WhyIWant2WorkInTheMaritimeNdstry DRAFT02

I would like to travel, to work as part of a team 24/7, and to be on the water. I would like a career where advancement depends partly on self-paced training. And I would like to participate in the greening of shipping and of transportation in general. Those are some reasons I seek a career in the Maritime Industry.

I want to travel and to keep moving often. I like having to pare my possessions down to what I most need and to what I am able to carry. I have enjoyed several multiple-month bicycle and hiking trips--now I seek to be working with others while also continuing to move.

I want to work as part of a team 24/7. I've read in some mariners' blogs that they value working and living with the other sailors for the duration of a voyage, however difficult it may be, and that they are often somewhat sad at the end when crew members go different ways. I'd like that kind of experience. I'm aware solitary watch-standing is often part of it.

I want to be on the water, in big ships, or perhaps on canal tugs and barges. Partly this comes from my goal of spending less time where many people use cars--a reason I lived in NYC for two years and in the Sierras for two months. Partly this comes from a long-standing orientation of mine toward the water: in 1993-1994 I was volunteer crew aboard the historic schooner Alexandria (New London to Boston), I completed a rough computer assisted design of a 40' offshore sailing catamaran, and I was accepted to USCGA and USNA. Going to USNA, like my dad, had been an ambition for years, but I began to question it, and I ended up working as a cashier to fund a move to Maui to windsurf instead. At any rate, in exploring my current goals I've become aware of many opportunities to crew on small sailboats, but I've decided to focus on large ships: I'd like to have substantial shelter, I'd like to earn money, and I'm interested in commercial ships and shipping with all their complexity, as well as in the possibility of working aboard humanitarian and research vessels.

I would like a career where advancement depends partly on self-paced training. I have already benefited from working on the requirements of this application. This is reminding me how well the advancement system of the Boy Scouts worked for me. I want more structure in my life, but I don't want to make a four-year military commitment, and I'm not yet sure I want to be a mate. I'd like to work up to the level that suits me.

I am also interested in participating in the greening of shipping and of transportation in general, when I have the opportunity to do so. I've read about one or two new cargo ships designed to obtain some of their power from the wind. I've also read about engine and fuel innovations that allow ships to run more cleanly. I've long been aware that moving cargo by water is often the most energy-efficient way to do it. In the event energy becomes scarce or CO2 production is restricted, I'd like to be a part of a Maritime Industry that uses such a situation to improve.

Those are some reasons I'm seeking a career in the Maritime Industry. Overall, I believe getting into the Industry and working on ships--whatever the difficulties and challenges--will suit me and be meaningful.