But there's an ethical issue here, so instead of giving you a load of BS about how you'll get a crab job by joining AFJC, we’ll tell you like it is. We know too many crabbers who didn’t make it back to tell you this themselves. And each one was probably much more experienced than you are now.

Unless you have significant on-the-water work experience, you are not yet qualified to work on the Bering Sea in the winter. It's that simple.

Not too many people start on a crab boat, but you can get there with a couple seasons and a good reference or two under your belt. Skippers are always looking for hardworking and eager young workers willing to get some sea legs and learn the ins and outs of the industry. Purse seiners, trollers, gillnetters, longliners, cod-pot boats, and draggers are all decent operations where you can lose your greehorn's card.

This is how most of the crew on the Deadliest Catch got to where they were. They worked their way up and built contacts. Often times, after you get your first fishing job, it’s just a matter of meeting the right people and working hard.

Thanks to the Deadliest Catch, Bering Sea crabbing is the most famous of Alaska’s fisheries. But there are many more fisheries that still pay very good money and provide an opportunity at a real career. The state is a vast frontier of beautiful locations and colorful people. In comparison, the Bering Sea is a windswept, marine badlands. So widen your scope and discover the many reasons fishing in Alaska is the greatest job in the world.