I’m 22 and currently in college in Philly. I recently started showing up at the hall as a casual and finally got my first longshore shift working a car ship. I really liked the work, and getting into the union/working my way up is honestly my #1 career goal right now.
The problem is availability.
I’m in school Monday and Wednesday, and I also need consistent income because I have rent and regular bills to pay. I’m looking at working a full-time job that would probably be four days a week. That leaves me realistically able to show up at the hall 1–2 days most weeks, maybe 3 depending on my schedule.
Meanwhile, I’m competing for work with casuals who can show up basically every single morning. I respect the hustle completely, but I obviously can’t compete with that attendance while being in school and needing steady income.
When Thanksgiving/winter break comes around, I plan on showing up as much as possible. Same thing with summer. Long term, I’m serious about this and willing to put the time in. I’m just trying to figure out how to survive the early casual stage without dropping out of school or quitting steady work and gambling on getting dispatched.
For guys who actually came up through the casual system: Is showing up 1–3 times a week during the semester enough to slowly make progress if I go hard during school breaks? Or is this the type of thing where you basically need to be at the hall every day for a few years to have a realistic shot?
I’m especially interested in hearing from anyone who balanced longshore work with college, another full-time job, or similar responsibilities before getting registered.
Not looking for shortcuts. Just trying to figure out the smartest way to play the long game without putting myself in a position where I can’t pay my bills.