Alright, I know this has probably been asked, but I didn’t see anything recent. I’ll be graduating soon with a degree in Geology, so I don’t plan on going back to a 4 year school any time soon. However, I would love to work on tankers or container ships. What is the best way to go about getting an entry level OS job or similar? I know about the TWIC and MMC and plan to look at getting those soon, but what past that? I’ve heard things about the Piney Point Unliscenced Apprentice Program, anyone know much about that? Would it be possible to get a job without this sort of thing? (I’d imagine not for someone with no nautical experience)
I guess, what is the best way to get my foot into the industry? I don’t have any current experience that is non-academic, but I would love to get some.
What part of “Professional Mariner” did you not understand in this particular forum area? Go to the job section and start reading and you’ll find what you are looking for. If you are looking for somebody to hold your hand then this industry definitely is not for you.
You need to go work on your rock collection and wait for things to pick up in the oilfield. You can probably make way more money using that degree working for an oil company on their exploration side. Hardly any OS jobs out there at the moment. Bu the time the SIU program pans out where you actually can earn money you could have a job in your field.
Why don’t you want to work in your field? Is it that you don’t like it… don’t see many jobs? What? If you just “changed your mind” or didn’t think it through… I pray you did not get a dime of any govt grant money to help you attain the degree that you apparently have no use for!
Other posters are correct that because of the oil industry issues… jobs for all mariners are harder to come by. So, this is not really any better of a field if you are looking because geology related degrees are scarce.
I’m [QUOTE=Saltgrain;179890]I have a couple of questions.
Why don’t you want to work in your field? Is it that you don’t like it… don’t see many jobs? What? If you just “changed your mind” or didn’t think it through… I pray you did not get a dime of any govt grant money to help you attain the degree that you apparently have no use for!
Other posters are correct that because of the oil industry issues… jobs for all mariners are harder to come by. So, this is not really any better of a field if you are looking because geology related degrees are scarce.
Why not consider the navy or Coast Guard?
Do you have ANY experience on the water?[/QUOTE]
I got the degree mainly for purposes of going to grad school down the line because research is really what interests me about the field. This was my plan going in, and it is now. I don’t really have the financial means at the moment, though, so I’ll be saving for a while to say the least.
I’m looking into it because it truly interests me.
I’m not so sure about the 4 year commitment, and the vacation time sucks compared to commercial shipping. (I’m a big-time traveler, I want to spend my breaks climbing mountains and exploring)
Not yet, but only because I’ve lived in the godawful state of Arkansas my whole life. I’m kind of stuck in that regard, I need to move somewhere coastal. I may look for yacht work too.
Haha can’t serve your country and fulfill your civic duty because “the vacation time sucks.” With an attitude like that you won’t get much sympathy here or in the general maritime community.
I didn’t ask for opinions. Military service is an absolutely huge commitment, and not what I’m after. I considered Air Force ROTC for a time at the beginning of my college career, and it was as not for me. I didn’t ask about military. I’ll take my questions to another community.
EDIT: Seriously, I came here with some prior knowledge and just asked what people in the industry think and about the state of it, and I get personal attacks?
I got the degree mainly for purposes of going to grad school down the line because research is really what interests me about the field. This was my plan going in, and it is now. I don’t really have the financial means at the moment, though, so I’ll be saving for a while to say the least.
I’m looking into it because it truly interests me.
I’m not so sure about the 4 year commitment, and the vacation time sucks compared to commercial shipping. (I’m a big-time traveler, I want to spend my breaks climbing mountains and exploring)
Not yet, but only because I’ve lived in the godawful state of Arkansas my whole life. I’m kind of stuck in that regard, I need to move somewhere coastal. I may look for yacht work too.[/QUOTE]
Ok… fair enough… here would be my advice.
I did a quick search on indeed.com and saw a lot (relatively speaking) of “entry level” geologist jobs. It would seem that given the tough mariner job market, you would be better off continuing to get experience in your chosen field… a field you say you want to fully pursue. Maybe one of those companies would even have some education benefits that would help pay for that advanced degree. I would think even work with a soil engineer company would be more relatable to your education.
Yep… being a mariner is “interesting”… but it is a VERY different way of life and while it may seem interesting and romantical from afar, the realities of life aboard may vastly differ from what you “think” it might be like. Long stretches away from “home”… not having good communications, difficulty in having a relationship (when you are gone for months potentially… not a lot of partners will wait it out). It can be physically demanding and not particularly comfortable either. Maybe you could put a post about what exactly you find “interesting” about this kind of employment and some of the experience mariners can give you their view on whether your expectations line up at all with the reality.
It is an investment to get your mmc credential/TWIC etc with training and fees involved. If this is really such a short term venture… maybe it really isn’t worth all the trouble it will be worth for you. (especially given the fact that you say you want to save for grad school). It also sounds like you are looking to do something where you will have lots of time to play. I guess that’s nice and all, but you need to prioritize… do you want to save for school? Play? Working on the water is not necessarily an easy way to do both.
You have zero experience on the water… do you even know if you get seasick? If you want to live in a coastal area… there are places you can do that. You can try to work in yachts too… but keep in mind… the “cool/fun” jobs don’t pay a whole lot and sounds like you have a lot of travel/fun you want to do. Why not get a job as a guide in CO? Look for contract work that allows for ample breaks maybe?
Overall, it seems like the schedule is what appeals to you because you can have lots of time off… and it seems “interesting”. The bottom line is that the job market isn’t great right now, if this isn’t something you really want to do long term… I would suggest looking elsewhere… even if that means you have to find a regular job that doesn’t allow you months of travel time every year.
Thanks for the informed reply. I know I don’t get seasick, or at least I assume I do not because I’ve been on dive boats in coastal areas in fairly rough seas and was alright. I’m not sure how that compares to being on a large ship, but there’s only one way to find out.
The kind of travel I usually do is incredibly cheap, just a backpack, hostels, or sometimes just camping, so it’s often cheaper than living at “home.” Still fairly easy to save (I mean, I’m a college student with a part time job and I can still do it)
And, I could see myself doing it long term, but I would want to experience it first of course. As a professional geologist (oceanography concentration, when the time comes), work on research ships (likely NOAA) has always been one of my goals, so I feel like I’m headed for the nautical world one way or another. I don’t really care about the time away from home, homesickness is almost a foreign concept to me.
A lot of those “down sides” seem like the kind of life I might enjoy, in all honesty.
You did ask for our opinions. Sorry if that cut too deep for you, but you do have to have a thick skin if you want to work on the water. Here’s some real constructive criticism. Have you considered looking at the student opportunities at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. They offer a wide array of programs for undergraduate students and grad students. Research fellowships, stuff like that. I’m not sure what Scripps is like, but also consider looking that up as well. You might also consider looking at their current vacancies and seeing if you’re qualified for anything already. You say you may want to go into the area of oceanography, oceanographic seismology, etc. It may be far more beneficial for you to start from the ground up trying to get into the science end of things rather then the professional mariner end of things.
Thanks, I’ll check out Scripps, I actually visited Woods Hole quite a while back, looked like a great, interesting place, I’ll have to check it out again.
Why not go right to NOAA now? They have jobs available. Looks like some jobs are “mixed tour” which means sometimes you are Full Time… Sometimes Part Time… intermittant work. Which means you will probably have time to do the travel you want.
You also have to understand that you are not the first person who has come to these boards and posted about how you think working at sea is “interesting”. Generally, posts are like yours… the poster hasn’t spent much time looking at the past threads to get some questions answered… so the famous “pointy sticks” come out. If people act offended by being poked… generally that results in them being told that if they are that sensitive… this kind of work isn’t for them. I mean, you have to think about how this stuff works… you don’t just work with these people for 8 hours a day… you are in close quarters contact with the same generally small group of people for 24 hours a day. No privacy… no reprieve. I know as a college student, you are used to communal living, but this is communal living on steroids. There is no way to explain how it is to be captive/hostage to a place and people 24 hours a day… for weeks on end. If you don’t get along with someone… you litterally have no escape. If you are found to be in the least bit sensitive… trying to get under your skin might become the most entertaining past time for your crew mates.
I’m not saying that these jobs or this life is impossible, but it really isn’t for everyone. Maybe the NOAA opportunities would be a better fit than others given the fact that these would be research vessels with probably more sciency people on board. You might find you have more in common with them?
Since he wants to have fun/adventure, he can always join NCL & the Pride of America. They’ve a high turnover rate and are always looking for people. They pay for the BST, Firefighting, etc by sending the newly hired to Piney Point, every month. Lotsa good looking chicks and I’m pretty sure, being a cruise ship, plenty fun too. They fly you in & out at their expense. All he has to do is pay for TWIC and MMC
The ship is in the dry docks in SF till March 15th. You may get a billet
Many people I have run into “in the industry” are the types that will be quick to put you in your place…if you get too upset about the responses on here they are somewhat correct in that you may not last long “out there” (not that I am endorsing those quick trigger fingers…but they are certainly a reality!).
I did a stint in the Navy in deck dept. Even though there is some correlation between the two “sectors” (military vs merchant) I am not sure that is the best option, unless you intend to get out and use the GI Bill for an academy (route that I took/am taking).
There are lots and lots of great posts/threads from people in shoes similar to yours on here. I have never had luck with the search function but if you google whatever it is you’re looking for followed by “gcaptain forum” you should find some good info to sift through.
I know a guy who went through Seattle Maritime’s AB program, seemed to like it very much. Might want to check that out if it’s still around. Word has it (hear say) a few guys scored jobs with Polar after they did that program. Wish you all the best!
there is NO WAY to get your foot into the industry these days. We already have too many like your type in it and we need to cull the pack down to the real seamen so take your lame dreams of adventure someplace else…we do not care about people like you! All of us who are professionals with experience are simply trying to survive these times which are very difficult so do not bother us with this…
Hey man I have 7 years offshore on rigs and ships and have navy time. If you want pm me your phone # and we can talk and maybe I can answer some of your questions.
[QUOTE=Adventurer;179899]I didn’t ask for opinions. Military service is an absolutely huge commitment, and not what I’m after. I considered Air Force ROTC for a time at the beginning of my college career, and it was as not for me. I didn’t ask about military. I’ll take my questions to another community.
EDIT: Seriously, I came here with some prior knowledge and just asked what people in the industry think and about the state of it, and I get personal attacks?[/QUOTE]
Actually, you did ask for opinions (when you ask people what they think), and you are crying now because the opinions you are getting are ones you don’t agree with or fit your inflated vision of yourself.
I was going to suggest something that would combine exploration and reseach with a sea career, but now you can just content yourself with the search function.
[QUOTE=Adventurer;179901]Thanks for the informed reply. I know I don’t get seasick, or at least I assume I do not because I’ve been on dive boats in coastal areas in fairly rough seas and was alright. I’m not sure how that compares to being on a large ship, but there’s only one way to find out.
The kind of travel I usually do is incredibly cheap, just a backpack, hostels, or sometimes just camping, so it’s often cheaper than living at “home.” Still fairly easy to save (I mean, I’m a college student with a part time job and I can still do it)
And, I could see myself doing it long term, but I would want to experience it first of course. As a professional geologist (oceanography concentration, when the time comes), work on research ships (likely NOAA) has always been one of my goals, so I feel like I’m headed for the nautical world one way or another. I don’t really care about the time away from home, homesickness is almost a foreign concept to me.
A lot of those “down sides” seem like the kind of life I might enjoy, in all honesty.[/QUOTE]
Don’t come here (research ships). We don’t need any more arrogant assholes than we already have. Thanks.
Edit: Sorry if that sounds harsh. When you come here with zero background and expect on your first post to be spoon-fed information, totally bias-free and without any potentially uncomfortable questions, you come across as a dilettante. A time waster.
There really is a lot of good information here already, I suggest the search function.
