I am a cadet at one of the maritime academies due to graduate in December 2012 with a B.S. in International Maritime Business……However……about 2 months ago I started playing around with the idea of staying in school and pursuing an additional degree in marine transportation ( AKA the Deck Program). It would take roughly 3 years to complete and then I would be able to sit for my 3rds unlimited.
The plan is to obtain the 3rds in 3 years and sail for 5 or so years to 1) have some great experiences 2) give me some credibility in the shore side maritime business world and 3) to make (and save) some good money, and then transition into shore side employment with the business degree
Tug and barge operations and the off shore supply vessels are what interest me the most. Due to the fact that they are short runs (30 days on 30 days off etc) and also because there really aren’t many deep water jobs for Americans anyway.
I have since decided to go through with it and am currently enrolled to start my first class in the program next week (coastal navigation I)
Before making the decision I had spoken extensively with many people in the industry. Some X captains who have 30 years sailing experience, some who obtained 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] mate USCG licenses and never used them and have very successful careers in chartering and one as a ships agent.
Out of the 10 or so people I have spoken to, about half say it is a smart thing to do (gives you some experience, ability to make some money, etc…. Others say that it won’t really have to big influence in the business world and not to go through with it unless you are sure that you want to sail.
I guess what I am trying to say is………to those of you in the industry that have sailed and since transitioned shore side, is it worth it to go the route of 3 more years for another undergraduate degree, sail a maximum of 5 years, and transition shore side with the business degree at the age of 31 with no real shore side employment besides a few internship???
Any input what so ever, positive or negative is strongly encouraged
Thanks for taking the time to read
(P.S. To anyone in the marine insurance industry, I would love to hear your input specifically, marine insurance is a strong interest of mine for a possible career)