Im looking to get everyones views on different industries. What are the pros and cons of the various Master/Mate paths?
OSV/PSV/AHTS
Subsea
Tug and Barge
Freighters/Tankers
Drilling
How do they stack up against each other is terms of: Pay, advancement, quality of job, equipment, atmosphere? Not interested in specific companies.
Man, I hate to say it but you are asking too much in your opinion survey. One can write a volume about each sector of the industry and there are so many variables such as union vs. non union, UL tonnage vs. limited tonnage, academy vs. hawsepipe. Your credentials will likely determine where you end up at. The more creds you obtain the higher you can go but getting them comes at a cost. It is basically a cost/benefit analysis each mariner has to make for himself. Right now a man can go offshore as an OSV OS and become a master in under 10 years if you are top flight and work like hell to get it. The money at that point will not be terribly far below UL tonnage so the cost/benefit ratio is very good except it is a track that is self limiting as many here know. Tell us more about yourself and the level of your ambition and then we can give you a better perspective of what your chances are of attaining what you seek?
My short answer is that there are always going to be at least ten times more limited tonnage jobs that UL so if you want to know where the opportunites are it is in the workboat/tug sector not ships except for drillships which is still not going to throw the doors open to any comer. Too much very expensive equipment and potential for disaster to just hire anybody other than for entry level.
Im planning to have a 500GT Master and 3rd Unlimited Mate. Plus two masters degrees in marine transportation areas from two different maritime schools. Keep in mind this will be in 5 years.
Really want opinions on the different industries.
FYI, the Masters Degrees are meaningless if you want to go to sea for your living but will help you immensely if you want to work in management. Hell, I might end up working for you in 5 years!
If you are going to have 2 Master degrees and your 3rd Mates license in 5 years, I would suggest Law School afterwards, with a specialty in Maritime Law.
[QUOTE=PDCMATE;66884]If you are going to have 2 Master degrees and your 3rd Mates license in 5 years, I would suggest Law School afterwards, with a specialty in Maritime Law.[/QUOTE]
I would advise you not to follow this advice. If in five years you acquire your 2 masters degrees and your 3rd mates license, you should have more than enough accreditation to start a career in the maritime field. A law degree (and god forbid an LLM in Maritime law) probably wouldn’t do much for you to increase your marketability in the marine sector except maybe in an entry level position. Don’t get me wrong, there are lawyers in high positions in maritime companies, but they got there following a successful legal career. It is doubtful that the law degree would open any doors for you other than maybe a low level position in HR or HSE. You would be much better off utilizing the Masters Degrees and the 3rd mates licenses to get a position on the water. Following that, you should try to transition into a shoreside position.
If the poster above thought that the specific legal knowledge gained in law school would be a boon to an individual aspiring to a shoreside position, I think you give too much credit to law school and lawyers in general.
It just occurred to me that I may have missed the poster’s sarcasm. Oh well.
Yes, sarcasm is hard to type. For somebody to post degrees and licenses (not obtained) mind you, and then to ask about various sectors of the maritime and offshore industry, not knowing what his TWO master degrees are in, my mind wanders on their intentions. I couldn’t see why somebody would waste their time on the two degrees and one license and want to work offshore. One degree, one license is all I have, and can work on any type of vessel, preferably Drilling Rigs.
My suggestion to Commtuna is: excellent benefits, excellent vessels and industry growth in the drilling industry, my advice would be get in, get done, and get out before this time passes.
[QUOTE=PDCMATE;66896]Yes, sarcasm is hard to type. For somebody to post degrees and licenses (not obtained) mind you, and then to ask about various sectors of the maritime and offshore industry, not knowing what his TWO master degrees are in, my mind wanders on their intentions.[/QUOTE]
I am wondering myself why I did not question commtuna when he said two masters degrees from two different maritime schools plus a license in 5 years. Way too many holes in this guy’s boat for it to float all on its own. I am obviously getting soft or can’t see red flags when they are waiving in my face. I hope our man will enlighten us on his current portfolio of degrees, etc…
Ok Mr. commtuna, I will not jump your frame if you give us a clearer picture of yourself. If you’re legit, then I for one will try to impart to you the information on the industry that you seek, but if you’re either BS’ing us or living in some LaLaland, I am not going to waste my time here. What you are asking for is already too much!
What degree(s) do you have now? From where? What schools are you going to attend to get these master’s degrees from? Do you have a license now? Have you been to sea at all yet or is going to sea some pipedream of yours you hope to get to live out? Are you young and just starting out or in midlife career change mode?
Give us what we need to know upfront before any major effort is invested in this thread.
Thank you
…damn! I am getting soft…I said thank you! I never have ever done that before
ps.to PDCMATE, sarcasm is easy! Watch and learn from the master glasshopper…
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You know, it was almost like the thought of coming ashore and working for someone made you happy haha
What the hell do you need 2 masters degrees? If you want to sail you dont need any and if you want something on land why 2? I would go with something in the maritime environmental field if I were looking for a masters
And why both in essentially the same subject?
Totally getting off topic. My original question really has no bearing on my education or myself in general. That being said…
Wont be a lawyer. Ive considered it but i wanna be offshore. Besides, law is boring.
Education is important to me and dowsnt go to waste. One will be the SUNY MS program, the other will most likely be in enviornmental or engineering field.
Yes ive spent my whole life on the ocean. Im a prior commercial fisherman and currently serving in the CG. I will have my 200GT Master when i upgrade this year.
Im not wasting any of your time. Im just a motivated individual that wants to work at sea where im happy. If i cared so much about money and sitting in an office i would have stayed working on wall street. Please dont judge me. I really just want to know about the various industries. This topic is not about me.
[QUOTE=commtuna;66913]Totally getting off topic. My original question really has no bearing on my education or myself in general. That being said…
[/QUOTE]
Oohh, hold on there. Now, I am not a lawyer, nor do I intend to ever be one, and certainly not at my age. That said, law does not have to be boring at all. I used to think that insurance was boring. That was before I got into the business. It is only boring when it is slow. Probably the most interesting job I have ever had, in or out of the maritime/offshore industries. Oops, off topic. Never mind.
My whole family are lawyers so i know how it is. I did consider it, i just want to be on the ocean.
Im not wasting any of your time. Im just a motivated individual that wants to work at sea where im happy. If i cared so much about money and sitting in an office i would have stayed working on wall street. Please dont judge me. I really just want to know about the various industries. This topic is not about me.
FIrst, your post where you told us that you were going to get two master’s degress and a license in 5 years was not showing the best of judgement on your part. Using good judgement is a very important characteristic of a professional mariner so all of us here are sceptical about you since. You should just said, “I am in the Coast Guard with a low tonnage license now but will be out in 5 years with a higher tonnage one”. That would have gone miles to gettting people behind you to offer their help.
Second, what you ask is too broad to be simply answered although I did give you a simply answer to you alreadty. If you want to learn about the various sectors of the maritime industry, take time to read through the archive of hundreds of threads and thousands of posts here on gCaptaiin. We here don’t want to take the time to do the hard lifting for you. That you need to do for yourself if you’re very ambitious.
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Well then i guess im sorry for wasting your time thus far.
[QUOTE=commtuna;66938]Well then i guess im sorry for wasting your time thus far.[/QUOTE]
Not that C.Captain has ever wasted anybody’s time on this board. . . . . . Oops, off topic again. Just ignore me, keep moving along. . . .
Make it easy for you
yawn again…
ok, I’ll keep moving officer
[QUOTE=c.captain;66945]yawn again…
ok, I’ll keep moving officer[/QUOTE]
I rest my case.