what's up everybody my name is captain
Tyler and I'm gonna explain to you the
challenges in the steps that I took to
get my captain's license this is my
captain's license my merchant mariner
credential and it was a challenge let me
tell you the Coast Guard is very very
thorough and very strict with your
application process so it does take time
but I can help you
at that time in half if you do the right
things take the right steps and do
everything the right way and they don't
actually explain it all perfectly so it
it's almost impossible that you're gonna
get your application in and out without
any errors unless you watch this video
so I'm gonna go ahead and explain all
these things stay tuned and if you're
looking to get your captain's license
it's a very good thing to do so we go
ahead and open this guy up here's what
it came in US Department of Homeland
Security in this first-class envelope
I've been waiting I've been waiting on
this for about two months I've been
waiting on this so I could get started
running my charters okay pretty serious
envelope
whoo there it is my merchant Mehra
credential it's pretty awesome
all right I'm right there captain Tyler
Steven barouche I'm very very proud of
this so I'm looking at it for a second
all right guys so the first step to
getting your captain's license is
realizing why you need one if you need a
captain's license because you want to
have one I mean it's a heck of a process
to go through just for that title but I
guess you could do that so I mean if
you're running fishing charters if you
need it to you know captain a vessel
yachts or whatever
I'm sure there's hundreds of different
reasons to get a captain's license but
first you need to know why you're gonna
get it
step two you need to take the test you
can do an online course I did mine at
Mariners learning system and it was very
good so it's an online course you have
to go through all the online modules and
then you go to a testing facility where
you take the Coast Guard exam and it
could be that testing that test
company's exam but it has to be approved
by the Coast Guard so make sure you go
through a legit company that's Coast
Guard approved so you know you're not
gonna waste any time or money on a false
test because I know a few of those are
out there so I did mine through Mariners
learning system and it took me I was in
a hurry to get my captain's license
because I was ready to start making
money and running charters so I did it
as fast as I could
I've whipped out my course in about two
weeks I'm sure you could do better than
that if you
really really trying but I did mine
about two weeks I finished the course
and then you have to apply to take the
test at a facility so I did that and I
passed it first try it was not easy but
it's very very doable if you can just
study and you know pay attention to the
course modules and do everything right
it's not that not that difficult of a
test but not easy so make sure you study
so that's step one take the test that's
the test step two you need to go through
all the requirements on the Coast Guard
website if you go to Merchant if you go
to if you type in merchant mariner
credential the Coast Guard's website
will pop right up and if you find
merchant mariner credential there'll be
a list of things that you need to do and
I can actually go through that list with
you right now do me one second okay so
here we are on the US Coast Guard
website National Maritime Center and all
you got to do is click on merch
AmeriCorps dental there and then there
you go
you got the how to apply for a merchant
marriage potential step one twit card
step to submit complete application step
three
transit from RAC to nmc step for
application evaluated Step five
credential printed step six Prudential
Mail sounds easy right six steps no it
is a lot more difficult than that so if
you scroll down from there you will see
the steps to apply for an original MMC
and those are the actual steps but it's
a lot more complicated than it looks
again so each one of those for you guys
so you won't make any mistakes when you
are applying for your merchant marry
credential step 1 determine the officer
and/or ratings that you wish to obtain
specific requirements can be found on
these checklists so basically if you're
going to be if it's your six-pack
license that's oh you PV I'm
you're on the rest of them because
that's what I was getting but you just
need to make sure you know exactly what
officer and ratings you're wishing to
acquire because you have to put that on
the application step to obtain a
transportation workers identification
credential I actually have mine let me
go get step two like I said obtain a
transportation workers identification
credential it's also called your twit
card there's my twitch arde so the
transportation workers identification
credential you go through the TSA to get
that so if you want to figure out how to
get this transportation workers
identification credential just type in
apply for my twig card there should be a
location near you that you can go in and
you pretty much just you know it's like
a hundred bucks or something like that
and you just pay them and then bam you
have a twig card they'll mail it out to
you it's very simple I think you might
have to pass a background check or
something like that uh I'm not a hundred
percent sure but you just step two is
get your twig card it's not hard you go
to the place you get it done step three
fill out the merchant mariner
application so it's a quick and easy
application but you got to make sure you
put everything correct on there step
four if applicable fill out the CG seven
one nine conviction statement if you
have any convictions against you I do
not have a clean record so I don't have
to worry about that step 5
fill out the CG seven one nine K
application for medical certificate so
that one gave me some issues also if you
have any questions with any of these
steps you can actually call the US Coast
Guard there's a health number once you
go to the website and click on merchant
mariner credential you can click contact
and they are very very helpful they're
there monday to friday 9:00 to 5:00
available to answer all your questions
when try to obtain your credentials so
they helped me a lot i recommend calling
and asking those questions right off the
bat to avoid any of these issues but one
of the things they didn't tell me
that I had issues with was Step five
with the application for medical
certificate so it's pretty much like a
Coast Guard physical type thing that you
need to take you need to go to your
primary care physician and they're gonna
check you know I remember they check
your vision they check you know your
mobility they check your overall health
to make sure you're you're able to run a
boat safely and effectively so one of
the things that they didn't tell me
about is the color vision test so my
primary care physician did all the
things on the paper just as it was said
and then when I applied and I've been
waiting on my captain's license I called
them and they said that there was
additional medical information needed
and then when I asked what was the
additional information so I could get to
work and figure it out they said because
of HIPAA laws they're not allowed to
talk about it over the phone so I don't
wait like a week to get a letter from
them and then I had to figure out what
the letter meant and it pretty much said
that the eye the color vision test that
my doctor used didn't suffice to the
Coast Guard standards so I had to go and
find a vision specialist I forget what
they're called ophthalmologist that had
to run a series of tests on me to make
sure I'm not colorblind which obviously
I'm not colorblind but the Coast Guard
required a very specific type so when
you're filling out that medical
certificate every part of it's pretty
standard but that color vision test make
sure you get one of the approved ones
the one that I used was not approved
they have a list of them on the sheet so
check that out make sure you do it right
step six optional third party release
yeah I didn't need that step seven the
drug test so you need to go to a Coast
Guard approved drug testing facility to
get your drug test it's not hard just
make sure you call the Coast Guard
number
and ask if the places actually
all you got to do is call the drug
testing facility and ask if it is co
start approved or what did they call it
Department of Transportation drug test
it's got to be like a do t drug test so
Department of Transportation approved
not Coast covered
step eight you got to pay the fees it's
very simple there's a link right here in
the steps and you pay it's like one
hundred and twenty five dollars or
something like that to get your Coast
Guard license step nine
fill out the CG seven one nine C service
if applicable so for me this was you
have to prove that you have the hours on
your boat you need a few hundred hours I
forget the exact number but you need it
says it right in there you need specific
amount of hours running captaining a
boat in my case I've owned votes for the
past few years so I was able to just
prove that I had the boats and you have
to state which days how much hours per
day that you're running your boat and
that part went right through I didn't
have any issues with that part so yeah
step 10 obtain relevant training course
certificates or assessments that's the
Coast Guard test that you need to take
like I said I did I went through
Mariners Mariners learning system but
there's several ones you could use step
eleven submit all your forms photocopies
and suitable supporting documents to the
regional exam center I just emailed it
right to them I went to Staples have
them scan it all into one document and
emailed it right through and they got it
and I got the email that they got it but
like I said I did have issues going
through the process and the main thing
that I had an issue with was that color
vision test so make sure you don't screw
that up and do that right anyways guys I
hope this video helped you out make sure
if you have any questions just call the
number
card number and they're very very
helpful they'll answer all of your
questions so we could look on that test
make sure you study hard pass that test
and good luck with any of your
captaining endeavors in the future
thanks again guys please like share it
and subscribe to my channel and we will
see you in the next video
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