires a qualifying aviation assignment or an authorized support-command arrangement, required in-rating technical qualifications and command approval. Current enrollment and pay-grade prerequisites must be checked; this is not a promotion or a badge awarded just for holding this rating.
Restricted to qualifying expeditionary assignments; recognizes tested field and unit-specific proficiency, including support duties.
Requires assignment to a command authorized to administer EXW and completion of its general and unit-specific personnel qualification standards and approval process. Published NSW program evidence establishes this route, not that every Navy unit offers it. Confirm current command authorization and prerequisites.
Sources reviewed . Confirm current course and badge requirements with official school guidance and your unit.
For Navy BU Builder, official service-wide guidance and any exact feeder-list matches are distinguished below from unverified specialty-specific requirements. Ranks are not separate jobs, and these possibilities are not guaranteed promotions or available contracts.
Examples of higher service ranks
These are service-wide rank names, not a verified promotion ladder for this specialty. Examples are not exhaustive; appointments sharing a pay grade are not additional promotion steps.
Official military rank referenceThe Navy directs enlisted Sailors to rating-specific Learning and Development Roadmaps (LaDRs), and officers to their community managers and officer career-progression guidance. Rating conversion and commissioning are separate application paths, not automatic promotions.
Navy career planning: LaDRs, officer progression, and commissioningService-level application reference—not a verified next step for this listing
Limited Duty Officer (LDO) and Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) appointments require separate applications and program-specific qualifications. The reviewed active-duty page contains FY28 cycle requirements, not Reserve eligibility. Its 1 October 2026 application deadline has passed; this is not an open application offer or a verified designator match for this listing.
Navy active-duty LDO/CWO applicant requirementsSpecialty-specific advancement, senior assignments, and eligibility for a different personnel category have not been verified for this listing. No feeder eligibility or automatic transition to another specialty is implied.
Advancement depends on current service rules, performance, required education, qualifications, selection, and authorized positions—not simply years served. Confirm current requirements with an official recruiter or career counselor.
Related military jobs below are for exploration, not promised progression or confirmed transfer paths.
Sources reviewed 2026-10-03. This is a partial evidence review, not verification of every advancement route for this specialty. Source retrieval dates do not replace policy effective dates.
Career-field mappings, not automatic qualifications. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024 national medians). O*NET links explain each occupation; military experience does not guarantee a job or salary.
Construct and repair buildings, airfields, bridges, and other structures. Perform carpentry, masonry, and concrete work in construction projects.
Seabee Builders are the Navy's carpenters, concrete workers and general construction tradesmen, and the projects are actual buildings. A rotation might have you framing walls, setting forms and pouring slabs, hanging roofing, finishing interiors or repairing structures wrecked by a storm. Battalion life alternates between homeport periods of training and local projects and deployments of several months constructing for fleet and Marine forces overseas. You also learn to build while armed and in the field, because Seabees work in places that are not entirely safe. Days are physical and outdoors, and they end with something standing that was not there in the morning.
You learn rough and finish carpentry, concrete formwork and placement, masonry, roofing and blueprint reading to trade standard. Project planning comes with it, including estimating materials, sequencing crews and holding a schedule with whatever equipment you actually have. Expedient construction teaches you to build with limited tools, which makes you formidable on a normal job site. Safety, scaffolding, fall protection and quality inspection are part of the trade rather than an afterthought. Supervising a crew arrives early, since junior Builders often run a work party within a couple of years.
This is one of the strongest civilian translations in the entire military, because the trade is identical on the outside. Union carpentry apprenticeships often credit documented military construction time toward the hours required for journeyman standing, which can shorten the path considerably. From there the ladder runs to foreman, superintendent and project management, none of which demands a degree. Many veterans go further and license as general contractors, running their own crews on residential and commercial work. Construction hiring follows the economy, but skilled hands and people who can run a job stay busy.
ASVAB AR+MC+AS: 145 OR VE+AR+MK+AO: 209. This is the catalog's listed requirement, not an individual eligibility decision. Confirm the current standard and any exceptions with the service.
This specialty can be pursued through an initial enlistment, subject to eligibility and available contracts. Confirm the current status of this specific classification with an official recruiter.
Catalog sources consulted: 2026-09-26. This is not an entry-by-entry verification date. No record-specific verification date is recorded. Occupation audit evidence reviewed: 2026-09-26; this does not re-verify every requirement.
Official branch occupation evidence
Occupation identified. This occupation was identified in the cited source. This does not verify requirements, benefits, or a current opening.
Navy enlisted occupational standards, NAVPERS 18068F, July 2026, Appendix B (rating enumeration) · reviewed 2026-09-26
Confirmed. Catalog evidence is not an inventory of open contracts.
No dated public inventory confirmed a currently open recruiting contract for this role. This does not mean there are no openings. Confirm current eligibility and offers with an official recruiter.
Advertised — Navy, as of 2026-09-28Deployment likelihood: Moderate*
* Estimated. Rank progression and specialty-pay eligibility are illustrative assumptions. Deployment likelihood, when shown, is inferred from similar specialties in the branch and career field, not a published specialty deployment rate.
Descriptions may change. No military role is free from risk of injury or death, including non-combat work. Catalog review dates do not establish current openings or re-verification of every requirement.
Recruiting signals reflect what each branch published on the dates shown. They are not offers, and they do not mean a contract is open for you. Eligibility depends on your ASVAB scores, medical qualification, security clearance eligibility, and ship date. Confirm everything with an official recruiter. See our Disclaimer and Terms.