KPEngnr90
Member
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2022
- Messages
- 142
I visited the site but one thing that isn’t clear is what the work schedule is. How many day/weeks/months are you on then off. I noticed the mixed schedule positions are significantly lower.
MSC I won't lie, the days are long. 12 hours in total 7 days a week and the rotations are 6 months long. I would do it right out of the academy as you can upgrade your Marine license rather quickly. You can probably earn your Chief Engineers license before age 26 and on the deck side be Captain of your own ship in your late 20's. I sailed with the Union MEBA in the late 90's after I got out of active duty with the Navy and was on the lowest paying ships at the time which paid about $18k/month as a 3rd engineer. I guess that would be equivalent to an Ensign or 2nd Lt on the military side. The rotation on the tankers was 90 days on and 90 days off. MSC's rotation is 180 days on and 1 month off so you're at sea 11 months out of the year. I believe they're trying to change that rotation since they lose many officers to the private shipping companies. My last shipping job before I retired was with Matson Lines out of Honolulu and the rotation was 60 days on 60 days off.I visited the site but one thing that isn’t clear is what the work schedule is. How many day/weeks/months are you on then off. I noticed the mixed schedule positions are significantly lower.
Well I guess when I was an Ensign in the Navy driving a Destroyer through the Straits of Malacca I'd say "Damn! My classmates are making 5x what Im making right now doing this very thing and getting more sleep. What was I thinking? Nah just kidding. I loved being a Naval Officer but I decided for the bigger payday of the Merchant Marine after 5 yrs on active duty which was nice too. Stayed in the reserves so I get to double dip on my Navy pension and Merchant Marine pension.... so here's a contrarian view. Instead of thinking about pay, maybe think about "I can't believe I'm getting paid for this."
In my 30-year military career, I probably had 200+ moments of "I can't believe I'm getting paid for this."
... yah, during my travels, I've ran into your types... happy folks with tons of $mollahs.Well I guess when I was an Ensign in the Navy driving a Destroyer through the Straits of Malacca I'd say "Damn! My classmates are making 5x what Im making right now doing this very thing and getting more sleep. What was I thinking? Nah just kidding. I loved being a Naval Officer but I decided for the bigger payday of the Merchant Marine after 5 yrs on active duty which was nice too. Stayed in the reserves so I get to double dip on my Navy pension and Merchant Marine pension.