Merchant Marines

Originally Posted by Ericbh1

I worked for a 21 year old captain who was a real panic case and screamed a lot, how do you overcome the sense of responsibility enough to be calm in dodgy situations? I myself am not very prone to panic, but then again I'm not solely responsible for anything yet.

Experience, Experience, Experience

[Carl]

Just a thought - if you are already going to college or plan on attending, maybe look into Maine Maritime. It's a college and licensing all in one. You get the schooling and the training along with some sea time. Any of the maritime schools do this including the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point NY. The only possible draw back is that you may have to serve on American Flag vessels for awhile after graduation as part of your commitment if any of your tuition gets paid for by the government. This is becoming more and more difficult in the unlimited tonnage / horsepower arena (blue water) since there are less and less American flag ships. You always have MSC and all the MARAD ships. Keep in mind there are various unions associated with many ships also.

Yeah I thought seriously about Maine Maritime, but decided I needed to get out of Maine for college. I should probably find out how to do office work in case I lose my motivation.