Ratings (jobs) Education

Just curious: why do Navy customs refer to naval jobs using the term "ratings"? I know this is a long custom of the Navy I just don't understand it that's all.

As a retired Air Force Senior NCO, I'm trying to explain this term to some high school students as they explore opportunities in the US Navy.

In the Air Force, we used the term "Air Force Specialty" as an umbrella under which we we called our specialties "job(s)", but we used them interchangeably. For example, my job in the Air Force was Avionics Technician, and then Readiness Manager. My specialty was Avionics Technician, and Readiness.

I'd appreciate any education on the term Rating.

Thanks, and Thanks for Your Services.

Terry

Ignore / delete. bad entry

This term goes WAY back to sailing ships when sailors were 'rated' according to how well they knew a ship. Most would start off as 'landsmen' - total newbies, then work up to seaman and able body seaman as they progressed in their knowledge level. This is also where the term 'know the ropes' comes from since you had to know all the ropes on a sailing ship to be rated as a able body seaman.

Early jobs would be listed in the ships books as 'rated as gunner etc...' for those specialties that existed back then.