The New Adventure Begins

So, I am brand new to this whole blog thing and not sure how successful it will be, but I have had a number of folks ask me to keep them updated on this new life journey and I think this might be the best way to make that happen. I also have some catching up to do and some questions to answer, so this first post could be a little long...

Let's start from the top: What am I doing and why am I doing it?
To answer this question as simple as possible, I will start by stating the facts. I am attending the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, Michigan where I am studying to become an officer in the US Merchant Marine. The only difficultly with explaining what I am doing in such a short sentence is that the industry that I am working towards is one that is known very little about by most people that I have encountered, so we can talk more about what specifically that means later. The second part of that question is "why am I doing it?" I have had many people ask "is this something that you have always wanted to do?" and I have a difficult time answering that question. To keep things simple and to garner more immediate support without having to explain the details behind the thought process that brought me here, my easy answer to that question is just a simple "yes!" However, the more detailed answer would start off with a "no." I did not grow up with a desire to drive a big boat for living or even know that it was possible. I have always enjoyed the water and recently developed a true passion for sailing it, but I am not sure if that translates to a lifelong dream of sailing commercially on the open ocean. However, I have always wanted to do something on my own - a job that isn't behind a desk or making sales calls every day - something that I can be passionate about and truly enjoy. That is not to say that I did not enjoy the wonderful job that I just left, because I am most definitely thankful for the time I had to spend with the American Cancer Society, but at the end of the day, it was and would always be a job. So ultimately, this is what I have always wanted to do - adventure, travel, independence, etc - it just happens that I just recently discovered this is how I would do it.

What school am I attending?
I was sitting in my office at the end of November last year and started looking into what it would take for me to earn a captain's license and work on the water for a living. After some research, I came across the websites for the Maritime Academies and it was right about then that I knew this is the direction that I wanted to go. Once I researched all of the schools, I decided to attend the Great Lakes Maritime Academy, one of six state maritime academies in the country. When I complete this program in 4 years, I will be licensed by the Coast Guard as an officer in the US Merchant Marine fleet as a Third Mate, Unlimited Tonnage - Oceans and Great Lakes. In other words, I will be licensed as the fourth highest ranking officer on a commercial vessel of unlimited size (cruise ship, container ship, tanker, etc) and able to sail on virtually any body of water in the world. After completing an additional 6 years of sea time, I will be able to earn my master's license, which is the actual "captain" on a vessel.

The State Maritime Academies are mostly located in coastal areas (Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, and California), but I chose this school on the Great Lakes because it offers an opportunity for better licensing credentials. The academies receive funding from the US DOT Maritime Administration (MARAD) and are regulated by part 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Here is some more information from the MARAD website about the training of merchant mariners here in the US: 
"The Maritime Administration vigorously supports maritime training and education programs. Our intent is to improve the quality of work of the U.S. maritime industry through improved services to the people who serve at sea and those who work ashore in diverse professions such as ship building, steamship company operations, and port operations. Recent events in the world have required the Maritime Administration to address an array of security and training issues to provide a safer and more efficient operation of the merchant marine of the United States. To ensure a consistent supply of capable and well trained merchant mariners, the Maritime Administration provides limited funding to the Six State Maritime Academies. The education of merchant marine officers is an essential Maritime Administration responsibility to meet national security needs and to maintain the defense readiness. The maritime academies meet that need by educating young men and women for service in the American Merchant Marine, in the U.S. Armed Forces, and the Nation's intermodal transportation system. The Maritime Administration also provides training vessels to all six State maritime academies for use in at-sea training and as shoreside laboratories. The vessels are part of the Maritime Administration's assistance to the academies to train highly qualified licensed officers."