There are a few people out there carrying both Chief and 1st class licenses, so yes, you can do this.
The reason people do this is always the same. They believe it may hurt their chances to get a job with the chief license because the current chief may feel threatened by it. In a few cases, this may be true, but I wouldn't recommend working for these companies.
My own policy has always been to hire the most qualified candidate I can.
My question for you is this:
Do you want to work with someone so paranoid that he/she won't hire you unless he/she thinks you are less qualified?
Remember, you have to work with this person every day.
There is no other advantage to holding both licenses that I know of. You earned the license. Why hide it?
The only time I think it is a good idea to hold 2 licenses is when they are different grades. For example, if you have the time needed for a 2nd A, but not a first A and you have enough high-pressure time to have a 1st B, I think it makes sense to carry both the 1B and the 2A, just so you don't need to retake tests, etc. It may also help you get a job at a power plant at some point.
-Reed |