The Big Bucks Guide to Shipping Out As a Merchant Seaman

Do you need a good job? A job that pays the bills and six months a year paid vacation? Would you like to see the world and potentially wind up as Captain or Chief Engineer of your own ship? Ever wonder what it feels like to stand by the anchor on a huge ship gliding beneath the Golden Gate? Or what the Rock of Gibraltar looks like as your ship enters the Mediterranean? You don't have to join the Navy to find out. American civilian ships sail all over the world delivering oil or dry cargo. Other ships do research, store military cargo, carry passengers, search for oil, or deliver frozen sea food from Alaska. Sounds crazy I know, but it could happen for you with a little guidance. It's a real industry that most of us know very little about and I'd like to change that. Look, it's not going to be easy. There is a lot of work, dedication and sacrifice involved, I won't kid you. But if it was easy then everyone would be doing it and it wouldn't pay for crap. Let me give you the inside dope you need to evaluate this industry and see if it right for you. I can guarantee you one thing for sure; there are no cubicles on a merchant ship, just hard work, adventure and good wages. How much can you make? Well that depends on your experience and training, what license you hold, what part of the industry you enter, but it ranges from a few thousand a month as an entry level room steward on a small cruise ship to over half a million a year as a bay pilot. If you're interested, read the book and it will all become clear to you. But it is not a job for everyone and sacrifices are involved. With a few exceptions you'll have to leave home for weeks or months at a time. A fair bit of professional training is required which can be expensive, or it can be free if you know what you are doing. I've been doing this for 35 years now and I'd be honored if you would allow me to enlighten you on an obscure, yet fascinating industry that might be just right for you.