Hi all, this is my first post here. I have two unrelated questions:
Firstly, I’ve looked around quite a bit and it looks like there’s not an option to take a course/test combo for DDE 1000hp online, is that correct? I think I found one school who claimed to offer it, but didn’t respond to my efforts to contact them. I’m assuming at this point that I need to find a prep course and then take the test at the REC, but if that’s not correct I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction.
I recently did the 100/200T Master course and test combo (I work harbor boats, no big tonnage) through an online school, and it was surprisingly comprehensive and the process was quite easy to work into my schedule, so if there’s an equivalent for the DDE, I’d love to find it. If I need to go to an in-person school, it’s an option, just harder to make the time for as I don’t have a divided-time schedule.
Second question:
A coworker (unlicensed deckhand, not a credentialed mariner but a good worker) just made a dumb mistake and failed a random. He took a small dose of ADD medication to work a second (landside) job, and didn’t realize it would pop the test. I highly, highly doubt he would make the same mistake a second time, but he still needs to navigate the failed test/MRO process, as he’s hoping to make a career in the maritime industry, and was hoping to pursue his 100T license in the near future.
I suggested he find a lawyer familiar with the process who might be able to advise him on what it will entail, and how he should proceed, and was hoping that posting here, someone might have a suggestion as to someone in the legal field who might be suitable to reach out to. Obviously this is a pretty serious thing, just trying to help out a friend who made a bad decision.
Anyway, thanks all, I’ve always enjoyed reading through the vast knowledge on this forum in both my areas of the industry and others. Cheers.
There are very few DDE courses out there. I don’t recall the school names. They should come up with an internet search. There is a school in washington and one on the east coast that offer it. Don’t rule out self studying. The DDE 1000/4000 is only 3 exams. 50 questions each and 70% passing.
Thanks Ctony. I guess I will not continue to try and find an online option then, I wasn’t particularly hopeful or anything.
Do you have a self-study program recommendation? I’ve seen a couple recommended on the forums, but I don’t know if just question and answer is gonna do it for me on some of the theory, which is why I might seek out a course.
The license is maybe a bit ambitious, but when I went for my Master’s I was of the mindset that if I can put the work in to get the credential, it gives me the opportunity to jump at the work when I feel I can do so responsibly. I have been doing unl. engineer work on small tugs/work boats/head boats for a while and seem to be doing an acceptable job, so this seems like a logical next step to expand my options.
If you have the funds, by all means go for the course. If you are short on seatime those courses may give you credit towards seatime too.
I self studied from qmed to 1st assistant engineer and i’m dumber than a box of rocks. If i can do it anyone can.
I used lapware and mariner advancement for all my studying. Marineradvancement comes with study material so you can learn the theory. There are plenty of guys out there that just go by question and answer memorization. I wanted to know the theory behind it, and there are plenty of resources that come installed on the thumbdrive. You can find ways to augment your studying on your own too. I spent a lot of time on youtube when i was studying electrical, for example.
I have a deck license too. You’ll find more opportunities and ones that pay better will come with that DDE. The hard part is going to be doing all the BS to get your OICEW. Its a mixed blessing being dual licensed. I personally would rather drive. Less stress for me and i love boat handling. The harsh reality is though the engine room pays a bit more and the advancement has been quicker. Just some food for thought while you decide what and where you wanna go.
I suggest self study for USCG engineer exams. Nearly all the exam bank questions are floating around in public domain. Study them, pass the test.
The engineering exams are purely a formality and pointless anyway; it does not in any way evaluate competence. Though, I guess it does act to prevent the truly clueless/low info from obtaining a license…said another way, if you truly can’t pass it, you literally can’t read or comprehend anything.
If you want to take a class, go to the NMC website, click on Course Provider/DE/QA info, then scroll down again to Approved Courses. You’ll download a pdf that you can search for your selected class and see all the USCG approved providers.