3/o Training

[CMA_Decky]

Just accepted a job with MSC. The new employee orientation for the mates and engineers is June 8th. I was just wondering if anyone had a list of the training that the mates go through, and where it's held.

[civengrpe]

Sorry can't help you with the specific training curricula but believe it's held in NJ - around Toms River area. (Were you selected from the Feb 2010 3rd announcement?)

[Shellback]

Hey congrats CMA D, good for you!

[Jon]

Awesome Decky! Congrats!

[CMA_Decky]

@civ Yes, but it was just the announcement that they made for CMA. My understanding is that each academy got its own announcement, which was only open to people graduating this year, and then they were going to make an open announcement.

[Axelrod]

How many grads did they hire from CMA this year?

[CMA_Decky]

10 deckies and 11 ingunears

[Marc0]

The MSC training is in Freehold NJ. It's been 10 years since I was there, as a new 3/M from an Academy. They used keep us there learning how to drive forklifts and stow ammo and such until a spot opened up on a ship. They had STCW classes too, but we already had those. I was lucky and they sent me to DP shool, CBR-D officer training, and Helo singaling class. That was just because I was hanging around for a few months. Most kids got out of there within a couple of weeks.

I don't know how it is now, but the hotel was pretty bad back then. It had roaches, prositutes, and drug dealers. It was the cheapest they could find. There were police raids twice in 2 weeks, and I'm not exagerating.

I always thought that was a great way to introduce new people to MSC.

[SailorDaniel]

It had roaches, prositutes, and drug dealers.

Well one out of three aint bad...

[Shellback]

Well one out of three aint bad...

You like bugs do you?

[bacardi addict]

Freehold has gotten much better. The hotel now is a Holiday Inn but with a lot of recent updates I believe they consider it a holiday inn deluxe. The unions got us out of the old hotel.

Expect to head to Norfolk for about 2-3 weeks for New Empolyee Oreientation and Medical checks. At this point many engineers will head out but all deckies generally take a bus to to East Windsor (a.k.a. Hightstown) NJ for about two months of follow on training. You'll redo Firefighting which sucks but for the most part the rest will be new. You'll take a 6 day CBRD Officer class amongst many other BS MSC classes.

10 Deckies is quite a lot. Surprising in fact.

I just went through this whole thing a few years back. Any questions just shoot me a message.

[CMA_Decky]

Awesome will do! Any advice on what to do around the hotel? Placese to eat? How far is NYC from there?

[bacardi addict]

NYC isn't exactly close. Nearly two hours by train and about 45min-hour by car. It wouldn't be a bad weekend trip and there is a light rail station for NJ Transit about 10 minutes away. It will take you into Penn Station.

Not an incredible amount near the hotel.
http://local.yahoo.com/info-10945941...ern-hightstown
Theo's isn't bad and it is walkable. There is also a nice hole in the wall mexican place across the street from Theos.

Most everything else you'll need a car. There is a mall with movie theathre and chain restaurants about a five minute drive from the hotel.

Don't expect to be near freehold since the contract hotel is about 25 minutes from the school.
i would recommend renting a car since many days your class will get done earlier than others and the bus doesn't leave until everyone is done. If you could share it will some people even the better. Or just become friends with someone in your class and has a car. It gets very old having to wait 1-2 hours for the bus almost every day.
We generally just bought a lot of alcohol and hung out by the pool.

Hope this helps.

[CMA_Decky]

Yes, that's awesome. Thanks!

[ChEB]

June 8th......... its July 18th in Singapore, have any of the the third mates been sent to a ship yet? be nice to fill a position here since my ship is the only one doing anything doing anything in this area. (thats right take4....bite me).

[CMA_Decky]

A batch of 6 went out a week or two ago. I got postponed to the 21st NEO and should be going into the pool next week, there's five 3/o's in my class, they cut our training down from 6-8 weeks to 3.5 weeks. They're on a desperate hiring rampage right now, they called up two of the three recent CMA grads they had denied initially and hired them, they're even letting one do a hitch in the gulf he was hired for a couple days before they called before he ships. A texas grad in my class said the same thing, and I hear they're going to be opening up the position to everyone again soon. PM me and we'll talk, we're supposed to be getting our assignments this week and singapore would be cool.

[UnRepKing]

This is all great news! Looks like there is a chance I will be getting off sometime close to my very quickly approaching relief date. We are definately desperate for Mates out her in the fleet. Actually MSC is short all ratings right now, but who carers about those other folks...it's all about me me me.