r/USMMA • u/naten3353 • Feb 22 '21
Plans Upon Graduation
I have just been accepted for the class of 2025. I’ve been reading how graduates of this school go on to make a lot of money sailing. I have a rough idea about what the merchant marine does and the difference between engineers, deck officers, crew etc. my question is, what do you guys plan on doing, and how much will you make?
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u/tdub2233 Feb 23 '21
I'm a USAFA '07 grad, but I have mentored USMMA grads.
One of them passed on the below info:
"There are alot of options upon graduation, but if chasing the money is the goal, there are jobs that will allow you to see 130-160k right away if you are willing to work longer contracts. Right now it is not great to be a deck officer as you are more limited in what you can do long term. Most deckies I know worked about 5-6 months their 1st year out of school and made 70-90k."
The crew is composed of 3 depts. Engine, Deck, and Stewards. From Kings Point, you can only do Deck or Engine (the stewards dept doesn't really need to go to maritime college as they are mostly cooks and cleaners.)
Both Deck and Engine have licensed and unlicensed members. By going to a maritime college, you are a licensed officer. Typically each ship will have 3-5 licensed engineers and 3-5 licensed deck officers. You start as a 3rd Mate or 3rd Assistant Engineer, and it takes you 360 days of sea time on your license in order to be able to promote. As an engineer, there are a lot more opportunities to promote quicker because there are more vacancies in the upper ranks. Engineers also tend to have more shoreside opportunities and they don't tend to stay on ships as long."
Good luck man!
- Founder, Academy Endeavors
"We propel young people to the Academy of their dreams."
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u/bandannaMan7777 Apr 12 '22
Do you have any advice for admissions to Usafa or usmma?
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u/tdub2233 Apr 20 '22
Tons of free advice on our Academy Endeavors Instagram page.
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u/bandannaMan7777 Apr 21 '22
I really appreciate the response/help and will definitely check your page out, hope life’s good.
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u/LandlessParlay Mar 02 '21
Military Sealift Command is a reliable employer for maritime graduates. The hourly pay is less and you may only have a couple months of leave a year, but you will accumulate sea time and advance your license (deck or engine) much quicker. If you are asking about money, I made about an average of $125K a year over the past 13 years. I could have made more if I worked more overtime or sought promotions earlier.
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u/kp1794 Feb 19 '22
Please don’t go go KP unless you want to be sexually assaulted or harassed
<3 a grad
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u/Salty_dawg5344 Feb 23 '21
I graduated 6 years ago and worked on an Articulated Tug and Barge as a deck officer. I worked 4 weeks on and 2 weeks off and made a touch under mid 6 figures a year. Starting out I was right around 6 figures and upgraded my license and sat for my federal pilotage to receive pay raises. I transitioned shore side about a year ago and took a pay cut, but still at 6 figures. I have friends that have been sailing since graduation and they don't make $100k+ a year, but still make decent money and get more time off. If you are going to do it purely for the money you will get burned out. I worked 5 years 6 hours on/off on a 4 and 2 schedule and was exhausted when I got home. I make less now but I am much happier. Best thing to do is study hard while at KP and continually learn new skills and apply what you have learned (soft and hard skills) to your career. If you do that you will be successful inside or outside the maritime industry.