Go sail a rust bucket – 10 reasons why

John Konrad -

Each year hundreds of cadets graduate America’s Maritime Academies looking for a Third Mate job with the country’s best shipping companies. Polar Tankers, Transocean, Matson… the names don’t change and the number of positions set aside for newly licensed officers rarely widen. Only the top cadets will win these spots, the rest are left to join unions or sail with less respected companies. While not making the cut seems like a sure path to becoming Giligans next skipper, you may actually end up better off than your classmate. Here are the Top 10 reasons why:

10 – A Learning Experience

Sure the new Vessel Management and Integrated Bridge Systems sound impressive but Captains are not looking for a mate that knows what buttons to press on a console, they are looking for someone who can think through what happens when the buttons are pressed. Years studying manuals is simply not as effective as months spent tracing cargo lines and rebuilding values.

9 – Management Skills

A chief mate is only as good as his crew. On the Rusting Rover, undermanned and in poor condition, even the simplest jobs can quickly because an “All Hands” event with mates and seaman doing the jobs together. By working closely with the crew you learn what makes them tick; knowledge that will serve you well later in your career.

8 – Networking

While the Marine Superintendant knows a lot about the fleet’s new ship he is more likely to have sailed the rest bucket. All companies have a ship “everyone” has sailed “back in the day” and by merely mentioning your rig it won’t be difficult to get them sharing sea stories at the next company picnic.

7 – Hard Work Gets Recognized

The reason Joe Perfect got the job with Polar is because companies recognize it takes a lot of hard work to get a 3.9 GPA and Joe will likely work just as hard for the company… but as the old joke goes; “What do you call the last member of the graduating class? Mate!” Five years into your career no one will ask what your GPA was. What they will say is ” wow, you spent 5 years repairing leaks on our worst ship. You must be a had worker.”

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