Beyond High School

Here's a list of programs that you should consider if you're interested in this career:

• Commercial Fishing
• Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer

Education Level

Education training and experience are required at different levels for success in different occupations.

Bachelor's degree

Water transportation workers typically complete U.S. Coast Guard-approved training programs. Most water transportation jobs require the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) from the Transportation Security Administration and a Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC), plus any related endorsements, from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Insider Info

Additional Information

There are several ways you can enter this career.

If you want to become a navigator in the Merchant Marine, you can attend the Merchant Marine Academy, or one of the six state academies. You must also complete a written examination, a physical test and a drug test.

Following successful completion, you will be licensed as a third mate. You can then move up by the ranks to eventually become a ship's master or captain.

You can also become a marine navigator without any formal training if you pass the written exam and have at least three years of sea experience. But it is difficult to pass the examination without formal schooling or independent study. Also, because you may work only a few months a year, it may take you more than three years to get the necessary experience.

As for the U.S. Coast Guard, you can become a navigator by enrolling in the Coast Guard Academy following graduation from high school, or by enrolling in its officer training school following college graduation. Enlisted personnel can also work in navigation, Sturgis says.

And for the United States Navy, you can work in navigation as a non-commissioned quartermaster or as a commissioned surface warfare officer.

Extra Requirements

Mariners who work on ships traveling on the open ocean require the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STWC) endorsement. Regional U.S. Coast Guard offices provide this training. Mariners who work on inland waterways and the Great Lakes are excluded from the STWC endorsement. Pilots are licensed by the state in which they work. The U.S. Coast Guard licenses pilots on the Great Lakes. The requirements for these licenses vary, depending on where a pilot works.

For additional information, visit these websites:

• http://www.tsa.gov/twic
• http://www.dco.uscg.mil/national_maritime_center/