I grew up on an Island, and love the ocean. I went to a college in Florida in the middle of the state, not a good ideahttp://www.uscg.org/forum/emoticons/cry.gif. I am currently going to a school that is very technical. I had an o.k. time with that side and got an associates. My second half of school has been very educational but has made me realize what I really want to do: Get back on the water!
My father is a lobsterman and I spent many summers on his boat fishing traps. That's where my heart is and I want new experiences and adventure on the open ocean.
I've got some questions:
1 What is the training?
2. Could being a Seaman later lead to becoming a pilot or captain?
3. How easy/ hard is it to change jobs in the Coast Guard?

Jonny Miller

1. See these two sites to help you with the "what is the training?" question.

TRACEN Cape May link to check out the boot camp website.

Helmsman to check out the standards and such for boot camp.

2. Yes, there are quite a few former enlisted who have become officers, with many of those becoming pilots.

3. It's not easy to change jobs once the Coast Guard has spent the money to train you for a particular job. That isn't to say you can't, it's just not that easy. This should not be construed as your job not changing, it does, as you advance through the rates and ranks. As a quartermaster (navigation) my job changed depending on assignment. At an Operations Center (they're now called Command Centers) I would plan Search and Rescue (SAR) cases. On ship my job was on the bridge assisting the navigator to make sure we knew our precise location (rocks and ships don't mix). After changing jobs to radioman my job was communications at one unit, computers at the next and then back to communications. As you can see, the job changes with the unit in many cases.

Enlisted careers

Officer careers

Check out the two links above to get an idea of the difference between officer and enlisted.

Good luck,
Garret

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