i am woman

[jbyrd]

i just received my merchant marine creds. as a os, & twic. i am scheduled to go to bst @ the end of june.

i am going to leave my job of 30,000 a year to pursue my dream as a mm. i was told that i had 2 +s, ex-navy & woman.

can i realistically pursue a career in deck as a woman? will i be able to make close to the money i am making now within a year? and last but not least, how do you go about getting a job besides searching numerous websites? how do i know what's real & what's not? i am no kid and i don't want to waste time taking the wrong path.

oh & 1 m ore question. if i join a union, can i walk when i get ready or are union for life?

[Shellback]

Absolutely...My company has many women, the ship next to us for example, has a woman Captain and both AB's are women..It's what you make it..

As far as pay, I would say you will surpass the 30K mark relatively easy, once you get hired..Thats the hard part..The industry has rebounded some but it's still not what it once was...

[KPEngineer]

It isn't a matter of can you, but is it worth it. Think of leaving a union as you would leaving the Navy ... Do I have so much time invested that I am better off in the long run just sticking it out for the bennies at the end.

[BMCSRetired]

Good 4 u ma'am!!!

I sailed with a lot of women in the military and enjoyed the experience as well as being provided with a different point view when solving problems. Probably the best CO I had was a woman and she is now an Admiral. Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble are still out here but they are getting older and most do not venture out of their caves. Advancement is there. Keep your nose clean and do not get involved with usual BS and whining that happens on deck and u will go far.

Good luck out there and be safe!

[Mikey]

Here's a good thread from a while back on this subject.

Honesty On Jobs for the OTHER Gender

[Shellback]

Jbyrd, what was your rate in the Navy?

[Deuce]

First and foremost I want to say that I wish you the best with your new venture. If I can give you some words of advice it would be to leave all the "woman" crap behind you. The whole "I am woman hear me roar" is a crock of shit. If you want to do well then work hard, be respectful, and quit worrying about what is/isn't between your legs. This is 2010 and as a whole the only people that get discriminated against are the ones who let themselves. The women i've worked with on boats who seem to have a big chip on their shoulder about the woman thing, seem to be hated and always looking for an excuse. Those who are "just one of the guys" are usually much more respected, and much better at their jobs. Like I said, I wish you nothing but the best, just make sure you have the right attitude, or should I say lack there of!

[Capt. Fran]

I wouldn't call that a 'good' thread, Mikey. Got a little tedious at the end.

[richard8000milesaway]

fran is correct: that thread, like Jed, is dead. had to laugh about the "train wreck" comment at the end though.

[JP]

Got to agree with Deuce!
As a woman who has worked my way up from OS to now working as master 1600/3000GT and chief mate unlimited, I have to say that the being a woman thing is most definately NOT a plus out here. You will have to work twice as hard to get what you would have if you were a man. BUT it is possible. You need to have a good attitude and a lot of determination. Best place to advance quickly, especially with your navy background would be military sealift command. Best things about them is that they are always hiring and they will pay for all of your training. Pay for licensed people was definately on the low side but seemed high for unlicensed. About the union, you can quit any time but no need to join either unless you want to. It may have its advantages, mostly training and insurance/pension?? But I am hearing that is not a sure thing either.

[Deuce]

fran is correct: that thread, like Jed, is dead. had to laugh about the "train wreck" comment at the end though.

Haha... That was me yesterday as I linked over from this thread and I was actually amazed that people were being as decent as they were to her. That was like a high school cheerleader and potential prom queen that all of the sudden decided that she wanted to be some big shot on a boat! I would consider suicide if I had to deal with that for a watch!!!

[Deuce]

I wouldn't call that a 'good' thread, Mikey. Got a little tedious at the end.

He had to of meant for entertainment value and I actually disagree.... It was not good entertainment, it was great entertainment!!haha

[cappy208]

It would greatly depend on where you are trying to ship out. Inland, coastwise towing has small boats (relatively) small quarters. Usually sharing a room. The typical crew will ride a woman until/unless she DOES the job. I have met or sailed with several women over my career. Most were out for the adventure, and weren't 'in it for the long haul'.

However one of the best deckhands I had was a tugboater from Kingston ny. But her lack of upper body strength limited her to small tugs, and small gear. When throwing around a 105 ton bow shackle on the back deck, or swinging a 15 lb sledge to knock a pin out is not the time to figure out this is not the career you want. This is when I have seen animosity develop. In a pinch, everyone must be up to the task, and sometimes (but not often) the task is herculean.
Tugs have small cramped quarters, and living on a boat with from 4 to 6 guys can be a pain. (Its sometimes a bitch when its all guys anyway, so it has nothing to do with gender)

The inland push fleet has to make and break tow, often several times a watch, and part of this is lugging 125 lb 'steam boat ratchets' around (with accompanying wires and shackles and cheater bars) If you cant keep up, then you probably shouldn't show up. There are harbor assist boats, where the work is more mundane, and you won't have to do as much making and breaking tow. But sometimes even a harbor boat will be called upon to actually go tow something.

However if you want to 'ship out' on ships, there is a better way of life. However just ask most of the recent maritime graduates how many berths are available. Not many!

You could investigate the inland dinner/ cruise fleet. But I HATE dealing with passengers. JMHO.

and someone else mentioned it, but you are CREW. gender is irrelevant. (as in I am Crew)

[jbyrd]

i was a PN.

[Shellback]

i was a PN.

There are a few rates that are good for deck and engineering time..I don't think that is one of those though...

[Jeffrox]

i was a PN.

You could try to get on with MSC and then become a Purser. Not sure of the strategy of doing this but start by checking here: http://www.sealiftcommand.com/

[Jon]

i just received my merchant marine creds. as a os, & twic. i am scheduled to go to bst @ the end of june.

Are you sure you want to go through the entire BST? Doesn't USN Boot Camp completion cover all BST or all BST except survival suits? Or have you been out too long for it to count...? Excuse me if I am not making sense, I've come back to this post a dozen times and keep getting interrupted.

[jbyrd]

Are you sure you want to go through the entire BST? Doesn't USN Boot Camp completion cover all BST or all BST except survival suits? Or have you been out too long for it to count...? Excuse me if I am not making sense, I've come back to this post a dozen times and keep getting interrupted.

Its been way too long.

[jbyrd]

You could try to get on with MSC and then become a Purser. Not sure of the strategy of doing this but start by checking here: http://www.sealiftcommand.com/

I am working on that one. Gave some consideration to purser but not sure advancement is the greatest and I am not sure I want to sit on my as like I did for 11yrs as a PN. I tried to do everything else besides be a PN; damage control, emergency response, fight qtrs, plotter, whatever it took to get me out of the ofc.

[seadog6608]

Pursers at MSC are already as high in the ranks as they can go. Supply ratings like Yeoman/storekeeper can move up to Asst. Supply Officer and then Supply Officer. It sounds like you're more interested in deck dept though.