Most of this is unnecessarily complicated for a high school kid seeking a summer job.
By all means get a Twic card and an MMC, it’s cheap, and no courses required.
Then get a job on a tugboat or fishing boat. No STCW required. In fact, there are Tugboat jobs that do not even require a MMC or a TWIC.
Most importantly, Tugboat and fishing jobs are much much easier to get. They are also a better source of worthwhile experience than being an OS on a ship. The typical OS duties of sweeping, mopping, and chipping and painting are a waste of time for someone preparing to go to an academy.
Just got off the phone with Judy N. over there at Sandy Hook. It is biannual and last time they did it in 2018 they had 110 applicants distilled down to 10 accepted and 4 alternates based on retirement. Age limit is 27 by the due date of the application with no exceptions and for this year it is April 15 2020.
I highly doubt a Liberal Arts major is in the running.
We can only speculate how MSC does their evaluations, quotas, and assessments. For Federal jobs, having a Liberal Arts degree to do a proper KSA to be read by another Liberal Arts degree is worth more than having the experience or credentials for the job minus the resume inflation for doing a job.
Idk if it’s worth investing all that money in going to sea for maybe a month before you go to school. If you get to one of the state schools and realize going to sea isn’t for you they have other majors. At Mass it’s as easy as walking into the registrars office and saying “I wanna go business instead.”
15 days of classes, $3,000, trying to cram that in during your last summer of high school and then having to deal with union halls all while looking for a short term gig is a lot. My advice would be that if you think this is something you want to do, apply to the schools, give deck/engine a shot and if it doesn’t work out just switch to a non license major. And if it really doesn’t work out, knock out as many gen eds as you can in the semester or two that you’re there and transfer. Not the end of the world.
It’s also tough to find a job freshman year (at least at mass) because your hours are restricted so you’re going to want to save as much money as you can to get you through the first semester or two. Unless you’re eligible for work study programs but that gets into what your financial situation is and I’d rather not open another can of worms on this thread.
@Arya1222 This presumes a company will hire you while you are under 18. I tried to get on a ship on the lakes the summer between my junior and senior years in HS with no luck. A couple made job offers which were rescinded when they found out I was 17.
It may be legal for them to do it from the USCGs perspective, but their own policies, insurance coverage and child labor laws may prevent it.
Gotcha. If you were close to Philly I’d say drive down and talk to Moran, McAllister, and Wilmington Tug. They might be willing to hire you as a deckhand for the summer or maybe, possibly, bring you on as a “cadet”.
I just wanted to clear up this point, SUNY Maritime, does in fact have a rigorous engineering program that is ABET accredited. They confer B.E. degrees in a few majors. From their website:
"Maritime College’s Marine Engineering, Naval Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Facilities Engineering programs are accredited by EAC. "
I know the school also helps to prepare you for the FE exam for those students wishing to pursue that.
Maine Maritime has 3 Maritime Engineering majors, 2 of which are ABET accredited:
The Marine Systems Engineering (MSE) programs (Non-License and License tracks) are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET
And
The Marine Engineering Technology program is accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET
They also have a land based Engineering major where you are eligible to sit for a State of Maine Third Class Engineer (stationary plant engineer) license:
The Power Engineering Technology program is accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET
All three of the above qualify you to sit for the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam wish is the start to getting a PE.
Hey man, no need to stress about this stuff right now. I was just like you in high school, anxious about what the future will hold. You’ll get into the state schools with that no problem, and might even get some money thrown your way.
I’m fresh (very fresh) out of a state school with the 3/M license. Yeah couldn’t find a mate job right out the gate, but I found plenty of A/B jobs. Working one right now and having a blast, and if you don’t have kids/wife/house/car then on AB pay you are doing pretty well and I can travel/spend as much as I want on my off time (no car or big purchases yet, but travel and visiting buddies) I just work a ton and have a blast when I get off.
Do your thing man, try to get into KP (it’s free) and take it as it comes.
A lot of people say this but read what you wrote. You’re living like a student and you spent a ton of money in school to do it. I worked as an AB briefly but I was never comfortable with it. You’re very fresh out of school so don’t sweat it though.
Who cares? Sounds like he’s living the dream. I’m sailing mate and living the same way. No big purchases, traveling and visiting friends and having a blast doing it. I didn’t pay a ton for a state school. I guess compared to KP yeah paid a ton. But my loans will be paid off after my next hitch, so 6 months from now.
I started as an OS/Wiper, single, and had a blast. The benefit of that? I learned other peoples jobs top to bottom so that I knew what to watch for as I moved up through the system. The license path now is very difficult for a hawsepiper without going the academy route. Except for bad weather, and a few rude port captains that never sailed, a good gig. As far as “Typical KP attitude”… another stereotype. Not so sure prior poster is from KP. Getting your hands dirty is not a bad thing in this business, no matter where you came from.
Why not? My career, although still rooted in the maritime and energy industries, has changed three times. . . My wants and needs as a teenager, and a youngster in my 20s are different from what they are now. . .
Go for the Engineering degree. If you don’t find work at sea you like you can get a good job in other fields. I am a stationary engineer, know a few CMA grads working downtown in buildings. It is a good school with a boat ride included.
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