Jobs in the marine industry

[coombia21]

I am a student at North Dakota State. I am at the point in my college career where it is almost a no turning back point with my major. I am wondering if anybody works in the marine/fishing industry and if you could help me understand what you do and what opportunities there are in your field. I would really like to work in the marine/fishing industry as it has been my lifelong passion, and it has been a dream for a long time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also if you have any leads to possible job shadowing, people to talk to about this, or internships please let me know as I would be beyond interested.

Thanks Dan

[Ballyhoo]

I think the guides at the busier resorts make a good living now. It is a lot of work, long hours but if you get on at a busy resort you can do ok. As far as the marine industry, you should talk to Lake of the Woods Marine and ask them questions. What are you going to school for?

[Ballyhoo]

I thought I was still in the Lake of the Woods section. All of what I was talking about was about the LOW area.

[coombia21]

I am going for business, but I am not sure that is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I just cannot sit behind a desk for 8-12 hours a day everyday.

[Alagnak]

Yeah it would really help if we knew your major. If you've had these plans you obviously have that major lined up in the general direction anyway. The 'marine/fishing industry' is pretty vague. Like- you could sign up for the navy- lots of on the water time there. ;-)

Also- if this has been a life long passion, then I assume you have a life time of summer job experiences in your field of choice then right? And if not- you better get your butt moving. It would help a full time employer know you are serious about this life long passion and that it's not just a flash in the pan idea.

[FisH_SLaYer24]

I am also very interested in pursuing a career in the fishing industry. I have somewhat of a plan put together. I was possibly thinking of getting a degree in Mechanical Engineering and being able to work on boats, motors, or even electronics for the fishing world. It would be a life long dream come true, now to be able to put it all together and turn my dreams into reality is kinda of a question mark..

[Tom7227]

No offense to anyone but do you need a BA to guide on LOW? I think the FA would have been more important - Fishing Arts Degree - which is earned by parking your butt in a boat.

As you contemplate your major you might not need to focus on a particular industry. You need to grasp the fundamentals of your field and getting the specifics of a particular line of business. Use your summer's and internships to check out a particular job or industry.

Check out the employment potential of anything that you are attracted to. Not enough students approach the career thing with that in mind. Having $60K in student debt and a major/field of interest that hires 5% of the available workforce doesn't make sense. Ton's of guys think they want to work out doors and so they end up studying forestry or law enforcement to thinking a CO's job is a cats meow. Just for the heck of it do some research and find out how many CO's Minnesota has hired in the past 10 years and how many of them have been brand new law enforcement grads.

[Ufatz]

I stumbled in here by accident but do have a couple comments. I think you need to narrow your focus. The "marine and fishing industry" as a goal is going to make it difficult to pursue precisely what you may need.

Have you checked with some of the boat and tackle manufacturers in MN and IA....there are some major outfits doing business in this part of the world. Ask them what they are looking for.

Mechanical apptitude? A good marine diesel mechanic will always find work.Marine electronics?

Personally I'd stay away from guiding as a lifetime commitment-too hit or miss and a lot of pressure from clients, waters and weather. Maybe more glamour (until you have done it for a while!!) but not when you're 55 with arthritis. Sciences?.....fisheries biologist...game biologist? This field has changed a lot in the past twenty years. You'll have lots of field work when you begin but will eventually climb the ladder into an office.

Don't know how it works in MN DNR but in my old Dept. we had summer temps in all areas. And unless you think you cannot leave MN, be sure to start snooping around other parts of the country. And skip the CO track..too thankless and too much work!

Seems right now you are working with too broad an outline. Keep at it and good luck.

[coombia21]

Right now I am in accounting, and know that it isn't what I want to do. But I am unsure of a major that would allow me to either be in the shop or the field at least part of the time. I like business because it is very easy for me to understand. I have been buying and selling things for years and actually making good money off of it. What kind of jobs lets just say in the tackle or boat manufacturing industry would allow me to do at least partial field work. I understand that I might be behind a desk but what kind of jobs would allow me to get out into the field more that 1 day a year.

[reddog]

Surveyer for a mapping chip company would get you out of the office. I know Lakemaster is looking for some.

[coombia21]

Thanks reddog. I just applied for the job.

[Ballyhoo]

If you have the technical knowledge to go mechanical engineering route, there are Polaris and Arctic Cat along with other boat mfg's in Minnesota. If you want more of a hands on, do a technical degree at Alexandria or Detroit Lakes college which both offer a marine mechanics/outdoor power course. This can get you a job at any marina, snow/motorcycle dealership or a technician job at a manufacturer.

[reddog]

Thanks reddog. I just applied for the job.

Wow, Youre serious about this..

If I was retired, I wouldve applied also.. Good luck..

[nofishfisherman]

If you have a background in business maybe consider a sales role for a fishing equipment company. I assume most of them have people who sell products to the sporting goods stores. It might not be field work that gets you out on the water but it might get you out of the office and into the stores. I'm guessing you'd also get to play with the stuff you are selling.

The reality is no matter what degree you get it could take you into so many different directions. You say you are working on an accounting degree. That degree could take you to Northland Tackle as an accountant or it could take you to H&R block filing tax returns for random people. Same thing is true for almost any degree. The fishing industry isn't much different from other industries. It will need people with all sorts of different skills. I think you're better of finding out what you are really good at and building those skills and trying to take them into the industry. At least that way you give yourself the best chance to beat out all the competition you will undoubtedly face when looking for a job, and if the fishing industry doesn't pan out right away your skills are still transferable into other industries.

[ib_jigged]

I was in the same position. I had a 2 year accounting degree, became salesman for a candy & tobacco jobber in Grand Forks, ND for 8 years and now I am a Electrical Tech. in ATV Engineering back in my hometown for the last 15 years.

Funny where life takes you! Get bored of being behind the computer, go down and hop on an ATV and away I go for a bit.

[Hillbiehle]

Just make sure you have a basic skill that you can fall back on, whether it is getting a degree or learning a trade skill. Many people get bored once they turn their hobby into work. Others wouldn't trade it for the world. Either way, a back up plan is a good idea.

[Hoey]

Coobmer - I sort of had the same mid-college crisis. I went into the office where I worked while going to school and asked them how they got their jobs.

See in the summer they wore nice polo shirts, kakis slacks, and deck type shoes. In the winter they wore long sleeve sport shirts, carhardt type slacks and hiking boots. In the unheated shop we wore long underwear, insulated coveralls, insulated boots, gloves, stocking hats to stay warm. In the summer we wore tee shirts and worn out jeans and sweated our arses off.

So I wanted to know from them the perfect degree to obtain. I asked, they looked at one another, and just laughed. :-( After they were done laughing, they all agreed, if they were to do it again, they would learn something. ;-) I took this to heart, wondering what metric one could use to demonstrate learning. My conclusion was grades. I went from a B/C student to Dean's list every quarter til I graduated with something like 3/100ths of a GPA below honors. Huh.

Certainly a business or accounting degree would not keep you out of your targeted industry, but ask how does this degree and who you know in the industry set you apart from the others. While an engineering degree, as previously suggested, would be more narrowly focused, i.e. marine engineering, manufacturing engineering, etc...

Obiviously there are manufacturers in sporting boats, pleasure boats, but there is also a huge industry in commerical and industrial boats. Marinette Marine in WI comes to mind and there are many other around the Great Lakes, along the Mississippi,i.e. LaCrosse boatworks, and along the coasts. There is also much work being done by the energy companies in off shore oil rigs, refining, etc... that are all marine related.

There is also the hospitality industry that is marine related. Resorts are smaller operations that do not necessarily seek college grads, but outfits like Carnival Cruise and the like would be other targets.

Sporting equipment manufacturers like ATVs, snowmobiles, fishing equipment, sailing, hunting, etc... are also outfits hiring college grads.

Do not wreck yourself over this. Work hard, learn a lot, go through many jobs - as stepping stones, define your goals, and work towards your passion. You may get lucky and get the perfect career job out of the chute, but winning the lottery takes luck too. Starting off in accounting in a nearby industry/field is good first step and move on from there.

[delcecchi]

I just searched for engineering jobs at Mercury Marine. Go to the web site, click on "about " and career opportunities and eventually you end up at a site for brunswick where you select which brand etc and search for openings.

Brunswick job postings

(hope the link works and is not prohibited)

Or search on brunswick careers and follow the obvious top link.

The same would work for other companies you might be interested in. See what kind of things they need that you might be able to do. Marketing could be fun, if you are built to be a salesman.

[coombia21]

Thanks for all the responses. I really appreciate all the help, I have contacted a few companies just to speak with someone about job in their company and should be receiving emails or phone calls by the end of the week. It really helps to get second opinions and others help.

Thanks Again

[delcecchi]

Also it is important to be honest with yourself about what you are good at, what you enjoy, and your capability. If the job with Mercury is computational fluid dynamics and requires a masters in physics, you better be very good at math among other things.

Or you could be a smoke jumper like Peter Leschak and write books on the side. Or log in the winter and plant trees in summer, if you don't need no education....