While it certainly has its benefits, it can be miserable, too. Long hours and hard work, while living on a ship/boat that can feel like prison. There are no weekends or Saturday nights. No friends or family, except via email.
Your age is a minor factor. Given your college background and the career path ahead, I would strongly urge you to consider a maritime school. It’ll cost money, yes, so get loans. Everyone does. The money you’ll earn your first job as an officer will allow you to pay off your debts quickly.
Hawespiping is admirable. But nobody stays as an OS or cook the rest of their life. You move up, naturally. In four years (same as a maritime academy) you’ll likely still be an AB somewhere. Going to school to study for a Mates test will cost money too, down the road.
You’ll “get fit” while at a academy, the college credit you already have will benefit you, you’ll have a place to live (on campus) while there. You’ll come out as a licensed mate and go to work on day one making great money compared to being an AB or cook somewhere.
Why would you not choose this option, is perplexing. Or you’ve been talking to the wrong people.
There is nothing wrong with the hawsepipe route.
But purely from a time and economic investment relative to your ROI … you should go to a 4 year academy. If you can transfer enough credits, it may only be three. That’s even better.
I’d just get on board and get started the most feasible way possible.
you may not care to sail the world, party in every port, get free room and board, hardly spend money, ogle babes every where!, visit the tropics and the ice line, …
get scared to shit, work in the worst damn conditions you can’t even imagine, …
but you may like it?
You can also consider a govt. job like military sealift command. you’d be on big iron from the start, and with probably some education credit you all ready have you could progress.
you could be a winner, then you could be bored and alone at sea wishing for a job as a accountant or something!!
for the record: it’s the best thing i ever did for myself.
You have nothing to lose by checking with the admissions dept at SUNY Maritime to see if any of your CUNY credits would transfer. Chances are some of them would which would reduce the overall time and cost. Depending on how many credits transfer, you could potentially finish in 2.5 - 3 years and come out with a BS & 3rd Mate (2.5 would be the min based on how the license program / classes are structured. Tip- Start in January)). However, if you find that you enjoy what you’re learning I’d consider the Fast-Track Master’s program. It would take another year or so, but you’d come out with an MS as well. I did the Grad-License program and finished in 2.5 years, though no way I could have worked while doing it. You can finance it through federal loans which do allow you to borrow an additional amount for a cost of living stipend. Though you’ll be required to live on campus as a member of the regiment. It’s a requirement of the license program for all undergrads. The investment is well worth it (IMHO anyway). The shipping industry pays quite well generally speaking and makes for a pretty interesting career. Don’t worry about going in at 33 either. There was a good number of guys that were mid-20’s to early 30’s. Welcome to the Geriatric Ward (as a proud former member).
Hi Capt, this looks like a decent option, but a friend who has done such work in the past mentions that it is far more physically demanding than Maritime. Is that true? Again, not going to keep me away from such work, but I definitely need to be in decent shape. Not sure this 33 year old ex-marketer is going to survive long in that line of work.
I really like this idea Jim, can you give me some more tips regarding how you hawsepiped? I think my approach will be get myTWIC/MMC and just apply for some OS Entry Level jobs. Is that a good/bad idea?
Many of the folks here have recommended I go to school and I haven’t forgotten that. Perhaps take the experience/$$$ that I make from Hawsepiping to pay for school.
Ive always been fascinated by shipping, in general its a job I can be proud of. I can’t be proud of the marketing jobs I have had in the past, worst off they weren’t even paid as well as many OS jobs that I see online. Essentially I am 33, I was running out of time at 30 but because this COVID mess hit I really had to re-evaluate my life. I was completely brainwashed by public schools to believe that working class jobs are poorly paid. Never imagine that the ENTRY LEVEL of this job is higher paid than my Public Relations Manager positions in the past.
Sorry for the questions ad nauseam but you guys give excellent feedback. Would you say OS-AB work is less demanding physically than rousting? If not, I may need to up my workout schedule
It depends where you work. Roustabouts are basically the deckhands of the rig and their work is about equivalent to day-working deckhands on ships but 12 hour days.
I mean no disrespect or trying to discourage you ok so I will give you a quick break down of how I am doing it as I am about to start being a deckhand my self at the age of 40
Ok…This is what i have as of right now
Able Seafarer-Deck-$0
RFPNW-$800
Proficiency in survival craft other then fast rescue-$700
Proficiency Fast rescue boats-$750
Basic Oil And Chemical Tanker Cargo Operations-$1000
Medical First aid-$700
Medical PIC-$1000
Advance Fire Fighting-$650
Basic Training-$850
GMDSS Operator-$1600
Vessel Security Officer-$500
VPDSD-$0
Security Awareness-$100
Lifeboatman-$0
Tankerman Assistant-$0
Non-Stcw class
*ECDIS-$1300
*Radar Unlimited-$800
Arpa Radar-$800
Bridge Resource Management-$2000
Meteorology-$900
Basic Ship handling & Steering Control Systems-$2900
Stability and Construction-$1000
Cargo Handling and Stowage-$1000
Electronic Navigation-$1000
SAR-$500
DPO-$2000
Bull Shit Team leadership course-$300
Total-$23,150
That does not include all your flights to and from MPT and the housing and food.
Things to note: (* are the 2 classes I have taken out of that list I need all the others)
*mpt offers a discount if you give them a lump sum
*mpt will send you the books to study if you pay 50% or more for the class
*https://www.smartmovecrew.com/ They offer the best rates when saying at mpt @ 250 a week you share a room with one other but 5 to a house if full. Bring ear plugs for the late night party that do happen on the week ends. But i think they have knocked that off for the most part after i complained HARD to the office.
I am linking a DPO page as i can not find this page from the main page. Some one else helped me out
https://mstc.louisiana.edu/ This place has FRB at 50% cost of other places and PSC class also gives you life boatman that is why i listed it as $0. Same with VSO if you do VSO you get VPDSD.
As far as Roustabouts. 12 years working on rigs as a dish washer or utility hand (guy that cleans rooms) I would ask Roustabouts how they got that job and i think out of all the Roustabouts i asked only 3 said they just applied every other Roustabout said it was their brother step dad uncle family person that got them on every single time. I had one tell me his brother tried to get his other brother on because he had experience but nothing happened for some time and 6 months later he got the call and the H.R. Lady said sorry I did not get to you sooner at the time I was going through 2000 applications…So Yeah
I have my 100T master at Mpt on Jan 31st then take my 200T mate/master on Feb-28. The reason for this is my mom is about to die so I am holding off making a move at this time. Those 2 classes are more for her then me. Then I will do 2 28 day hitches then ask to test for 500T mate non stcw. That is how I am doing it. I will then work as a deck hand till i get my 1080 days then ask the company to drop me to wiper and start my 180 days to get a Qmed and then hope to stay in the engine room and build my license to chief limited. But you never know.
This is extremely helpful and a realistic breakdown, thank you Menizzi. I am sorry to hear about your Mom, I have a similiar thing going on my mom has been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease. Its one of the reasons I decided to look into Maritime as an occupation.
Just to clarify, I need those classes just for OS or for the upgrade to AB? In other words, could I avoid academies altogether and just do those specific classes, then get the AB upgrade that way? Not discouraged at all .
I got my sea time out of the Navy 639 days. I would say you only really need Basic training and maybe adv. Fire fighting but not even that. Just basic training and PSC will get you some tug jobs.
If you want just your MMD you can get it I THINK with just basic training and nothing else.
If I was doing it from the start. I would look into company’s like weeks marine. You don’t need anything at all but the pay is $14.50/hr and you would get sea time. This way you can build on the MMD you just got so when you do apply at bigger company’s you might be a os but they will see you are serious about moving up. You only need 180 days as a OS to get your ab osv. 180/360/540/1080 Ab osv/special/limited/unlimited
I am getting out of my area as i have never been a deck hand and I am not sure about what is needed for tugs. I was always told nothing but I am out of my area on this. All of those classes are what you would need for 3rd mate unlimited if you are going to just work your way up. Of course The more classes you get the more marketable you are on your way to 3rd.
I had to go back and edit the above post to add Team leadership. I for got that bull shit 1 day class for $300
Yeah the mom thing is really killing me right now.
At 33, you are a kid. You’ll be the youngest guy onboard many boats. You’ve got at least a 30 year work life ahead of you.
OS pay is over $300 a day, $2100 per week worked, $1050 average on an equal time schedule, in some parts of the country. That is a lot of money for an entry level position.
