Hey guys,
New to the forum here and my first time posting. I read all about “knocking on doors” and the whole go get um thing about getting jobs. I live in the NE and have spent the better part of 15 years in the fishing industry, both commercial and charter. I have my 100 ton and last year got my AB Unlimited. I have been striking out looking for work on the tugs up here for 6 months and am now thinking about heading south to knock on some doors. I am 37 years old and all my sea experience is in the fishing industry. My question is, is it worth it for me to head down and try, with the lack of experience and my age? I know there are gonna be some wise cracks, whatever, i m not made of sugar and if i cry i wont melt. Just looking for some honest opinions and input from those who care to share. Thanks.
[QUOTE=GhMike;137927]Hey guys,
New to the forum here and my first time posting. I read all about “knocking on doors” and the whole go get um thing about getting jobs. I live in the NE and have spent the better part of 15 years in the fishing industry, both commercial and charter. I have my 100 ton and last year got my AB Unlimited. I have been striking out looking for work on the tugs up here for 6 months and am now thinking about heading south to knock on some doors. I am 37 years old and all my sea experience is in the fishing industry. My question is, is it worth it for me to head down and try, with the lack of experience and my age? I know there are gonna be some wise cracks, whatever, i m not made of sugar and if i cry i wont melt. Just looking for some honest opinions and input from those who care to share. Thanks.[/QUOTE]
Do your homework first, if you are just starting out, and you don’t mind hard work and sometimes tight quarters, search the “mom and pop” companies they seem to always need deck hands this time of year. There are hundreds of such small companies in Louisians ( Morgan city, La rose, Belle chase, Cutoff, Harvey and some more areas in close proximity). Hope this is a start.
Of course its worth it. Get your resume and have copies of all your credentials and certificates and go knock on doors. You won’t get hired in the Gulf if you stay up north pounding the keyboard.
[QUOTE=GhMike;137927]Hey guys,
New to the forum here and my first time posting. I read all about “knocking on doors” and the whole go get um thing about getting jobs. I live in the NE and have spent the better part of 15 years in the fishing industry, both commercial and charter. I have my 100 ton and last year got my AB Unlimited. I have been striking out looking for work on the tugs up here for 6 months and am now thinking about heading south to knock on some doors. I am 37 years old and all my sea experience is in the fishing industry. My question is, is it worth it for me to head down and try, with the lack of experience and my age? I know there are gonna be some wise cracks, whatever, i m not made of sugar and if i cry i wont melt. Just looking for some honest opinions and input from those who care to share. Thanks.[/QUOTE]
The Northeast has always been a pretty hard place to get started on tugs, unless you know someone. At 37 you’re just a kid. Your age is a very positive factor. You and I know that fishing is exceptionally good seagoing experience. A lot of other people do not understand that. Yet, there are plenty of former fishermen working on commercial vessels everywhere. An AB Unlimited is an excellent credential. A 100 ton license is pretty good too. If you don’t have RFPNW and BST, crewboats, or the under 100 ton OSVs, might be a good place to start out. If you follow the advice in the Knocking on Doors thread, you should get a job within a week or two. In six months you can work your way into a very good job.
[QUOTE=GhMike;137927]…My question is, is it worth it for me to head down and try, with the lack of experience and my age?..[/QUOTE]
Your question will only be answered by you when it is in the past tense… Was it worth it for me? Let us know how you make out.
Seen people from 18 to mid 60’s come down to get their start. Just a guess, but I am thinking it was worth it for 85-90% of them.
[QUOTE=Ea$y Money;137993]
Seen people from 18 to mid 60’s come down to get their start. Just a guess, but I am thinking it was worth it for 85-90% of them.[/QUOTE]
Very much worth it.
I’m in my 50’s and went back so yeah, you are at at great age. Go for it.
It’s absolutely worth it. I started my second career as an OS at 37. I worked as hard as I could and climbed up the hawsepipe as fast as I could. Very happy with the way things turned out for me.
There are plenty of other more interesting seagoing jobs than down in the Gulf, but few that pay as much. Keep your nose to the grindstone and after five or six years its possible you could be making well over 100K and be working even time in the oilfield.
Good Luck.
[QUOTE=GhMike;137927]Hey guys,
New to the forum here and my first time posting. I read all about “knocking on doors” and the whole go get um thing about getting jobs. I live in the NE and have spent the better part of 15 years in the fishing industry, both commercial and charter. I have my 100 ton and last year got my AB Unlimited. I have been striking out looking for work on the tugs up here for 6 months and am now thinking about heading south to knock on some doors. I am 37 years old and all my sea experience is in the fishing industry. My question is, is it worth it for me to head down and try, with the lack of experience and my age? I know there are gonna be some wise cracks, whatever, i m not made of sugar and if i cry i wont melt. Just looking for some honest opinions and input from those who care to share. Thanks.[/QUOTE]
Look at it with how many years you intend on working and the possible wage you can earn at each level. Each upgrade normally means more money. Add all those numbers up, even if they are just estimates and that is the pay off for the effort. Over an additional 30 years working you will make upward of 4 million dollars over the remainder of your career and those are conservative estimates, thats if you stop with your 1600 Master, possibly much more. Once you make those calculations you tell me if you think it is worth it?
Like posted above about the RFPNW. If you don’t have it, it may be hard to get on as an AB. Spend the money and go get it in a school that has a simulator. The extra money you make will pay for itself in one or two paychecks. Take the course even if you have to borrow the money. If you have the money to fly or drive down here then you should have the money for the school.
I’m saying this because yes, you may waste your time and money by not doing it. Why make 45K a year when you could make 80K by taking a $1,000 school. Your chances of being hired are increased also. Your age is not a factor, I got hired on at 44. Health will play a bigger role in the hiring part.
With already having a 100 ton license all you have to do in the simulator is the assessments for RFPNW to have it added to your AB. I did mine at Mid-Atlantic in about an hour or two. Cost was about $300. Did it two years ago.
You need 90 days over 200grt to get the rfpnw.
Negative. When I got mine two years ago while already holding a 100 ton near coastal masters license, it was not necessary. I had no time over 99 tons.
Has anyone else noticed that the various MMC/licensing rules are becoming too easy to understand and that the NMC evaluators are working through them too fast?
I haven’t seen that anywhere in the cfr’s. If that’s the case I could have had it years ago. Maybe I’ll try and send it in anyway.
Call the NMC brother. I didn’t either. They’re the ones who told me and I applied as such. Got it without questions.
Policy letter 14-02, check that out.
For $300 I wouldn’t waste my time doing it on the boat. You most likely will go through a 3 month probation period before someone will even think about signing you off. If you cant paint they are not going to have much confidence with you as a look out.
I would go to school
I will def be giving them a call. Thanks dude.
[QUOTE=tugsailor;138068]Has anyone else noticed that the various MMC/licensing rules are becoming too easy to understand and that the NMC evaluators are working through them too fast?[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the laugh, Jay Leno.
Hey guys, just wanted to say thanks for all the positive input. I was looking into the classes for RFPNW and now I m just going to go for it. I will let you know how everything works out. I know the lifestyle is worth it, I was just worried about my age being a factor and would it be worth my time trying to start this career. Thanks again and safe sailing.