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There are many ways into the maritime industry. A deck cadet from Manila and an electrician retrained as an ETO from Kyiv are both following STCW pathways — but their entry requirements, training institutions, and flag-state examinations differ considerably. This hub maps the major routes: the deck and engine officer ladders from cadet to command level; specialist tracks including tankers, gas carriers, cruise, yacht, offshore, and fishing; and shore-adjacent roles in ports, VTS, classification, and maritime cyber. Pre-sea training routes vary by flag state — the pages below note where Philippine MARINA, Indian DG Shipping, Ukrainian Maradmin, UK MCA, and Norwegian Sjøfartsdirektoratet practice diverges from the international STCW floor.
How to use this hub: the three sections below group pathways by the segment you'd work in — deck and engine ladders, specialist tracks (tanker / gas / cruise / yacht / offshore / fishing), and shore-adjacent roles. For the pay trajectory underneath each pathway see the new /career-maps multi-dimensional view (deck-officer 10-year pay by vessel type, engine-room progression by fleet, niche-segment pay benchmarks). For the salary data itself by rank see /salaries; for the certificate list see /certifications; for where to train see /training-centres.
Before committing to a pathway: verify the current flag-state requirements with the issuing administration — STCW sets the international minimum, but individual flags impose additional examinations, sea-time minimums, and medical standards. Pre-sea training is a multi-year commitment with sea-time gates that can't be shortcut; the choice of flag-state CoC determines which international berths will accept you for decades after.
Universal beginner pathway — ordinary rating, AB, or cadet routes.
Deck cadet through STCW II/1 Officer of the Watch.
OOW → Chief Mate → Master, sea-time at each stage.
Engineer Cadet → Fourth → Third → Second → Chief Engineer.
STCW III/6 ETO career — the Manila 2010 specialty.
Oil, chemical and gas tanker endorsements from familiarisation to advanced.
Gas carrier specialist pathway — IGF Code and STCW V/1-2.
Hotel, bridge and engine roles; V/2 passenger safety training.
MCA Large Yacht Code, STCW 95 yacht, Officer of the Watch (Yacht).
Dynamic positioning operator pathway — NI-DPO training and DPVOA.
STCW-F (Torremolinos), fishing skipper and engine-room ratings.
Harbour master, VTS operator, port state control officer pathways.
IMO MSC-FAL.1/Circ.3 cyber-risk management — fleet, vessel and shore roles.
Classification society, flag state and SIRE/CDI surveyor progression.
AB → OOW bridging — sea-time credits, upgrading exam routes.
Motorman / Fitter → EOOW — the workshop + sea-time upgrade route.
Flag-state caveat: STCW sets the international minimum — individual flag administrations may impose additional requirements (examinations, sea-time, medical standards, national certificates). Always verify current requirements with the issuing flag-state administration before committing to a training programme.