Whats Next?

[Flyer69]

I will have some time off and some cash saved at the end of this year to get some training to improve my resume.
I am trying to figure out what would be the best courses to take to improve my chances at employment and advancement as I intend to move from yachts to the commercial side?

I currently hold 500 GRT Master Oceans, AB Unlimited, GMDSS.

I have signed up for DP Intro through Beier Radio, wondering what else I should be looking at.

VSO?
MPIC?
ECDIS?

AT 43 years old I figure I have another 15-20 years I would like to work, and want to make the most of it.

Thoughts and opinions from you all would be most appreciated, as well as reasoning why you think a certain course would be helpful.

[water]

How about ARPA?

[Flyer69]

Already have ARPA.

[Jemplayer]

VSO.I see a lot of places asking if you have it when applying

[dougpine]

Upgrade to 1600 Master Oceans.

[Flyer69]

Working on getting the sea time needed for the upgrade to 1600GRT. It's gonna be a while. In the meantime, I am trying to figure out what to take for courses in the next 12 months to best fill out the resume to make me attractive and useful to companies looking to hire.

Does a 500GRT Master need to have VSO? Would having VSO make a difference in a hiring decision?

I foresee working as a mate or AB to get experience at the ground floor while getting seatime on vessels over 150 grt to get me qualified to upgrade to 1600grt/3000itc master.

I am taking DP Intro in December because I see the requrements for entry into that field getting tighter. After taking the Intro class I have 5 years to complete the required sea time and the advanced DP/Simulator class to finish the qualification.

I am considering ECDIS because I have read this is going to become a requirement for all vessels over 200 tons

I am pretty sure I can have medical care provider added to my STCW automatically because I hold a EMT-B license, the question is should I go ahead and get the MPIC this year, would it be of value.

I am looking at Fast Rescue Boat as well, wondering where this would fir in the heirarchy of what courses should be taken first to best bolster the resume.