Hi Dennis,
You seem very knowledgeable about this subject, as well as open to questions, so I thought I’d give you a shot. I have been seriously considering a career as a merchant marine officer. I had intended to attend CSUM in Vallejo, but they are not accepting any more applicants for their Marine Transportation program until fall of 2011. In the meantime, I was hoping to get some deep-sea experience to make sure this was definitely the career I wanted to pursue. I have already received my TWIC credentials, and was intending to complete my STCW courses in a couple months as well as get my Merchant Mariner’s documents. My question is, am I on the right track? If I get everything done that I just listed, is it going to be difficult for me to get a job since I have NO prior experience at sea? I’m hoping to get an entry-level position that will let me work for an extended time at deep-sea, hopefully see some foreign ports, and observe what an officer’s job is like. What are some resources for finding a job like this? I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks for your time.
Nick
It sounds like you are on the right track and have a good plan. There are several companies that are hiring OS – Cooks at this time. While this is a long way from a ship officers job, it will give you an opportunity to gain some sea service experience with the idea of learning about the lifestyle.
Another option you could consider is to attend a community college to complete some of the general education requirements for the marine transportation degree. This will not reduce the time required to complete the program at the university, but it will lighten your course load to allow you more time to focus on the maritime courses. Also there are several community colleges that offer two year maritime degrees that can prepare you for you for a successfull university program.
