Exactly this. That was always my view and the reason I kept an interest in the program at my former school…I had a vested interest in the product they put out, because that is the hiring pool. If I’m hiring a new 3rd, high likelihood they just graduated from an academy and I hope they were properly trained.
It seems you are missing the entire point, purpose, and mandate of academies: to produce officers ready for work. If they wanted to start unlicensed they could have skipped the academy (and doubled the time commitment).
Thinking back, cadet shipping provided a lot of “firsts” for me and I doubt I’m alone. First time traveling by myself, first time to that part of the country, first time pulling a cylinder head on an engine that wasn’t located in a building, first time troubleshooting a steam boiler issue that wasn’t purely academic, etc.
All these experiences were vital, and none of them could have happened surrounded by 100 classmates on a training ship.
Oh, and about those toilets…on my cadet ship I did have to fix the Captains toilet, but I was working right alongside the 1stA/E because he gave a shit and was a good mentor.
But anyway, I agree with @texastanker : its not a Cadet problem, its an asshole and asshole enabler problem. Send me a Cadet any day. I’ll gladly train them.