Quitting

[Unregistered]

Hi all.
I'm a deck cadet who is in there second sea phase with Clyde marine. Throughout my course I have not liked being away for lengths of time and are now considering quitting. I have thought it through and am happy enough to walk away with the HNC that I earned in phase 3. I am worried though that Clyde marine will charge me a leaving fee of a few thousand pounds. Does anyone know If they do 'fine' you for quitting or can people not be allowed to experience something before finding out it is not for them?
Thanks.

[Clanky]

Sorry I can't answer the bit about paying back the money, but have you considered hanging in there and applying to ferry or coastal companies once you are qualified, they tend to work 2 or 3 weeks on with equal leave.

[SWonder]

Hey,

Sorry to hear you are not enjoying your training and are considering quitting.To be honest, although you may be happy to walk away with the HNC you earned, I would hazard a guess that its pretty much worthless in terms of a future job. Nobody other than Clyde can answer your question, to be fair you say "can people not be allowed to experience something before finding out it is not for them"? But earlier you say throughout your course you have not enjoyed being away for long periods of time so really you did get a chance to experience it in Phase 1 at college and your first sea phase, but you decided to keep going accruing more cost to your sponsor company.

I strongly suggest you reconsider, how much longer do you have left at Sea? It may be worth sticking it out,getting Phase 5 done and dusted and getting your ticket. When your qualified you don't necessarily have to work deep sea or where you are away for long periods of time,you could get a job with a ferry company or supply ships etc where you might only work 4 weeks on/off which isn't that long a time to be away from home.

[JonathanI]

Just bear in mind that if you decide in 10 years that this was he career for you then it is very hard to get back into ! This is pretty much a once in a life time opportunity ! I agree with the above stick it out and get your ticket at the end of the day it's something to add your cv !!

[Unregistered]

Replies

Thanks for the replies. I have been told many of them from family members and people I know but I'm pretty sure I don't want to do the job itself if I did carry on and qualify. Therefore I wouldn't exactly come away with nothing as it is a good qualification that employers will see? If anyone has any thoughts on that then I would love to hear them.
Thanks

[Chiefy]

If you are so sure this is to or you I would still finish and see it through, it shows future employers you can at least see something through to it's conclusion.

You may also pick up other useful contacts or find an interest within the industry which could lead you in new and different direction.

However ultimately the choice is yours and yours alone, as mentioned there are plenty of jobs with short periods of time away with equal time at home, but you know all that.

Good luck with your future endeavours

[Clanky]

In all honesty I don't think the HNC on it's own will be worth very much to employers outside of the shipping industry, although it may open doors to things like VTS etc.

[Chalky]

Ultimately the decision is yours.

I would just like to add from a different standpoint though that if you did decide to leave and then went into a completely different career path, I don't see how employers would view your qualification as worthless... even being in the Merchant Navy shows employers several really admirable personality traits and you can always use those to yours advantage.

If however you were still considering a maritime career I would say to try and see it through.

I believe the money issue would be up to your company though.

Ultimately, as I said at the start, the decision is yours and yours alone. Without trying to sound too profound and cliched - you shouldn't live someone else's dream or idea. Time is short so go do what you love!

[Unregistered]

Thanks

Thanks everyone for their input. I will think things over and make a deduction.
Cheers

[Midge]

Thanks everyone for their input. I will think things over and make a deduction.
Cheers

Is it worth looking at what real options there are out there before deciding, having a word with some employers and see how they view your qualifications to date? If you have something in mind are there any jobs out there?
Or if you are looking at going back into education exactly what your current accumulated qualifications will give you an exemption to?
Other wise you could find yourself not able to get into another job or training which you find suits you, that you may have been able to if you stayed a longer in your current course.
Take time to check out your options carefully, sitting around at home jobless would not be much fun either.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[JonathanI]

Just bear in mind having your OOW will still give you lots of opportunities ashore.

[Hatchorder]

I have re-read the thread this morning and decided to add my five penneth worth.

As you are on your phase 4 now, it is only a matter of possibly doing two more trips before you finish your sea phase. As someone else has mentioned you probably knew during phase 2 that you did not enjoy it and yet you stuck out phase 3.

Did you pass all your exams during phase 3? Are the periods away not enjoyable because of the work, or a relationship, or family reasons?

Yes, you may have your HNC already, but you need to check that it is certified. Sometimes Sandwich course qualifications are linked to other bits. For example when I was at Sea we got issued with a B/TEC Diploma and a Higher B/TEC Diploma, but the Higher B/TEC was only certified once you had an additional 12 months sea time on top of the 24 months for the B/TEC. (No degree courses in my day!) Also remember that your CoC can count towards things like UCAS points as well as your HNC if you want to go and do a degree course. It could make the difference between an Honours and a Masters Degree.

As a qualified Officer there are careers ashore connected to the sea career that you could do, but without the qualification you will struggle to stay connected. Admittedly there are more that are suited to the Engineers, but there are still people who work in Personnel departments who were at sea as Deckies.

If the career is not for you then fine. But as an employer myself, talking to someone who is changing direction in life I would have to say that the difference between "I quit because I could not do the time away from home" and " I knew it was not the career for me 12 months before I finished, but I stuck it out to gain the qualification and to complete the training" is a huge divide.

You also don't mention how old you are. This may be a factor as well, especially when you are changing career, because they will be looking for life experience. It may also be affecting your choice right now as well.

Finally, as mentioned before, quit now and you have no way back later. Quit after qualifying and during the next 4 years you can change your mind and come back and do 6 months sea time and stay qualified. I sailed with a 3/0 when I was 2/O who had qualified, changed his mind, gone ashore and qualified as a plumber and then 2 years later realised he missed the sea and came back. Had he quit before he got his CoC then there would have been no way back.

Having said all of that if you are just miserable as hell and just cannot see it through or are struggling with the work and do not think you will pass your CoC then you need to make the decision to quit. Just bear in mind it is usually a non reversible decision. If it makes you that sad then no amount of threat of fining you could make you stay, so that automatically tells me that there are some factors that would make you see it through.

Good luck with whatever you decide. A tough decision to make.

Regards

Ian

[Unregistered]

All very good points

Thanks again for the replies. They all make very valid points and I'm still not decided completely what I'm going to do. Something that I am interested In finding out is what shore jobs would be available to me if I completed this course. If anyone knows then that would be brilliant and woul help my decision.
Thanks

[YoungMariner]

I have met a few people who have gone ashore after achieving the OOW ticket, but as has been mentioned you also have the option of working on ships which may be in port everynight or only on 2 week on/off contracts. You also have the choice to go away on cruise ships and enjoy life a little in a less isolated environment.
There are options, but if you can do it, it is better to achieve that OOW ticket. One the forums we regularly have messages from people have decided to quit the cadetship and a few years later really come to regret that decision, so that is why so many people here are encouraging you to try and finish with at least an OOW ticket.
I have a good friend who quit in the final sea phase with only a few months of college left to complete if he had returned, and several years later he has some serious regrets and try as hard as he could he couldn't get back onto a cadetship or finish those final months.

Think long and hard, but if you have less then a year to go, and you think you can hack it, just plough on through and get the ticket. Then decide where you want to go. When I finished my cadetship I was interviewed for a position with the P&I Club, and I know someone who went into VTS. I also know people with OOW tickets who have gone into maritime recruitment and shipping management. I also know people who have gone into other careers including the police and medicine (one who left after getting his OOW is now a surgeon).