U.S. Marine Corps MOS Career Guide

6073 — Support Equipment Electrician/Refrigeration and Engine/Gas Turbine Technician:
Civilian Career Guide

Marine Corps 6073 experience can translate into aviation ground-support equipment, HVAC and refrigeration, diesel or turbine service, industrial maintenance, and equipment supervision. Because the MOS spans several systems, the strongest transition chooses a primary lane and proves its electrical, mechanical, refrigeration, diagnostic, safety, licensing, and maintenance outcomes instead of presenting one oversized technician identity.

Heavy equipment technicians median: $62,740
HVAC/R technicians median: $59,810
NAVMC 1200.1L current PMOS verified
NAVMC source note
NAVMC 1200.1L assigns 6073 Marines to inspect, test, maintain, and repair aircraft support equipment and its electrical, refrigeration, engine, and gas-turbine systems. The MOS also operates support equipment and performs duties related to licensing aviation maintenance personnel on support or special support equipment. Related civilian occupations include mobile heavy equipment, diesel engine, and HVAC/R mechanics.
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Aviation Ground Support Equipment Technician$44k – $90k6% growth 2024-2034
HVAC and Refrigeration Technician$39k – $91k8% growth 2024-2034
Diesel Engine and Power Equipment Technician$42k – $86k26,500 openings yearly
Industrial Maintenance Technician$44k – $92k13% growth 2024-2034
Equipment Maintenance Supervisor$48k – $120k52,400 openings yearly
See full role breakdowns: demand data, hiring notes, and employer expectations →
Choose the Civilian System First
A broad maintenance background becomes more valuable when the employer can see one clear lane.

Your blueprint should separate refrigeration, electrical, engine, turbine, and support-equipment evidence, then identify the tools, assets, faults, inspections, licenses, workload, availability, and leadership that support your target market.

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Section 01

Top Civilian Role Matches for 6073

Aviation Ground Support Equipment Technician Most direct equipment match
$44k – $90k

Airports, airlines, cargo operators, aircraft maintenance providers, defense contractors, and equipment manufacturers maintain powered and nonpowered ground support assets. 6073 Marines bring a rare mix of electrical, refrigeration, engine, turbine, operating, and maintenance experience. The hiring case improves when you name equipment classes, power sources, diagnostic tools, preventive and corrective workload, and fleet availability. Employer training and authorization still govern specific equipment, airfield access, and safety responsibilities after hire.

Ground support equipmentAirportsFleet maintenanceAviation operations
6% growth 2024-2034
Source: BLS OOH: Heavy Vehicle and Mobile Equipment Technicians · Median $62,740 (May 2024)
HVAC and Refrigeration Technician
$39k – $91k

6073 refrigeration experience can support commercial HVAC/R, facilities, transport refrigeration, and equipment-service work. Civilian rules matter: technicians who service equipment that could release regulated refrigerants need the appropriate EPA Section 608 certification, and states or localities may impose licensing requirements. Translate refrigerant recovery, leak testing, electrical troubleshooting, compressors, controls, preventive maintenance, and documented service. Quantify systems, capacities when known, work orders, response time, repeat faults, and downtime restored.

HVAC/RRefrigerationElectrical controlsEPA 608
8% growth 2024-2034
Source: BLS OOH: HVAC/R Mechanics and Installers · Median $59,810 (May 2024)
Diesel Engine and Power Equipment Technician
$42k – $86k

The engine side of 6073 work can translate to diesel service, generator, rental-equipment, fleet, and field-service roles. Employers look for diagnostic process, fuel and electrical systems, scheduled maintenance, repair documentation, and safe operation rather than a generic claim of engine experience. ASE Medium/Heavy Truck credentials may help for vehicle-centered roles, but they require relevant work experience and testing. Show engine families, operating hours, services completed, faults isolated, parts replaced, turnaround, and repeat repairs prevented.

Diesel enginesPower equipmentField serviceFleet
26,500 openings yearly
Source: BLS OOH: Diesel Service Technicians · Median $60,640 (May 2024)
Industrial Maintenance Technician
$44k – $92k

Manufacturing and distribution employers need technicians who can troubleshoot mixed electrical and mechanical systems, perform preventive maintenance, read technical data, replace components, and verify restored operation. 6073 Marines fit best when they can connect support-equipment experience to motors, controls, refrigeration, engines, power generation, or rotating equipment used by the employer. Additional training may be needed for programmable controls or plant-specific systems. Quantify assets, work orders, uptime, response time, repeat failures, and safety performance.

Industrial maintenanceElectrical systemsRotating equipmentReliability
13% growth 2024-2034
Source: BLS OOH: Industrial Machinery Mechanics · Median $63,510 (May 2024)
Equipment Maintenance Supervisor
$48k – $120k

Experienced NCOs who scheduled work, assigned technicians, managed licensing, inspected maintenance, coordinated parts, and tracked fleet availability can target equipment-maintenance supervisor roles. The position level should match actual scope, not rank alone. Civilian employers need the number and skill mix of technicians, equipment fleet, shifts, work orders, backlog, budget or inventory, safety record, and availability outcomes. Some organizations may first hire a veteran as a lead technician while they learn local assets, labor rules, and maintenance systems.

Maintenance supervisionWork controlTechnician licensingFleet readiness
52,400 openings yearly
Section 02

Transferable Strengths: What Civilian Employers See

Cross-System Troubleshooting
6073 work can span electrical, refrigeration, engine, turbine, and equipment-operation problems. The value is not knowing everything. It is isolating which subsystem failed, choosing the right test, and documenting the repair boundary clearly.
Maintenance Plus Safe Operation
The MOS includes operating support equipment and duties related to licensing other maintainers. Employers see a technician who understands how maintenance quality affects operators, airfield safety, equipment limits, and qualification standards.
Mobile Equipment Readiness
Support equipment must be available where and when aircraft maintenance needs it. Translate readiness into fleet availability, preventive-maintenance completion, response time, priority work, spare-parts coordination, and reduced repeat failures.
Electrical and Mechanical Integration
Civilian equipment often combines engines, controls, motors, refrigeration, and safety devices. 6073 experience supports integrated troubleshooting when the resume names the actual measurements, diagrams, test equipment, components, and restored function.
Technical Qualification and Licensing Support
Marines who trained or licensed support-equipment operators can show structured instruction, practical evaluation, documentation, remediation, and authorization tracking. Quantify learners, equipment types, pass rates, incidents, and recurring qualification workload.
Section 03

Common Mistakes 6073 Marines Make in the Civilian Job Search

01
Applying to Every Maintenance Market With One Resume
HVAC, diesel, industrial, and airport equipment employers search for different terms and credentials. Choose a primary lane for each application. Keep the other systems as evidence of versatility, but let the target employer immediately see the relevant equipment, faults, tools, and outcomes.
02
Assuming Military Refrigeration Work Replaces EPA Certification
EPA Section 608 certification is required for civilian technicians who service covered equipment in ways that could release regulated refrigerants. Military experience can make the exam and work familiar, but it does not replace an EPA-approved test or any state and local licensing requirement.
03
Using Licensing Duties as a Civilian License
Licensing Marine maintenance personnel on support equipment proves training and evaluation responsibility inside the military program. It is not a civilian driver's license, trade license, ASE certification, or employer authorization. Translate the process and results without overstating the credential.
Section 04

Credentials That Strengthen a 6073 Transition

EPA Section 608 Technician Certification
Cost Varies by EPA-approved certifying programTime Preparation varies; credential does not expireFormat Core plus Type I, II, III, or Universal testing

EPA Section 608 is required for technicians who maintain, service, repair, or dispose of covered equipment in ways that could release regulated refrigerants. EPA approves certifying programs but does not set one national test fee. Choose the type that matches the civilian equipment you will service.

Essential HVAC/R gate · Required for covered refrigerant service work
ASE Medium/Heavy Truck Certification
Cost $34 registration per order plus $62 per general testTime Relevant work experience plus selected T-series testsFormat Prometric testing by medium/heavy truck specialty

ASE testing can strengthen a vehicle or diesel-centered path. Select tests that match actual engine, electrical, preventive-maintenance, or related experience. ASE certification combines test passage with work-experience requirements, so a passing result alone may not immediately produce certified status.

Useful fleet signal · Best for vehicle and diesel roles, not HVAC or aviation authority
Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional: SMRP
Cost $250 U.S. veteran; $300 member; $470 nonmemberTime Self-paced preparation; three-year certification cycleFormat Application and proctored CMRP examination

SMRP CMRP is most useful for experienced 6073 Marines moving toward reliability, planning, supervision, or asset management. SMRP lists no education or experience prerequisite, but the return is strongest when the resume already shows preventive maintenance, work control, availability, failure reduction, and leadership.

Best advancement credential · Supports industrial reliability and maintenance leadership
Section 05

Resume Translation: From Support Equipment to Civilian Maintenance

A 6073 resume becomes clearer when each bullet identifies one equipment family, the diagnostic process, the authorization boundary, and the measurable result.

Before: One broad title covering several trades
Maintained aviation support equipment, electrical and refrigeration systems, engines, and gas turbines. Operated equipment, trained Marines, and ensured readiness.
After: Focused equipment-maintenance evidence
Inspected, tested, maintained, and repaired a fleet of [number] aviation support assets across [electrical, refrigeration, engine, turbine, or selected system families], completing [number] preventive and corrective work orders per [period]. Used schematics, technical procedures, diagnostic instruments, pressure or temperature readings, and functional tests to isolate [representative faults], reducing average downtime by [percent or hours] and restoring fleet availability to [percent]. Maintained service records, parts accountability, tool and calibration controls, and environmental or refrigerant procedures across [scope]. Qualified and evaluated [number] personnel on safe support-equipment operation, achieving [percent] first-pass completion with [number] incidents. Led [number] technicians or coordinated [dollar value] in parts while reducing backlog by [percent].
The 6073 Translation Formula
Military term Civilian translation Proof to show
Support equipment powered and nonpowered ground-support, mobile, power-generation, cooling, and service equipment equipment types, fleet size, operating hours, availability, and work orders
Electrician/refrigeration electrical controls, motors, wiring, compressors, refrigerant circuits, leak testing, and cooling-system service systems, measurements, faults, EPA credential, and downtime
Engine/gas turbine technician engine, fuel, starting, electrical, rotating-equipment, inspection, and functional-test maintenance engine families, services, fault isolation, hours, and repeat repairs
SE licensing operator qualification, practical evaluation, remediation, authorization tracking, and safety instruction learners, equipment classes, pass rates, renewals, and incidents
Equipment readiness fleet availability, preventive-maintenance compliance, response time, backlog control, and restored service availability percentage, PM completion, downtime, backlog, and cost avoided
Always quantify equipment, fleet size, system families, work orders, operating hours, preventive-maintenance completion, availability, downtime, faults, parts, technicians, qualifications, pass rates, and safety results
Last updated July 2026 using BLS May 2024 heavy equipment data, BLS HVAC/R data, BLS Diesel Technician data, BLS Industrial Machinery Mechanics, and BLS maintenance supervisor data. Credential requirements and fees checked with the EPA, ASE, and SMRP. Classification and duties verified in NAVMC 1200.1L, with the FY27 implementation notice reviewed for future changes.
Section 06

6073 Civilian Career FAQs

What civilian jobs fit Marine Corps MOS 6073?
Strong paths include aviation ground-support equipment technician, HVAC/R technician, diesel or power-equipment technician, industrial maintenance technician, and maintenance supervisor. The best match depends on which system family dominates the Marine's actual work and which civilian credentials or licenses the target market requires.
Does 6073 experience replace EPA Section 608 certification?
No. Technicians performing covered civilian refrigerant work must pass an EPA-approved Section 608 test for the appropriate certification type. Military refrigeration experience can support preparation and hiring, but it does not replace the federal certification or any state or local trade-license requirement.
Should a 6073 use one resume for HVAC, diesel, and aviation equipment jobs?
Usually not. Build a focused version for each target. Lead with the equipment, troubleshooting, tools, credentials, and outcomes that match the posting, then use the other systems to show versatility. A broad resume that treats all trades equally can hide the strongest fit.
What should a 6073 quantify before separation?
Capture equipment classes, fleet size, work orders, operating hours, preventive-maintenance completion, availability, downtime, faults isolated, parts, refrigeration or electrical scope, technicians led, personnel licensed, pass rates, calibration responsibilities, environmental compliance, and safety results.
Build the Right Credential Bridge
The same military shop can lead to different civilian rules for refrigerants, vehicles, and industrial equipment.

CommandPath uses your strongest system family, equipment types, test methods, maintenance level, EPA or ASE readiness, licensing duties, leadership, and location to build a focused transition plan.

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