Post by qmed on May 23, 2012 16:08:41 GMT -5
So You Want to Work on a Boat, by Thor Robert Erikson, is a new book that covers the subject of employment on commercial vessels. It provides an overview of the industry, presenting the pros and cons of this line of work. It discusses employment opportunities aboard inland and ocean-going vessels, describing the duties of QMEDs, able seamen, captains, environmental officers, chief engineers, designated duty engineers, pilots, mates, cooks, stewards, wipers, as well as how to get those jobs. It isn’t exclusively tailored toward tugs. It’s a generic practical guide for many types of vessels, including cruise ships, ferries, water taxis, tugboats, dredges, research vessels, container ships, among others.
At around 200 pages, it's a straightforward book. It doesn't claim to reveal the "secrets" of getting hired as a commercial mariner. It doesn't use the word "killer" in describing its templates for professional mariner resumes and covers letters. There really aren't any secrets here. It's just a matter of qualifications and preparation. In addition to resumes and cover letters, the book discusses how to prepare for interviews.
It covers some of the burdensome things that professional mariners have to put up with, such as MMCs, TWICs, STCW certification, and medical exams. The book includes a section on practical maritime law, which is sensitive to the unfair and unnecessarily harsh development of the concept of "criminalization." This is where a commercial mariner could be sent to jail for errors in judgment or poor seamanship... which have unfortunately come to be prosecuted as crimes in our current legal climate.
Although it isn't a license prep book, it provides a sampling of exam questions in its discussion of merchant marine licenses, basically to give readers a feel of what they could find themselves up against in sitting for license exams. The book includes lists of employers, including operators of container ships, towing vessels, OSVs, ferries, water taxis, research vessels, cruise ships, and dredging companies. It also covers government employers. The book also covers educational resources, including maritime academies, community colleges, private institutions and union schools.
Although the industry could offer decent salaries, everyone isn’t suited to work six hours, sleep five hours, and then do it over and over again. Not everyone can put up with sharing a cabin with the same people they work with. Not everyone can put up with being away from a spouse and kids for several weeks at a stretch. Appreciating the fact that people have their personal limitations, the book devotes a chapter to employment opportunities within the maritime community that do not require going to sea in the service of a vessel. These areas include shipyards, marine insurance, surveying, maritime security, cargo operations, and more.
So You Want to Work on a Boat, by Thor Robert Erikson is available on Amazon Books and is currently featured on findmaritimejobs.com. Thor Robert Erikson is a maritime professional and licensed merchant marine officer.
At around 200 pages, it's a straightforward book. It doesn't claim to reveal the "secrets" of getting hired as a commercial mariner. It doesn't use the word "killer" in describing its templates for professional mariner resumes and covers letters. There really aren't any secrets here. It's just a matter of qualifications and preparation. In addition to resumes and cover letters, the book discusses how to prepare for interviews.
It covers some of the burdensome things that professional mariners have to put up with, such as MMCs, TWICs, STCW certification, and medical exams. The book includes a section on practical maritime law, which is sensitive to the unfair and unnecessarily harsh development of the concept of "criminalization." This is where a commercial mariner could be sent to jail for errors in judgment or poor seamanship... which have unfortunately come to be prosecuted as crimes in our current legal climate.
Although it isn't a license prep book, it provides a sampling of exam questions in its discussion of merchant marine licenses, basically to give readers a feel of what they could find themselves up against in sitting for license exams. The book includes lists of employers, including operators of container ships, towing vessels, OSVs, ferries, water taxis, research vessels, cruise ships, and dredging companies. It also covers government employers. The book also covers educational resources, including maritime academies, community colleges, private institutions and union schools.
Although the industry could offer decent salaries, everyone isn’t suited to work six hours, sleep five hours, and then do it over and over again. Not everyone can put up with sharing a cabin with the same people they work with. Not everyone can put up with being away from a spouse and kids for several weeks at a stretch. Appreciating the fact that people have their personal limitations, the book devotes a chapter to employment opportunities within the maritime community that do not require going to sea in the service of a vessel. These areas include shipyards, marine insurance, surveying, maritime security, cargo operations, and more.
So You Want to Work on a Boat, by Thor Robert Erikson is available on Amazon Books and is currently featured on findmaritimejobs.com. Thor Robert Erikson is a maritime professional and licensed merchant marine officer.
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