|
walrusman posted:Thanks for the replies, guys. To clarify where I'm coming from, I'm not looking for a fun diversion or gap year (god I hate that term) bullshit. I'm just sitting on an engineering degree that I can't seem to put to work, and I'm at a phase in my life with few connections and a thirst for -- yeah I'll go ahead and say it -- adventure. It's a good idea if you're looking for an actual career, or something to do while you look for something better - If you think you might be looking for a few years. Having an engineering background would make some of the licensing examinations a lot easier, as well, althought not nearly as much as a diploma in marine engineering / nautical science. In any case, that would be after a few years at sea. There's nothing stopping you from getting your MMD while you work somewhere else, and registering at a nearby union hall. It beats McDonald's, but it makes it a bitch to apply to regular jobs. ("Yeah, can we reschedule the interview for... The month after next?") Miss Fats posted:You explained it pretty well. Thanks. Guess I won't be going to see (for now!). From what you've said, you'd probably do well on a cruise ship; go check out that thread. Cruise staff is a pretty sweet gig if you want to change your horizon for a few months.
|
#
?
Mar 31, 2011 08:08
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 20, 2024 07:41 |
|
|
walrusman posted:Thanks for the replies, guys. To clarify where I'm coming from, I'm not looking for a fun diversion or gap year (god I hate that term) bullshit. I'm just sitting on an engineering degree that I can't seem to put to work, and I'm at a phase in my life with few connections and a thirst for -- yeah I'll go ahead and say it -- adventure. I have experience working in close quarters, I get along with everybody, and I find I really like a mix of manual labor and brainy poo poo. What's not to love about a high-demand field that pays you poo poo-heaps of money and then gives you several months off with which to enjoy it? If you have any practical experience theres plenty of shoreside work. I get job offers from the local stationary engineers union all the time. The pay usually starts around $40/hr with a pension and solid benefits. You can also look through power companies, they are always looking for people to live in some miserable part of the country.
|
|
#
?
Mar 31, 2011 08:09
|
|
|
lightpole posted:If you have any practical experience theres plenty of shoreside work. I get job offers from the local stationary engineers union all the time. The pay usually starts around $40/hr with a pension and solid benefits. You can also look through power companies, they are always looking for people to live in some miserable part of the country. whyIshouldhavepickedengineering.txt
|
|
#
?
Mar 31, 2011 08:13
|
|
|
FrozenVent posted:But you don't understand, I wanted to take a free ride accross the Atlantic so I could go backpacking in Europe... I don't know how it is in other countries, but in the US we have laws that specifically forbid ships to dump you in foreign countries. These were enacted to prevent companies from ditching sick or injured sailors in some hellhole half way around the world. Unfortunately, it makes no provision for you if you actually WANT to get dumped in some hellhole half way around the world. If you ditch out in a foreign country, the company you work for legally HAS to find you and put you on a plane home. They hire some rear end in a top hat to track you like dog the bounty hunter and physically put your rear end on the plane.
|
|
#
?
Mar 31, 2011 21:27
|
|
|
MMA goon here, awesome to see a thread like this! I'm in a licensed program right now, but I plan to go and get my masters in either mechanical or aerospace once I graduate. I'm going out with an offshore supply company this summer, anyone have any experience in that area? Passing two ships in the Kiel Canal: 
MythObstacleIV fucked around with this message at 22:31 on Mar 31, 2011 |
|
#
?
Mar 31, 2011 22:24
|
|
|
MythObstacleIV posted:MMA goon here, awesome to see a thread like this! I assume you are in the five year? Like I said earlier in the thread, I am accepted for deck, but I am having serious second thoughts about changing majors. Mostly because there are more shore side opportunities and I am thinking I would like to pursue a masters in engineering after I work for a few years. There's at least one deckie that went with an off shore supply company out of Louisiana, so I would find him if you can.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2011 00:14
|
|
|
I dont know about the deck side but all my friends who worked in the gulf on rig supply vessels had nothing good and a lot of bad to say. The jobs are dirty, hot and miserable, I dont know anyone who has actually stayed with it for very long after graduation.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2011 00:25
|
|
|
TMA Decky Grad checking in. I did my commercial cruise in the OSV industry, graduated a little over a year ago and have been working on the larger OSV/MPSV's in the Gulf since then. Fire away.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2011 01:10
|
|
|
J Corp posted:I don't know how it is in other countries, but in the US we have laws that specifically forbid ships to dump you in foreign countries. These were enacted to prevent companies from ditching sick or injured sailors in some hellhole half way around the world. Unfortunately, it makes no provision for you if you actually WANT to get dumped in some hellhole half way around the world. Every country I've dealt with also had that rule but I always figured that if you had the proper visa and informed the company in writing before hand, nobody would give a gently caress. That's assuming you find a company that's willing to drop you off in the middle of nowhere and FLY IN a replacement. They can't exactly hire locals.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2011 05:34
|
|
|
When you get off a ship in a foreign country usually the visa or shorepass you are given restricts you to a 30 mile radius from the ship or something like that. Getting off a ship to go on vacation is not going to happen for most of the reasons that have been already listed. A lot of countries hate letting sailors in just to catch a ship. Ive heard horror stories of people trying to get from the airport to the ship after layup in Singapore. Normally when you get in, customs comes on board and clears everyone and everything goes like clockwork. Within a few hours you are able to get off and do whatever (cant leave country). If you have to fly in you are escorted from the plane to the ship every step and not allowed to deviate. Karachi was even worse, Pakistan customs didnt even want to let us off and made all the unlicensed lock up their booze in the slop chest. As a sailor you arent some tourist with a nice visa that lets you wander around and do whatever. Everything gets very tricky, very fast.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2011 05:49
|
|
|
Heh, it depends where. Most of the place I've been we were allowed to do whatever, even disappear for a day if we could get someone to cover our watch. I haven't been to Asia, however. The worst I've seen with regards to visa and poo poo is, frankly, the United States. It's the only country I've been where I've been photographed and fingerprinted by immigration... In any port, I'd say you have about a 50% chance of being able to get off the boat, between immigration and the goddamn TWIC. They do *not* like foreign seamen. FrozenVent fucked around with this message at 20:13 on Aug 8, 2014 |
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2011 06:09
|
|
|
I'm in the Navy right now. Just how many of the dudes doing this are prior Navy? Assuming I get out after my 5 years (which I definitely plan on doing) I'll probably have never seen a Navy vessel. Of course I did all that training in boot camp, etc. At any rate. Does being prior Navy help me get a job? What about medical jobs? I'm an EMT-B and Corpsman now (the latter not meaning poo poo in the civilian world) I have a ton of medical experience/skills. But, unfortunately, it's only because of Military medicine that I can practice them.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2011 09:05
|
|
|
FrozenVent posted:I haven't been to Asia, however. The worst I've seen with regards to visa and poo poo is, frankly, the United States. It's the only country I've been where I've been photographed and fingerprinted by immigration... In any port, I'd say you have about a 50% chance of being able to get off the boat, between immigration and the goddamn TWIC. They do *not* like foreign seamen. Christ don't even loving start. I was going to go stay with a friend of mine in the States after I left my ship in Lauderdale... well, long story short I would have had to leave the states and then reenter so that I could stay as a visitor. Apparently they can't reissue you a visa without you leaving the country 
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2011 10:23
|
|
|
Christoff posted:I'm in the Navy right now. Just how many of the dudes doing this are prior Navy? I've been sailing since 2004, and I've worked with two guys who were prior navy, out of... I don't know, 200, 250 seamen? This is Canada, mind you. If the navy gave you any STCW certification, good for you, otherwise you'll have to go get them. Then you're still at the back of the line in the Union hall. If you haven't been to sea, then you definetly don't have any sea time, so that's bumpkiss help certificate / license wise. Medical experience... Heh, if you're an officer it might come up once or twice in your career, but what the company needs is someone with a Person in Charge of Medical Care certificate, STCW such and such. (Or whatever the gently caress it's called, I'd have to reach into a drawer to look at it.) They don't actually care about wether or not you can stitch someone back together, as long as you have the paper that says you can. In this domain, your resume doesn't count for much - If you're unlicensed, you still have to wait in line at the Union; if you're looking for work on your own, well... The first page of my resume is a laundry list of certificates and license, with a line about how many years of experience I have on what type of vessels. The second page is a listing of every companies and vessels I've worked for. The offshore industry hires full time medics, I think. I don't know what they need exactly, but that might be worth looking into.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2011 11:04
|
|
|
Edit: Snip, there was a thing here and now it's gone.
FrozenVent fucked around with this message at 05:10 on May 13, 2013 |
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2011 12:38
|
|
|
They have those deals where you can buy a room on a freighter and travel as a tourist on a working ship. Anybody have any experience with that?
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2011 14:44
|
|
|
Arnold of Soissons posted:They have those deals where you can buy a room on a freighter and travel as a tourist on a working ship. Anybody have any experience with that? It'll get you from point A to point B, except 15 to 30 times slower than an airplane. The food might or might not be better. The times we had passengers onboard, they weren't allowed anywhere outside except the poop deck without escort; and they had their own mess and TV rooms. They did get a tour of the engine room... But for the price they paid (It was a charity auction thing) I can't see the attraction. But then I do that six months a year. Personally, if you really want to experience crossing an ocean at sea level, I'd wait for a cruise ship repositionning. They're incredibly cheap, and much more comfortable. They also have stabilizers.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2011 14:58
|
|
|
Christoff posted:I'm in the Navy right now. Just how many of the dudes doing this are prior Navy? Couldn't really tell you about getting a job, but being prior Navy hasn't greatly helped me at my maritime academy. I do get to sit through powerpoint after powerpoint of information that I already know, and it helps me do fairly well on the tests. My class has several ex-Navy guys. Biggest difference between us and the younger kids is that we're getting paid off the MGIB and we know what we're learning. We do have a FMF corpsman in class with us, and he's doing fairly well.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2011 15:25
|
|
|
Slight necro, but this thread caught my eye... FrozenVent posted:I haven't been to Asia, however. The worst I've seen with regards to visa and poo poo is, frankly, the United States. It's the only country I've been where I've been photographed and fingerprinted by immigration... In any port, I'd say you have about a 50% chance of being able to get off the boat, between immigration and the goddamn TWIC. They do *not* like foreign seamen. Not even remotely true. 99.999999999999 percent of the CBP Officers don't care one way or another - you're just another I95 to stamp. If you got flagged for NSEERS, chances are your name is the same as someone on somebody's watchlist (or was convicted of a crime), or you were born in one of the 20something countries that the US stays pissed off at. TWIC is a whole different ballgame. If you're a USC working on a boat, there's no reason for you NOT to have one. Two Finger posted:Christ don't even loving start. I was going to go stay with a friend of mine in the States after I left my ship in Lauderdale... well, long story short I would have had to leave the states and then reenter so that I could stay as a visitor. Apparently they can't reissue you a visa without you leaving the country It's a legacy INS issue that has to do with your status as to HOW you enter the country (boat, plane, other). Doesn't matter if we (the US) has a reciprocal visa agreement with your home country or not. It's been that way, well...forever. Basically, it's a Jones Act issue. On a boat, you're coming in as a C1/D (or D) classification. To just hop off the boat and stay a while, you'll need to be a B1 or B2 visa - which you can get when you go back home* as long as you can prove you need a B1/B2. Generally B1/B2 is restricted to businessmen (or technicians, superintendents, etc). But, next time you're home try and get a C1/D B1/B2 dual visa. Will cost a bit more but the flexibility of it will be worth it. And the added benefit of a B1/B2 is you can now apply for a TWIC. HOWEVER, if you are of sufficient rank (generally Captain, Chief Officer, or Chief Mate) and the CBP Officer clearing you is in a good mood, they'll allow you to stay in the US for a spell to have a bit of a vacation. But, that's an unwritten kind of thing based upon each individuals discretion. FNG CBP will generally say no. Legacy CBP will generally say yes. Being polite, but not overly so, having your paperwork and crew in order and ready to go on arrival, and having a local agent of good reputation will help tremendously. *You can't get a US Visa in the US. Only at a US Embassy in your home country. Tide fucked around with this message at 07:12 on May 12, 2011 |
|
#
?
May 12, 2011 06:50
|
|
|
Hey, cool thread! I can't believe I never saw it before. My mate is a Second Engineer (or whatever they call it now) on tankers and bulk carriers that mostly cruise the Australian coast. He loves his work, but he's going to have to take time off soon because his wife's pregnant with their first kid. He has some loving great stories, especially about going to Japan and Malaysia. So you do sometimes get to leave the ship and have a bit of a holiday, even if it's not where you were expecting to go or for as long as you'd like. I'd join up in a heartbeat (deck, not engineer), but I have a medical condition that prevents me from getting into the industry 
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2011 09:35
|
|
|
^^^^ Have you checked with an actual marine medical examiner? You'd be surprised what you can get away with. poo poo, I had a Captain who was on like his third bypass. Unless it's color blindness, then you're well and hosed. Even some form of diabete are acceptable, but you'd probably get restrictions... Rumour has it there was a chick with one arm who passed it. Tide posted:Not even remotely true. 99.999999999999 percent of the CBP Officers don't care one way or another - you're just another I95 to stamp. If you got flagged for NSEERS, chances are your name is the same as someone on somebody's watchlist (or was convicted of a crime), or you were born in one of the 20something countries that the US stays pissed off at. I was just talking about my personnal experience, and comparing to other countries I've been to. US was the most annoying, immigration wise, as a seaman. AFAIK, it's the only country that requires people to get a visa before they even join a ship... But being Canadian, I won't bitch about that  As for the fingerprinting and picture taking, I was on a cruise ship. We called into Miami for the first time that year, and they had every crewmember who wasn't a US citizen get off the boat, go to the custom office in the terminal and have their picture and fingerprint taken. It was just one finger, I can't recall which one. Anyway, we're talking about 1170 people or so, from 70 or so countries, so... I doubt it was a matter of hitting a flag on a list. (It was also a major inconvenience, as we were in the middle of a USCG inspection) I don't have a TWIC card because I'm not a US citizen. It makes getting off the boat in the states a pain in the rear end, and is yet one more of the reasons why seamens don't like calling into the US all that much. FrozenVent fucked around with this message at 09:48 on May 12, 2011 |
|
#
?
May 12, 2011 09:39
|
|
|
FrozenVent posted:^^^^ Have you checked with an actual marine medical examiner? You'd be surprised what you can get away with. poo poo, I had a Captain who was on like his third bypass. Hahaha, holy poo poo. FrozenVent posted:Unless it's color blindness, then you're well and hosed. Not in the engine room! FrozenVent posted:It was just one finger, I can't recall which one. Huh.... I had to show two. FrozenVent, where in Canada are you? My next contract should be starting around August sometime, want to grab a beer if I'm close by and you can bear the shame of drinking with an engineer cadet?
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2011 10:03
|
|
|
Two Finger posted:Not in the engine room! Even in the engine room here, from what I've heard. Something about wire colours and duties in an emergency... That might just be scuttlebutts, tho, I haven't looked into it. Two Finger posted:FrozenVent, where in Canada are you? My next contract should be starting around August sometime, want to grab a beer if I'm close by and you can bear the shame of drinking with an engineer cadet? I'm in Québec, but I live in the middle of nowhere shipping wise. What's your next contract on? Cruise again?
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2011 10:12
|
|
|
Yeah cruise, might be the Eurodam this time around which actually does that coast of Canada. I'll flick you a message if I'm anywhere near the major centres ay?
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2011 10:16
|
|
|
FrozenVent posted:^^^^ Have you checked with an actual marine medical examiner? You'd be surprised what you can get away with. poo poo, I had a Captain who was on like his third bypass. Yeah, I checked. Since it's schizophrenia, it sort of disqualifies me from lots of jobs, especially ones where going beserk could kill people and destroy millions of dollars worth of equipment and cargo. Not that I'm going to go beserk, but the possibility's there, apparently.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2011 11:34
|
|
|
Interesting, I didn't know that was a disqualifier. There's no psychiatric testing component here, just a long rear end form where you have to check every medical issues you've ever had. I can see why it would be an issue, tho. Anything that requires someone to be on medication could become a serious headache really fast, really. FrozenVent fucked around with this message at 05:12 on May 13, 2013 |
|
#
?
May 12, 2011 11:41
|
|
|
So have any of you guys started down this road completely cold, as described in the OP? No family or union connections or whatever from the outset? If there is actually eventually steady work in this field and a shortage of new blood for it, I may be very soon in a situation where I need a new career, and this sounds like the one for me. If I spend more than a few months at home in a year, I start to go crazy, and I've had awful luck with archaeology crew jobs this season- starting to think it's too inconsistent. This sounds like a better kind of inconsistent, with better pay. Different conditions, but I'd hesitate to say worse than what I've gotten used to.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2011 12:58
|
|
|
shovelbum posted:So have any of you guys started down this road completely cold, as described in the OP? No family or union connections or whatever from the outset? If there is actually eventually steady work in this field and a shortage of new blood for it, I may be very soon in a situation where I need a new career, and this sounds like the one for me. Yeah, I went in completely cold. Made connections through iternships and school. (As in, some of my classmates now have decent jobs, they're connections) Depending which country you're in, there's a pretty high demand for people right now. As for consistency... It eventually gets better. Every company's different, some of them will give you a permanent job right off the bat, others haven't made anyone permanent in years. If I wanted to go for consistent work, I could probably get it, but I'd have to sacrifice on other stuff (Pay and I guess you could say prestige. As well as advancement.)
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2011 13:03
|
|
|
FrozenVent posted:Interesting, I didn't know that was a disqualifier. There's no psychiatric testing component here, just a long rear end form where you have to check every medical issues you've ever had. (Spoiler: You've never been sick and consume no more than six units of alcohol a week.) I was advised by my psychiatrist that if I didn't disclose my condition in a job like that, and something bad happened, then I might be liable for damages. I believe they also perform a medical history check of some sort where you're required to disclose existing conditions, which would gently caress me. It nearly hosed me for an IT job at a transport company, because they disqualify truck drivers with serious mental illness and the stupid loving HR department couldn't understand that I would have nothing whatsoever to do with trucks, apart from maybe seeing one on my drive to work.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2011 13:38
|
|
|
AlphaDog posted:I was advised by my psychiatrist that if I didn't disclose my condition in a job like that, and something bad happened, then I might be liable for damages. I believe they also perform a medical history check of some sort where you're required to disclose existing conditions, which would gently caress me. It nearly hosed me for an IT job at a transport company, because they disqualify truck drivers with serious mental illness and the stupid loving HR department couldn't understand that I would have nothing whatsoever to do with trucks, apart from maybe seeing one on my drive to work. You need to disclose everything. In the US you are attesting to the fact that everything you say is true and if someone finds out otherwise you are hosed, its really not worth it. I am a type I diabetic and have a waiver allowing me to sail as an officer so most stuff can be worked around but not in your case. Ugh union physical is the worst but I need to go back to work. Last one though. lightpole fucked around with this message at 20:00 on May 13, 2011 |
|
#
?
May 12, 2011 18:57
|
|
|
FrozenVent posted:Yeah, I went in completely cold. Made connections through iternships and school. (As in, some of my classmates now have decent jobs, they're connections) Depending which country you're in, there's a pretty high demand for people right now. With a passport, twic, mmd, the safety/first aid course in hand in the US how easy is it to find work by applying for deck hand positions or would hiring a head hunter or joining a union be a better option?
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2011 18:36
|
|
|
I'm going to apply for a US job visa to work in the gulf. Is DHS going to rape me with a broomstick?
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2011 19:49
|
|
|
HandOverFist posted:With a passport, twic, mmd, the safety/first aid course in hand in the US how easy is it to find work by applying for deck hand positions or would hiring a head hunter or joining a union be a better option? With just an OS cert on your MMD it might not be easy. You could try looking through tug companies or large companies like MSC but most places are looking for AB's since there is not much OS work around. SUP will have some OS jobs as well.
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2011 21:53
|
|
|
Trench_Rat posted:I'm going to apply for a US job visa to work in the gulf. Is DHS going to rape me with a broomstick? I'd make sure your qualifications will be accepted by the USCG before I started worrying about a visa, but I don't know anything about that first hand. Heard they were pretty protectionist, tho.
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2011 09:21
|
|
|
FrozenVent posted:Yeah, I went in completely cold. Made connections through iternships and school. (As in, some of my classmates now have decent jobs, they're connections) Depending which country you're in, there's a pretty high demand for people right now. Sadly, I'm American. I am guessing that makes it hopeless without 6 years of education or 60 years of experience, like every other job in this country.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2011 22:38
|
|
|
shovelbum posted:Sadly, I'm American. I am guessing that makes it hopeless without 6 years of education or 60 years of experience, like every other job in this country. Maritime academies are 4 year college programs that give you a degree and a license if you so desire. Its a pretty quick and cheap pathway to an easy 6 figures.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2011 05:26
|
|
|
4 years? Mine's only three... But yeah, I agree, probably one of the quickest paths to earning 6 figures I can imagine. One year after this one for me!
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2011 09:04
|
|
|
Two Finger posted:4 years? Mine's only three... My program was an ABET accredited engineering program in the US which means I got my 3rds, a degree and if I wanted I could have gone for my EIT and then PE. The returns on the PE would not have been worth it though. To fit all that in I completed around 120 units which pretty much means 10 months of 8-5 classes a year not including time spent on homework/studying and any extracurricular activities.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2011 19:19
|
|
|
Aha, that would be the difference - I don't walk out with a degree in engineering, just my ticket.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2011 20:05
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 20, 2024 07:41 |
|
|
Yeah, most american schools give you a Bachelor's, which is quite nice when you want to move ashore, I assume... Although by the time the interesting opportunities ashore open up, you have enough experience that no one cares about your degree. It's one of those things.
|
|
#
?
May 24, 2011 02:27
|
|