Hi i am currently active duty Navy, i am MMA1 with 9 years of service, looking at getting out and joining MSC. What are some hard truths about MSC before pursuing it
Donât. Just use your Gi Bill and go to an academy.get out and sail commercial.
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What certificates or qualifications would you have comming out of the navy? Best bet is to go to a maritime academy (i recommend Great Lakes Maritime), get your license, and become either a deck or engine officer. But there is also a comms department, but i dont know much about them.
As a Machinist Mate Auxilary 1st Class (E6) you should familiarize yourself with the Coast guardâs Military to Mariner process. Do it now before you separate from the Navy. Military to Mariner
You should be qualified for a QMED rating with possible time credible for a license. That all depends on what you have done, i.e., credible sea time, training and assessments.
Whether or not you wish to consider getting out and going back to school for another 3 or 4 years (State Academy) is something you may want to consider. That however is not the question you asked. MSC is an option to consider. If you search this forum you will find many posts describing MSCâs short comings. That said, it is a place to start and unlike the navy, you can quit if it doesnât suit you.
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Hard truths. Lots of sea time, little time off between tours. There is no sea/shore rotation like the navy, you will always be assigned to a ship. Minimum age for retirement is 57 years old with 30 years of service, though you can âbuy backâ your navy time as credit towards a federal retirement. Itâs a job, not an institution. MSC doesnât pay for housing benefits, GI bills, etc⌠MSC is a federal job where their employees work on ships, [quote=âAgreyhooper, post:1, topic:72695, full:trueâ]
Hi i am currently active duty Navy, i am MMA1 with 9 years of service, looking at getting out and joining MSC. What are some hard truths about MSC before pursuing it
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not really the true merchant marine. Lots of travel. All that being said, I enjoyed my time at MSC, though had to get out before my family disowned me.
Recommendations: Get your Merchant Mariner Credential before you get out of the service. Learn all the hoops you need to jump through to get it. If there is a USCG regional exam center (REC) near where you are, visit them with your documents and see what you need to get your application correct. Make sure you have copies of your history of assignments and training records from the navy before you get out, to get sea time credit towards your MMC. Take the military to mariner course if you can. Even if you donât go to MSC, having the credential gives you options.
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