I would really like to thank the post from the guest above me. Now, I have recently graduated from high school this past summer, and I plan on going to sea, unlicensed, as an OS. Now, I did apply at academy’s, and I got into both Massachusetts Maritime, and SUNY Maritime, but I will not be attending either school. I have always wanted to start from the bottom, and work my way up. I like to know how everything on the ship is done, how everyone does their job, and what it is like doing those jobs. I don’t plan on staying unlicensed, I want to eventually get thy Third Mate’s license when the time comes. I may regret my decision to not go to an academy in the future, but for me it’s a sense of pride, knowing that you started at the very bottom, and worked your way up to a difficult goal. I have nothing against academy grads, or hawsepipers, this is the way I have wanted to do it all my life.