[QUOTE=JW-Oceans;61335]Get every license, credential, and rating you can get your hands on… It will never hurt you, if you have time when you are off, go to school!!! Get your AB special at the least, do not get anything with OSV on it, get your 100 ton master/ 200 ton mate as soon as you can, get your crane ticket. If you have a license with an AB ticket, guess who will be the helmsman? Guess who will spend their watch in the bridge, helping the Mate? Guess who will be taught to be a navigator? Guess who will get to run the crane?.. Guess who will be on deck, chipping and painting and scrubbing???[/QUOTE]
All valid points. I never said NOT to get all qualifications possible, but the part of the reason people don’t get it is because they see it as not helping them. Also, some deck workers on ships never intend to go the officer route and believe it won’t benefit them. In other words, they are lazy…