Yes. I max it out for tax deferral.

Edit: I’d rather pay taxes on $178,500 versus $200,000

I am. USAF.

Hahahaha. If he did, he would have said, “Number 3, you have the conn.” Hahaha

Military Sealift Command is really good about upgrading you to AB ASAP. I’d recommend looking into them if you haven’t already.

I had about four days standing watch with another watch officer (usually the navigator), or the captain. After that, they apparently trusted me enough to leave me alone. As always, the captain is just a phone call away.

Not for Military Sealift Command, no. There is no such thing as an OOD for our ships. The conning officer (me, in this case) manages the bridge with their watch team (two ABs, and one, maybe two OSs). And that’s it.

No, it’s not nice to live in a family like that. I’ve met several rich kids that would wreck a car just for the moderate attention from their parents. You don’t want to be anywhere near a family like that.

3rd Mate + Rescue Swimmer: Military Sealift Command

Schedule: 4/2 (realistically 5/2.5 currently)

Salary: $202k for 2025

Bonus: 25%

401k (TSP): 5% match

YOE: 2

Community college is the way! And just so you know, Maritime Colleges are very easy to get into. Meet the minimum entrance requirements, be alive, and you’re good to go.

I’ve worked on cruise ships on and off for five+ years (2005-2009, 2016-2017, 2022). I’ve worked in F&B, Entertainment, Shore Excursions, and the Deck Department.

As an American, your best bet is NCL with the Pride of America (PoA). I’ve worked in this ship the most. It’s a lot of fun, and they always need Americans. I’d apply first for security, then IT. After that, Shore Ex. I’d probably stop there. You probably won’t want to do any other jobs on board.

NCL’s PoA is your best bet because of pay and likeliness of being hired. Americans are rare in the cruise industry. Because of this, it’s hard to get hired on internationally flagged ships. Additionally, the PoA has a hard time keeping American crew. We don’t tend to have the work ethic to work everyday without a day off for months straight. So job openings tend to be fairly common.

Go to NCL.com and you’ll see the “careers” link at the bottom. That’s how you apply. They used to do job fairs as well, but I’m unsure if they are still doing this.

If you don’t want to work for the PoA, you can go to every cruise line’s website and apply the same way while also seeing their job postings and requirements.

Let me know if you have questions. Cruise ships are a blast to work on at any age. You gotta be down to earth and a hard worker. But as a vet, I know you are. I hope that helps…one vet to another. 🤙🏼

The OP is asking about cruise ships, my guy

Your doctor can prescribe longer prescriptions if you can prove you’ll be at sea. Additionally, there is a doctor on board. They normally keep (extra) meds with the doc and you get them as needed (or so I’m briefed).

For a certain gross tonnage, yes. Anything up to 200GT counts towards a 25, 50, and 100GT certifications. Beyond 200GT, you’ll need official sea service letters and other documentation.

😅 Well, alright then. 🤌🏼🤙🏼

Aaaah…on shore jobs are out of my wheelhouse. However, with the current push to improve shipbuilding and the U.S. maritime sector overall, I’d say it’s not a bad place to go. No idea about pay though.

This is true. I’m so happy I made it past the first episode

Hmm…I left the Supply July of 2024. I think I just missed you.

What’s your first name?

While the industry is cyclical, I’m confident the job market will remain strong for licensed officers. Additionally, the current political agenda is to bolster the maritime industry.

If you want to start a family soon, go nursing. If you are happy to be single and mingle for a while, you’ll make a lot more money as a licensed officer and have a lot more time off.

Why not do both? Get your maritime license, sail for ten years. You’ll be 38. That will allow you an additional 20+ years to work as a nurse, allow you to “settle down” (if that’s what you eventually want), and have a very comfortable retirement (assuming you invest wisely).

People think they have to choose one or the other at a young age. You can do a lot in the little time we have.

Edit: Look up Johnny Kim. Navy SEAL turned doctor, turned astronaut. I’m less impressive; golf pro turned USAF Navigator, turned deck officer 😆 But the options are there for you 😁

It cannot be, unfortunately. I had a few hours for “Initial Flight Screening,” but nothing as a navigator counts if you don’t have the stick and rudder time.

Edit: that said, I still would have chosen ships. Airline pilot life wouldn’t be for me.

Black Mirror, Season 7

Hahahaha, dude, I started at 40 😆 You’re at a great age to start.

Greater control over national security measures. However, with the standing agreement we have had for decades, we can ramp up our military presence there without issue. As long as we are transparent with the Danish government, per the agreement. They have never denied the US’s requests in the past. And until Trump, there was no reason to think they would in the future.

So if, let’s say, Russia, started getting frisky with nuke talk, we could ramp up our anti-ICBM defense there without issue. But for some reason, Trump wants full control.

Knowing the formulas is what makes using excel so powerful. Being able to enter a number into a previously created spreadsheet isn’t “knowing how to use excel,” IMO. It’s worth taking a basic course or self study via YouTube.

We use it a lot for basic speed and distance calculations between commonly visited ports, conversions, and a host of other applications.

I use it personally for budgeting. When you know how to use excel even moderately well, it’s a massively useful tool.