Water transport workers are one of the least happy careers in the United States.

At CareerExplorer, we conduct an ongoing survey with millions of people and ask them how satisfied they are with their careers. As it turns out, water transport workers rate their career happiness 2.2 out of 5 stars which puts them in the bottom 1% of careers.

To put this into perspective, we compared how happy water transport workers are to similar careers in the industry. Take a look at the results below:

Salaries and satisfaction ratings in similar careers

Career Satisfaction Avg Salary
Garbage collector
2.4
$38k
Vehicle cleaner
2.4
$29k
Petroleum pump system operator
2.3
$80k
Drill press operator
2.3
$39k
Molding and casting worker
2.3
$38k
Janitor
2.2
$30k
Machine feeder
2.1
$37k
Ship loader
1.9
$49k

So what does it mean to be happy in your career? Let’s break it down into different dimensions:

  • Salary: Are water transport workers happy with their salary?
  • Meaning: Do water transport workers find their jobs meaningful?
  • Personality fit: How well suited are people’s personalities to their everyday tasks as water transport workers?
  • Work environment: How enjoyable are water transport worker’s work environments?
  • Skills utilization: Are water transport workers making the best use of their abilities?

Are water transport workers happy with their salary?

Water transport workers rated their satisfaction with their salaries 3.4/5. The majority of water transport workers are quite happy with their salaries, with very few having complaints about their income level.

We asked water transport workers how fairly compensated they are for their work.
Their response was:

3.4 out of 5 stars

10 water transport workers

5 Star
10%

10% of water transport workers rated their compensation 5 stars

4 Star
50%

50% of water transport workers rated their compensation 4 stars

3 Star
20%

20% of water transport workers rated their compensation 3 stars

2 Star
10%

10% of water transport workers rated their compensation 2 stars

1 Star
10%

10% of water transport workers rated their compensation 1 stars

Do water transport workers find their jobs meaningful?

On average, water transport workers rate the meaningfulness of their work a 2.0/5. While most water transport workers aren’t very fulfilled by their work, some people may still manage to find meaning in it.

We asked water transport workers how meaningful they found their work.
Their response was:

2.0 out of 5 stars

10 water transport workers

5 Star
10%

10% of water transport workers rated how meaningful they found their career 5 stars

4 Star
10%

10% of water transport workers rated how meaningful they found their career 4 stars

3 Star
30%

30% of water transport workers rated how meaningful they found their career 3 stars

2 Star
50%

50% of water transport workers rated how meaningful they found their career 2 stars

How well are people’s personalities suited to everyday tasks as water transport workers?

Water transport workers rated their personality fit with their work an average of 2.8/5. Few water transport workers seem to find that their personalities work mesh well with their career.

We asked water transport workers how well their personalities fit into their careers.
Their response was:

2.8 out of 5 stars

10 water transport workers

5 Star
10%

10% of water transport workers rated their career fit 5 stars

4 Star
20%

20% of water transport workers rated their career fit 4 stars

3 Star
30%

30% of water transport workers rated their career fit 3 stars

2 Star
20%

20% of water transport workers rated their career fit 2 stars

1 Star
20%

20% of water transport workers rated their career fit 1 stars

How enjoyable is a water transport worker’s work environment?

As a whole, water transport workers rated their enjoyment of their work environment 2.7/5. A solid majority of water transport workers enjoy their work environment, probably contributing to overall higher satisfaction with working as a water transport worker.

We asked water transport workers how much they enjoyed their work environment.
Their response was:

2.7 out of 5 stars

11 water transport workers

5 Star
18%

18% of water transport workers rated their work environment 5 stars

4 Star
36%

36% of water transport workers rated their work environment 4 stars

3 Star
27%

27% of water transport workers rated their work environment 3 stars

2 Star
18%

18% of water transport workers rated their work environment 2 stars

Are water transport workers making the best use of their abilities?

Former water transport workers on CareerExplorer have rated their skills utilization 2.1/5. Water transport workers tend to feel that they don’t manage to use their abilities to their fullest, when compared to other careers.

We asked water transport workers how well their abilities were used in their careers.
Their response was:

2.1 out of 5 stars

11 water transport workers

5 Star
9%

9% of water transport workers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 5 stars

4 Star
18%

18% of water transport workers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 4 stars

3 Star
18%

18% of water transport workers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 3 stars

2 Star
55%

55% of water transport workers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 2 stars