Hello, I apologize in advance if I posted this query in the wrong forum.
I am a 50 year-old, female lawyer in Phoenix, AZ with no maritime skills. None.
My dream job (hastened by a midlife reevaluation) is to work in the maritime industry. I do not want to practice law. My age is a huge detriment. Is it even remotely possible that I could retrain in 2-3 years either in school or at a company, and acquire enough knowledge to earn a living as a charter captain of a small boat or do something “nautical” at a large commercial shipping organization. I’m not naive enough to think I will captain a ship or be a harbor pilot, despite my desires. But is it possible to have a new maritime career at my age and where would I train or go to school?
Your honest advice is appreciated (I can only hope you are not laughing at me).
Get your basic paperwork first (while keeping your current job) and try a few days on a local boat first. You may find it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. If you like it, keep going, even a 6 pack can get you running a launch at a local marina while you figure things out.
Why not Maritime Law? It’s a pretty different animal from other legal disciplines it may be different enough to keep the spark.
[QUOTE=Tugboater203;133803]Get your basic paperwork first (while keeping your current job) and try a few days on a local boat first. You may find it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. If you like it, keep going, even a 6 pack can get you running a launch at a local marina while you figure things out.
Why not Maritime Law? It’s a pretty different animal from other legal disciplines it may be different enough to keep the spark.[/QUOTE]
Thank you for responding. I read a little more after posting and will take your advice to obtain papers first (more education even if I don’t use it is fine) and check out an LLM in maritime law (a very expensive proposition). Best advice? The six pack and my local marina. Appreciate that you did not ridicule me. - Kristi
That’s some great advice right there. Instead of walking away from your JD and state Bar credentials, then starting over at the bottom, leverage that experience into something you’ll enjoy.
If it were me, I’d research Maritime law or related field. How about specializing in shipboard compliance with the numerous regulatory mandates. If you want to sail, how about brushing up on environmental regs and working as on board Env Officer? Work on a cruise ship and manage ship board environmental while offering a few classes for passengers.
I was once given this advice. You can do what you love for a living and “starve” or you can get a job that makes money and have money to do what you “love”. All the fantastic jobs that pay well are taken by someone’s kid…lol.
Of course this is an exageration. Of course many people like what they do and many people make a living at jobs they enjoy (ie if they have to do “something” to earn money… the job they have is the one they would pick).
A couple of pieces of advice…
Know whether you get seasick. I’m serious, if you do, you will be miserable on a boat. I’m not talking that you took a cruise and it was “fun”… go out on a charter on a blowy day with big chop and see how you like it.
The Charter Boat Captain route is tough… there are a bazillion (give or take) people out there that DO have boating skills (or think they do)… and try to make a go of this. There are many retired guys that think it would be really cool to have their own little charter business and take out groups to fish or whatever. The fact that it is relatively easy to get your 6 pack license and buy a boat means there are a LOT of competitors out there. Financially making a go of it when you have little to no maritime experience is going to make it a long road. Most people I know who do this have really suffered recently due to the high costs of fuel… and the down economy meaning few customers. Some have sold their boats. Just being realistic, this isn’t a great option if you are hoping to “earn a living.” Of course, we don’t know what you mean by “earn a living”… do you have debt? do you have a mortgage you will keep? or are you gonna share a cheap apartment? Do you need/want to make 20K? 50K? 100K?.
When you say do something “nautical”… do you mean you want to be working ON the boat… or just in the industry. As others said there are other options like maritime legal or compliance etc… that can be done shoreside. If you want to go to sea… well, cruise ships do have a lot of different jobs on board. But, again, working as a deckhand on a local dinner cruise boat doesn’t pay a whole heck of a lot of money…
This site has a large number of people in the offshore oil supply business and they do have positions on board for cooks and such… and a search will give you the needed credentials that you have to get to get started…
BUT, my big question is what sparked this idea? Did you just watch Captain Ron and think it would be cool to be on the high seas? I don’t mean that in a rude way… not laughing at you, but how does someone who has no experience at all with boats decide that is what they should be doing? Is it that you want to be free of the daily 9-5 grind of law work?.. or what? I’m not trying to offend you , or put down your dreams, but your answers could help people help you.
IMO you would be better off staying in your current profession and continue to make the good money thats involved in it. Starting fresh at your age is doable but very hard and the pay is low.
If you want a job on a charter boat, then that is the place to start. Maybe operations where you are (wherever that is) are gearing up now for the summer season and this would be the time to get a foot in the door. Start pounding the pavement now and see what’s available. (Working on a charter boat-keep your day job if you like to eat.)
It ain’t gonna be cheap to get a Merchant Mariner Credential; $100-$150 for the TWIC card, $150-$200 for a physical plus drug screen, $100-$150 for evaluation user fee. But there are jobs out here. Whether it’s tugs and barges or the oil patch or deep sea commercial shipping, you’ll be able to find something with a living wage.
For training schools, etc., have a quick look at E-Captain http://www.ecaptain.com/ (sorry gCaptain; you’re still number one). They have a lot of advertisers for that stuff and you can at least get an idea of the time and money involved. Also, MITAGS/PMI is a good place to browse for general information. http://mitags-pmi.org/
It takes a long time to move up in the commercial sector. There’s so many certifications required for each position that it can be very frustrating if you’re looking to advance quickly.
Go for it! Some days there’s nothing more rewarding than being out on the open ocean with a good crew. (Not all days, though.)
Get your Merchant Mariners Document and TWIC cards first. Try sailing a bit and see if you like it. You can hawse pipe, which is climbing the maritime ladder through sailing experience, or you can go to school. Any of the maritime or sailing schools will help you get started. I went to Maine Maritime Academy at 42 years of age. Will graduate this coming May as a 3 A/E at 45 years old. I finished the 4 years in 3 and still managed to eek out a 3.4/4.0. One semester I had 24 credit hours and didn’t do as well over all but that’s the way it goes. Just passed all 7 coast guard tests. Yes, financially it was rough. I saved up according to a budget for rent and daily living expenses prior to enrolling and did ok. I secured student loans for the tuition and have them deferred for 6 months after graduation. It is a tough road but it can be done. I say, you only get to live once, choose often and choose wisely. Best of luck. You can P.M. me for more info if you like.
Im 50 years old myself and Have been a Merchant seaman for close to 30 years ,I didn’t go to an academy, I climbed up from the bilges and worked my way up to a 1600 Master /MOT license mostly on Tugs but have done deep sea and fishing boats also, Pretty much anything that floated,Im still taking classes as the USCG requires more and more of todays Mariner,Ive also had the pleasure and dis pleasure of working with female sailors, some industries are wide open and women fit in just right like Yacht’s and gambling cruises ,where there’s a lot of people,but on say like Tugs where theres only between 4-6 men and one female doesn’t always work very well,Ive worked with a cadet that was 66 years old and he held his own but at that age and coming out of an academy ,he had the mind set of most cadets that once they get out they will right away be a Captain or a Mate and that’s not the way it is, You have to work the deck and have the experience of what’s going on down below before you can move up and that takes some years, If you have the mind set of already being a Lawyer then most guys would look at you as suing them or the company for anything that they might say, not to be offensive but some sectors of this industry are still a Mans world ,There are lots of classes in Fort Lauderdale at MPT for Blue Star services on Yachts,50 years old is not to late to start in that area and you cruise the world but are gone a lot during the seasons,It does cost a lot to get started and the fee’s never stop but its a rewarding career,The Sea offers no Serenity that you can find on land, Good luck
It would be helpful if everyone knew some of the reasons why you think a boating job would suit you… what interests you about it? There are a wide variety of positions and industries where you can try to find a job. As another poster mentioned, some will be more “gender friendly”. There is also the issue of physical capability. Some 50 year old women can run a marathon and deadlift more than men… but a large number of them aren’t in the kind of shape that might be required in some jobs that require a lot of agility and strength for lifting etc. The industry spans so much… fishing to charter boats to cruise boats to yachts to offshore to tugs… every one of those would have different advice on how to start… whether it’s possible for you etc… What did YOU envision your job would be?
Kristi, why don’t you apply for a positing on a passenger vessel for a start. If you get the job, take a sabbatical. You will see if you like to work on board a vessel 10-12 hours per day during 4 months in a row without a day off. I’ve signed on 3 contract of 4 months as 2nd Mate and I found the experience to be very interesting. It is not as easy as people would think of …
That’s a good idea. I’ve heard of a lot of cases of older inexperienced people being taken on by the small cruise lines (Blount, Un-Cruise, ACL, etc…) so that could be an excellent place to get your feet wet. Un-Cruise has positions posted on the gCaptain job board, I’d start there.
I lived in Phoenix for about 15 years growing up. I know that desire 'zonies have for the ocean from which they are deprived. I’m pretty ignorant when it comes to law, but what about trying to get the credentials for a different state and practice law in a place where you can have a nice boat on the ocean and spent your off time doing that as a hobby?
Those small cruise lines, dinner cruises, etc seem to make little more (or maybe less!) than a burger flipper at McDonald’s. I know a few people that got an unlicensed job with MSC after the navy, but they pretty much don’t have a life. Not sure if they have any “age limitations,” but I recall seeing a bunch those MSC guys at a bar in Jebel Ali…lots of older guys (and maybe a little rough around the edges) in non-licensed positions. Maybe you could check into that route.
Washington State Ferries was taking a lot of Ordinary Seaman and Able Bodied Seaman this this past winter. A buddy of mine’s wife was an AB for them for a while. You’ll be on-call for a long time before you have a permanent set schedule from what she told me. Nonetheless, she got phone calls all the fricking time to go work…but it wasn’t a “set” run, she would have to drive from Bremerton to Tacoma, or Seattle, or Kingston, or Bainbridge Island and do her job on whatever run to which she was assigned.
just know that at any of the very small US cruiselines, the position you would be hired to fill would be steward/waitress. Unrelenting long hours of toil but beautiful scenery and usually decent tips at the end of each trip and many have progressed very quickly up through the ranks aboard, With drive and an excellent attitude can even make it to master within five years.
Not true. I have known these small cruise lines to hire both females and the advanced in age as deckhands. She does not have to consign herself to the lowly rate of stewardess if she doesn’t want to.
[QUOTE=PaddyWest2012;133944]Not true. I have known these small cruise lines to hire both females and the advanced in age as deckhands. She does not have to consign herself to the lowly rate of stewardess if she doesn’t want to.[/QUOTE]
I always thought you had to start with cabins before you could work on deck. Especially when they want deckhands with 6 pack licenses to drive skiffs.
[QUOTE=c.captain;133958]I always thought you had to start with cabins before you could work on deck. Especially when they want deckhands with 6 pack licenses to drive skiffs.[/QUOTE]
I can’t speak for every company in the business but everyone I’ve known who decks or drives on one of them little things started out on deck too.
Can you tell us how you are set for money?
How long could you last living on your savings?
I’ll let the rest of the bunch here speak to the merchant marine careers, but I can say the yachting side of it is not an easy way to make much money.
Have you though of just moving to a port city and being a lawyer there at first and learning about boats and getting some qualifications in your spare time? I am 50 and can’t imagine doing all the entry level jobs in the marine industry now that I did back in the day. Low $$ and hard work is fun for teenagers. I am too old for that now.
You seem to be directed more at “yacht” type jobs than commercial shipping. I can tell you that there are a LOT of people with a LOT more than 2 years experience that would like to make a living running a boat. If you are essentially retiring and can finance your life for awhile, you could do the ASA courses <http://www.asa.com/index.html> and also get the USCG 6 pack or 100 ton ticket. If you are hanging around a sailing school enough and taking enough courses you will likely get offered some delivery trips to build up sea time and experience. You also can find “pay to play” deliveries where the “crew” are paying to be there. Given a GOOD skipper you can learn a lot on these. With a poor skipper you are just paying to be grunt labor. You might want to take a few weeks vacation and do a sailing class just to see if you even LIKE being out on the water. If you come to Annapolis, pay the $3 or so to ride around on the water taxis and talk to the skipppers. They seem to have fun, working here in the summer and going south to run boats someplace else after their seaon ends here.
[QUOTE=clever7981;133801]Hello, I apologize in advance if I posted this query in the wrong forum.
I am a 50 year-old, female lawyer in Phoenix, AZ with no maritime skills. None.
My dream job (hastened by a midlife reevaluation) is to work in the maritime industry. I do not want to practice law. My age is a huge detriment. Is it even remotely possible that I could retrain in 2-3 years either in school or at a company, and acquire enough knowledge to earn a living as a charter captain of a small boat or do something “nautical” at a large commercial shipping organization. I’m not naive enough to think I will captain a ship or be a harbor pilot, despite my desires. But is it possible to have a new maritime career at my age and where would I train or go to school?
Your honest advice is appreciated (I can only hope you are not laughing at me).