Getting a job on a ship/rig..

[TintedChrome]

Ok, so after having thought about this for an extended period of time, I've decided that 15 years of IT is just about as much as I can take, and I'm pretty damn sick of it. Having the luxury of no dependents and no responsibilities to speak of, I'd love to find a job on a merchant ship or rig for a couple of years to build up a cruising kitty for 5-10 years down the road.

I have the luxury of Canadian and EU citizenship, so that should make things a bit easier for non-US based companies, but even after a lengthy internet search, I can't seem to find any tangible info out there on how I'd go about breaking into it..

I know that since I have zero commercial experience, I'll have to start at the bottom, and it's going to be a significant pay cut compared to what I make now. But I'm miserable doing what I do now, and I just want a change while I still can. That said, I'm not really attracted to the cruise ship jobs.. the whole point is to get away from dealing with the public

Sooo... bearing in mind I don't have a US work permit, anyone have any info to get me started in the right direction?

Thanks in advance..

[sailaway21]

You might start by looking around here: gCaptain | Resources For Maritime Professionals | About Ships

[SCoffshore]

First off, you have to get a license or certification, as an AB, Wiper, Lifeboatman, etc. THen, go down to your local union hall and see about joining. Looking for a job on an oil rig, there are a lot of jobs out there, you need to speak to a headhunter. Depending on where you are, look around. If you are looking for a job on an offshore rig, they are typically harder to get due to additional certs you have to get than on land. Start on Land as a worm, probably out West in Alberta or overseas, and get your different certs for working offshore.

[TintedChrome]

Thanks.. the hunt begins..

Is there any way to start at the bottom without any certs, and move up without heading out to landbased rigs first? Is even starting out as something like a lowly deckhand on some cargo, oil, or merchant ship somewhere going to require stuff like STCW95 or equiv.? Or is it more along the lines that it "can" be done without anything, but odds are no one will look at me unless I have it?