We surveyed 268 ship captains to learn what personality traits and interests make them unique. Here are the results.


Holland Codes

Ship captains are enterprising and realistic

Ship captains tend to be predominantly enterprising individuals, which means that they are usually quite natural leaders who thrive at influencing and persuading others. They also tend to be realistic, which means that they often enjoy working outdoors or applying themselves to a hands-on project.

If you are one or both of these archetypes, you may be well suited to be a ship captain. However, if you are artistic, this is probably not a good career for you. Unsure of where you fit in? Take the career test now.

Here’s how the Holland codes of the average ship captain break down:


Big Five

The top personality traits of ship captains are openness and social responsibility

Ship captains score highly on openness, which means they are usually curious, imaginative, and value variety. They also tend to be high on the measure of social responsibility, indicating that they desire fair outcomes and have a general concern for others.

Once again, let’s break down the components of the personality of an average ship captain: