AI Career Radar

Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

Coordinate activities of switch-engine crew within railroad yard, industrial plant, or similar location. Conductors coordinate activities of train crew on passenger or freight trains. Yardmasters review train schedules and switching orders and coordinate activities of workers engaged in railroad traffic operations, such as the makeup or breakup of trains and yard switching.

AI exposure34 / 100Low exposure

Based on O*NET work context for this occupation. This score does not predict individual job losses.

What drives the score

Automation and repetition raise exposure; freedom to set tasks lowers it. Each measure uses a 0–100 scale.

Degree of automation22
Freedom to set tasks89
Repeating the same tasks72
$78,000Median annual wage, U.S.BLS OEWS
+0.9%Jobs, 2025 to 2035 (below average)BLS Employment Projections
58Skill durability (moderate)Transferability, out of 100

How well your skills transfer

Each skill is scored on how well it transfers into occupations that are growing and less exposed. The ones high on both importance and transfer are worth deepening.

Highest transferability first

Both scores out of 100

Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Speaking
63
69
Monitoring
63
69
Critical Thinking
63
66
Active Listening
63
63
Judgment and Decision Making
63
63
Coordination
62
69
Complex Problem Solving
62
56
Active Learning
62
50
Time Management
61
63
Reading Comprehension
61
53
Show 25 more skills
Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Writing
60
50
Social Perceptiveness
60
47
Instructing
58
47
Learning Strategies
58
44
Systems Analysis
57
50
Systems Evaluation
56
50
Service Orientation
56
47
Persuasion
54
50
Mathematics
53
31
Negotiation
52
38
Science
52
13
Management of Personnel Resources
50
50
Operations Analysis
49
22
Installation
48
0
Quality Control Analysis
47
50
Troubleshooting
47
31
Management of Material Resources
47
22
Management of Financial Resources
47
19
Technology Design
47
9
Equipment Maintenance
47
3
Equipment Selection
47
0
Operations Monitoring
46
60
Repairing
46
0
Programming
45
13
Operation and Control
43
56

Compare how well you can use each skill in growing, low-exposure occupations with its importance in your current role. How we score skills.

Jobs you could move to

Compare related occupations by skill overlap, retraining effort, pay and projected growth. Choose a priority to adjust the ranking. Licensing requirements may limit some routes.

85/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$135,880
10-yr growth
+21.1%
Skill gap
13%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Active Listening, Monitoring

84/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$129,180
10-yr growth
+21%
Skill gap
14%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Reading Comprehension, Writing, Complex Problem Solving, Systems Analysis

78/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$123,860
10-yr growth
+24.2%
Skill gap
29%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Operations Analysis, Management of Financial Resources, Negotiation, Management of Material Resources

78/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$116,580
10-yr growth
+5.1%
Skill gap
12%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Reading Comprehension, Writing, Systems Analysis, Complex Problem Solving

78/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$116,580
10-yr growth
+5.1%
Skill gap
11%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Reading Comprehension, Writing, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving

#6Nurse MidwivesHealthcare
78/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$134,040
10-yr growth
+11.5%
Skill gap
19%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Social Perceptiveness, Active Learning, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension

A second source of income, before you need it

This page can tell you where Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters could go and what the move costs. The other route is not a move at all: something small of your own, running alongside the job, started while there is no pressure on it.

Where to learn the missing half: Google Career Certificates for systems analysis · active learning, LinkedIn Learning for writing · speaking, edX for mathematics · reading and PlanetNoCode for complex problem solving. Some of those are affiliate links. It never changes what we list.

Snapshot: O*NET 31.0, BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035. Scoring v2.1.0-onet-31.0. Method on the how it works page.