How to leverage the MMA alumni network and take advantage of hiring trends.

If you want your career choices to lead to the best possible job, here’s a method to follow, provided by the staff of MMA’s Career Services office and other experts.

1Position yourself for opportunities.
“Many MMA alumni are CEOs and leaders in the maritime and other industries,” says Capt. Joe Curtis ’97, Director of Career Services, “and what you see in common is they spent their time in the trenches but were always positioning themselves for the next opportunity.”

It’s easy for a job and life responsibilities to swallow your time and energy, but attaining additional certification, training, and experience beyond your current job description is key to the success of pursuing new opportunities. Curtis says most of those who succeed consider themselves “lifelong learners.”

If you’re a second mate looking to become chief mate, you need not only to maintain your certifications, gain sea time, and study for the next level license, but also to take the initiative to attain experience related to the more advanced position.