Jobs After Graduation

2024kid

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May 9, 2019
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I was wondering what percentage of graduates are allowed to stay shoreside. And if you would want to stay shoreside what track would you go down? Although I want to be part of the Maritime industry I have goals in my life that do not allow me to be at sea for half of my time.

Thanks in advance
 
Sailors are meant for ships and ships are meant to go to sea.

Project manager: "Mr. Kid, based on your time at sea, what do you think is the best course for Alpha Project as it relates to the main propulsion plant on the LMSRs?"

Mr. Kid: "Well, ahhh, ahh, actually, sir..."

Just messing with you. I'm sure you'll find a great job ashore.
 
Going to sea post-graduation is heavily pushed by the academy. If you’re not going active duty, chances are you’re sailing. The problem is the job market fluctuates. That being said, it is possible to recieve a waiver in order to fulfill your obligation by working shoreside rather than sailing on your license. It’s definitely possible to stay shoreside post-graduation, but it requires a bit of savvyness, especially if the sailing job market is booming. Keep in mind this is coming from a deckie, and I am still currently attending USMMA, so an alumnus could probably provide better insight.
 
The requirement after graduation is to sail on your license for minimum 5 years (or go active duty). Waivers are handled on a case-by-case basis to allow recent graduates to work in the industry shoreside if they can demonstrate that there is not an available position sailing on their license. The number of waivers is small and varies year to year, so it is impossible to predict your chances to receive a waiver 5 years from now. If you have a situation that requires you to remain shoreside, attending USMMA would be a big gamble, and a state maritime academy might be a better fit.
 
The requirement after graduation is to sail on your license for minimum 5 years (or go active duty). Waivers are handled on a case-by-case basis to allow recent graduates to work in the industry shoreside if they can demonstrate that there is not an available position sailing on their license. The number of waivers is small and varies year to year, so it is impossible to predict your chances to receive a waiver 5 years from now. If you have a situation that requires you to remain shoreside, attending USMMA would be a big gamble, and a state maritime academy might be a better fit.

so even for kids that go the Maritime Logistics route?
 
My coworker's wife is a recent USMMA graduate.
She works at our local ferry service.
She sleeps in her bed every night.
Something tells me this isn't typical though.
 
Just as a data point when I graduated in the last millennium, shipping was slow and MARAD had a blanket waiver in place. It was essentially a very broad list of shoreside jobs that would be accepted.
 
I was wondering what percentage of graduates are allowed to stay shoreside. And if you would want to stay shoreside what track would you go down? Although I want to be part of the Maritime industry I have goals in my life that do not allow me to be at sea for half of my time.

Thanks in advance
Realize the commitment is 5 years and not your whole life. By the time you graduate and spend 5 years at sea you will still most likely be under 30. If this is too much of a "commitment" then a state maritime school may be a choice worth considering.
 
I was wondering what percentage of graduates are allowed to stay shoreside. And if you would want to stay shoreside what track would you go down? Although I want to be part of the Maritime industry I have goals in my life that do not allow me to be at sea for half of my time.

Thanks in advance

Getting approved for shoreside isn't difficult right now, but the keywords there are "right now". I know people already got approved to go foreign flag, and even sailing as an AB or QMED requires a determination request. I've actually sat through the meetings with MARAD's lawyers recently. Nobody else here has. Listen to kp engineer because he's a graduate. Federal maritime related employment is basically a guaranteed waiver of going to sea. I would say come to KP if you have any interest in the marine industry or sailing.

Personally, I would say you should go to sea because that's what we study for. But many of my classmates have accepted shoreside deck AND engine positions. If you look at KP 2019 active duty and civilian shoreside, there aren't as many people going to sea as you would think. A lot of the people "going to sea" are doing inland work with short schedules.
 
If you look at KP 2019 active duty and civilian shoreside, there aren't as many people going to sea as you would think. A lot of the people "going to sea" are doing inland work with short schedules.

Sailing is sailing regardless of the size of the vessel or length of the hitch.
 
If you look at KP 2019 active duty and civilian shoreside, there aren't as many people going to sea as you would think. A lot of the people "going to sea" are doing inland work with short schedules.

Sailing is sailing regardless of the size of the vessel or length of the hitch.

Theoretically, on both the deck/engine most of them are starting out as deckhand or engine equivalent, not sailing on their license. This doesn't meet the service obligation requirement and requires MARAD approval. Their lawyers said it themselves. In MARAD's eyes, they are not "sailing".
 
Theoretically, on both the deck/engine most of them are starting out as deckhand or engine equivalent, not sailing on their license. This doesn't meet the service obligation requirement and requires MARAD approval. Their lawyers said it themselves. In MARAD's eyes, they are not "sailing".

My point was that your use of quotation marks suggested that those doing "inland work with short schedules" were somehow not "sailing"
I was simply disagreeing with that point.

They are correct that you have to sail on your license, 46 CFR 310.58(a)(50(i) applies.

(5) Serve in the foreign or domestic commerce and the national defense of the United States for at least five (5) years following the date of graduation from the Academy:
(i) As a merchant marine officer serving on vessels documented under the laws of the United States or on vessels owned and operated by the United States or by any State or territory of the United States;

Mate on a tugboat and Master sailing deep sea would both equally meet this requirement. Engineers might have a tougher time selling it if MARAD wanted to play hard ball on it, it would depend on the vessel. If it were me I would point out that if the USCG accepts my sea time for upgrading a license then MARAD should count it as service "as a merchant marine officer".
 
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Know this thread is over a year old hoping to get some insight though. Worked by 6 years in the maritime industry graduated deckie with Logistics and intermodal transportation. Wanting to get out but really don't know where to start and from anyone's experience with our line of work what if any jobs are there that I could transition into where i'm not starting from square one.
 
Know this thread is over a year old hoping to get some insight though. Worked by 6 years in the maritime industry graduated deckie with Logistics and intermodal transportation. Wanting to get out but really don't know where to start and from anyone's experience with our line of work what if any jobs are there that I could transition into where i'm not starting from square one.
I am sure you will get some comments from others in your line of work, but in my years of AD in and out of Military Sealift Command staffs and offices, there were many maritime academy deck grads working in Operations scheduling both USNS and charter ships, doing liaison with contract operators, planning exercises and loadouts, running the propositioned ship program, coordinating port agent services, etc. They were not CIVMARS, but “regular” Federal civilians who worked at the big MSC staffs as well as the smaller MSCO’s scattered around. Similar for maritime academy engineer grads working as port engineers, etc., as part of MSC shore staff.

Go to usajobs, the Federal job site, create an account, set up a search focused on Military Sealift Command, MARAD and Department of Transportation. It takes some practice and research to get the hang of Federal hires, but it can be done. Regular salary, good healthcare benefits, education benefits, opportunity for advancement.

Department of the Army has way more boats than the Army has ships. Surely they have some Federal civilians.

Ditto NOAA.

I think those folks at MSC were “Marine Transportation Specialists (or Analysts),” I can’t recall.

You also have to figure similar “ops type” positions exist in the shoreside offices of the commercial shipping and cruise ship industry.

Major port cities will also have city and state employees running port operations.

I am looking forward to others’ suggestions. There are probably areas that will surprise you.

Just did some research for you, see link below. Looks like MSC is also a direct hiring authority, for certain jobs and applicants they can bypass the usajobs catch-all process.

Be sure to look at the hamburger menu. There are upcoming virtual job fairs.
 
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Wanting to get out but really don't know where to start

Out of what? It looks like Capt MJ assumed get out of the military but you just say you are in the industry. Are you looking to go totally non-maritime?
 
Out of what? It looks like Capt MJ assumed get out of the military but you just say you are in the industry. Are you looking to go totally non-maritime?
Good question for OP to answer.

I actually assumed he or she was sailing on their license commercially and wanted to build on that.
 
Good question for OP to answer.

I actually assumed he or she was sailing on their license commercially and wanted to build on that.
Reading it again, it sounds to me like sailing too. Point of order ... KPVB's first post was post#14, ergo KPVB is not the OP.

@KPVB what is your license level? That has an impact on where to start. To move shoreside from sailing you don't have to start at square one but don't expect seagoing money.
 
Reading it again, it sounds to me like sailing too. Point of order ... KPVB's first post was post#14, ergo KPVB is not the OP.

@KPVB what is your license level? That has an impact on where to start. To move shoreside from sailing you don't have to start at square one but don't expect seagoing money.
Thanks for the OP note - my mental starting point was the most recent post, since the previous post was aged, so my brain got lazy.
 
Know this thread is over a year old hoping to get some insight though. Worked by 6 years in the maritime industry graduated deckie with Logistics and intermodal transportation. Wanting to get out but really don't know where to start and from anyone's experience with our line of work what if any jobs are there that I could transition into where i'm not starting from square one.
Reach out to alumni and find a mentor. I suggest taking some time and reach out to your local alumni chapter. You can find points of contact online. There are much better avenues for career advice than this site.
 
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