Opinions on MCA Yachtmaster vs USCG license

Personally I would spend your money on a USCG ticket, the MCA Yacht tix are not valid on commercial vessels, and certainly not on any US flag ships. With a USCG you can get a COC from 90% of the flags that are flying on yachts with a simple application for equivalency, you can even get the MCA license if you choose by taking a couple of courses and the oral, but don't know why you would.
Personally I think you will find it pretty hard to get into the deck side of Yachting at your age and gender, sorry just being honest. If you get your USCG and things don't work out in yachting you can always try commercial, but not with an MCA Yachtmaster.
Hope this helps.

Agreed on everything ychtcptn posted.
You will have a difficult time breaking into the industry at such a late stage in the the game. You may get lucky and meet someone who will give you a chance, but you're most likely to get the introduction to a perspective employer as a piece of paper on their desk. Your age and lack of experience will be a hurdle.
So, I too would recommend the USCG route as it will give you more options to choose from.

I will have to say that I agree with the 2 previous posts. It is also very hard to break into yachting when turning up with full commercial tickets and no yachting experience. Engineering seems to be an easier route than deck for the commercial people to get a start in the business these days.

I agree with K1W1, that engineering is an easier route. Simply put there are fewer qualified engineers one has to compete with. When it comes to deck, there are so many available candidates and that's where you'd have the issues, that someone hiring just tries to cut the stack of resumes down quickly.

One other advantage I'd add to going the USCG route. The limitations on hiring on US flagged boats works to your favor. It's a bit of an inequity that works in your favor.

You didn't indicate what kind of starting position and future positions you might be targeting or hoping for. For anyone entering the industry early jobs, short or longer term, depend on being in the right place at the right time and depend on willingness to do anything to get a start. I know captains who would welcome some maturity in deck hands and starting is often willingness to take the worst job on the boat, be the low person on the totem pole, and do it all with excellence of performance and a good attitude. It may be the fishing captain who is taking a small group to the Bahamas for a few days and the mate he normally takes had an emergency and can't go.

One more side to this and that's thinking of Plan B and that is what do you do to support yourself while waiting for opportunity.

I had this whole discussion with a Captain I have sailed with who is a Master Mariner and has got 20 yrs in yachting. He says engineering skills can be transferred easily but the lack of knowledge of cleaning and maintenance products and procedures is a real stumbling block for ex commercial folks coming on a yachts deck team. In one of the online groups I co admin there are people posting with Full commercial Masters, Chief Officers tickets saying they will work as OOW's and deckies to get a start.

I've been in this situation hiring for other businesses. You run a Sunday newspaper ad and you get 200+ resumes. It's like moving and unpacking, you just want to clear some and the impulse is to go through quickly and try to cut the stack way down, looking for any reason. I feel for those applying. In retail we've found the perfect work around. No resumes by email or mail. Hand deliver and fill out the application too. Amazing what you can learn about a person and the opportunity they have to make an impression in just that couple of minutes of interaction. When it's a huge stack of paper though, I feel like it's often like playing a lottery.

The only way to break the barrier is to meet some people who have needs or know others or know others who know others. Find the way to make a good first impression with someone who ultimately might help you. Find some way to get into some word of mouth situations.

At an older age you're at a disadvantage with many hiring. However, there are always some out there waiting to go against the tide. Some recommend hanging around the bars popular with crews but I think that's a lousy way to impress anyone. However, hang around those in the profession. I know someone who recently got hired and his method was to eat lunch regularly in the cafe at Rybovich. He never solicited work there, however. He just talked and got to know some people and he asked for advice. Then one day a captain turned to him and said, "Are you doing anything this afternoon?" It was four hours of work but then he was given an introduction by that captain to a friend who needed someone.

Not to mention how those bloody stabilizer things work. As well as non commercial chiller air con systems, freshwater systems, etc. etc.......on the Captaining side for yachts too small to have an engineer.

A USCG license opens up the door working for many small commercial operations as well, like working on a water taxi, whale watching boat, tow boat, dive boats etc. where you're home everynight.

Any opportunities spending some time with the below deck crews; engineering, laundry, supply? Technical, computers, communications?
Wash da ship? Cook? Stew? In 10 years do anything on board?
Not to take anything away from marking a spot on a chart, but did you aid in foul weather navigation? Do you know who Dutton is? Stand any watches?
Any allies, endorsers, sponsor or mentors to offer any professional recommendations from your 10 years on board?

brutally honest opinion; You may have wasted 10 years and missed the best education you could get if you wanted to get into a marine trade now.

Age and gender are as much of an impediment as you make it.

People with money tend to only give money to people they know.

The comment about eating at a cafe where marine industry people gather is a good one. Be where the yachts are, when they are starting or ending their seasons, when positions are fluid. Be nice, smart, friendly, funny.

The good thing about yachting is its possible to live well on little income, so its not a hardship to start at the bottom, volunteer to do crossings, polish stainless.

To really get somewhere, as with any profession, you need to do it to know it. You need to do it where its done. You need to learn from competent experienced people, so work for those people.

That is definitely not the case in the sector of the business I am most familiar with.

Not sure in which way he meant "Age and gender are as much of an impediment as you make it." Do you mean that they are huge impediments or only are if she makes it one? So not sure which way K1W1 interpreted it. Tricky language.

So my opinion on this...

Fact: Age and Gender are issues in most industries.
Fact: People overcome those issues every day.

"But I want to be realistic if most owners have unofficial age limit when hiring."

Realism is smart but too much of perceived realism can be bad and self limiting. You don't need "most owners" or "most employers". You need one.

How much do you want it? What are you willing to sacrifice to get there? My hubby mentions Plan B. Well, he's the planning type, but he's right. We see the overnight successes in acting and don't think how overnight was 20 years of working at a Deli while auditioning hundreds of times. Are you willing to work at Starbucks and can you live off what you'd make there while chasing the dream? Then will you take the dirtiest, sh....iest, lousiest deck job to get your foot in the door.

To Crapps and his wasted 10 years, I respect he's being honest, but no part of our life is wasted if it helps us learn more about what we want to do. Did it not forward a career? Yep. But we grow and learn. He's asking the hard questions. He's playing devil's advocate and you need to hear that. Do his comments scare you or make you more determined? If they scare you away, then perhaps this isn't right for you, but if they make you want to prove you can do it, then go for it. But going for it isn't just a few classes, it's being willing to do anything to get it.

How should we take the fact you haven't been back, haven't responded to any posts?

I'm the kid here, but I was the old college freshman at 22. I'd dropped out of high school at 16. Some days I just wanted to say "You stupid kids, you have so much to learn about life." Then there was calculus in a class where they'd all had it the previous year in high school. Can I say "lost". I wanted it as much as anyone there and I was willing to work for it. I got my degree, my masters, my doctorate and with all that took a low paying job as a teacher. Again an old first time teacher. The point is, "big deal." We face challenges, prejudices, all sorts of crap (no pun intended Ralph) and you have to decide.

I would agree with all those saying USCG.

I wrote that because age discrimination is alive and well in the sector of the business I have the most to do with.

I tried to get a guy who was one of my old C/E's a job a couple of years ago. He was 58, the Skipper hiring was 55 and said the guy was "way too old".

The guy holds an unlimited ticket for motor and steam ships and has 25 yrs on yachts.

I know another guy in his 50's who has come from Cruise ships and done a few yachts and he cannot get a C/E's job with his C/E Unlimited ticket. He is teaching in a marine college.

I was told by a voice on the end of the phone from an agency when I was 40.5 that I was too old to be C/E on a yacht.

I don't know where half the staff at these places get their ideas from but it takes a few years to get a proper ticket

Trying to break into the business as a 40 some year old greenhorn will be tough to put it mildly in my opinion and not inconsiderable experience.

To Crapps and his wasted 10 years, I respect he's being honest, but no part of our life is wasted if it helps us learn more about what we want to do.

I hoped it was taken well. If she was on a boat for 10 years and did not learn anything,,, That was the waist I was trying to refer to. If she picked up on anything I asked, with that knowledge may be a good place to start.

Fair weather Navigation is not a career.

Did it not forward a career?

Not sure who your referring to there. She's out of a job, looking to start something,,
I'm still working,, (wishing I could start something).

I agree. Just not sure which way Westlawn meant it. Breaking into any new career at 40+ is gonna be tough and take exceptional fortitude and a heck of a lot of luck and come with no guarantees. It requires getting a foot in the door against all odds then overcoming all perceptions.

One other thing too. Your co-workers. You're living with them on a boat. They can ostracize you if you're not careful. They want to talk about things 20 somethings do and go clubbing and you're OLD. They'll say things behind your back like "why did they hire that old woman." Well, they probably won't be as nice and say "woman." But again every boat has a different culture. Just don't go in blind. At the same time, if it's worth it to you to pursue it and you're determined enough and you have a backup plan, then go for it.

If she was anywhere for 10 years and did not learn anything then that's an entirely different issue and reflects poorly on her pursuit of knowledge. I just didn't see it as not learning anything. As not forwarding a career in another field, I do see that. But life experience can always teach us. Then it's how to we apply it.

There are lots of people out of jobs through no fault of theirs. Some were extremely good at what they did.