/biz/ - Business & Finance

>>821363
Since you called it a sweet gig I'm going to assume you're a fellow Aussie.
I'm an Integrated Rating which is an Australian position, everywhere else in the world my job is normally called AB which stands for Able Seaman (I'm not sure why it's AB and not AS) or simply Deckhand. Basically I'm a general labourer on a ship but what you actually do day to day varies enormously depending on what sort of vessel you work on.
It is a great gig but extremely hard to get your foot in the door, especially now in Australia as times are tight in the offshore sector so no one is hiring. Probably the best way to get in is to work on a fishing vessel, see if you can join the Maritime Union of Australia and apply, apply, apply for sponsorship with shipping companies to put you through the training course.
If you have a trade you'd be better served to try and get into marine engineering, contact the Australian Maritime College or a maritime Tafe for details, if you're qualified with a trade you won't have to spend years studying.
Alternatively if you wanted to be an Officer you could again contact the AMC or a maritime Tafe.
If I had my time again I would've studied marine engineering at the AMC as IRs and Officers are fairly well limited to maritime unlike Engineers who have more land-based opportunities.
One downside to maritime work in Australia is that governments are constantly being lobbied by shipping and oil&gas companies to de-regulate the industry allowing ships to be manned with foreign crew who are for all intents and purposes slaves. Combine this with marine work being a really specific skill set in an increasingly broad world and you have start to raise questions about your future security (which is partly why I posted >>821347).
All that said though I truly do love working at sea, after awhile being a seafarer becomes a defining aspect of your character and you can't help but be proud of it.