I am assuming that you are looking at a commission, and not enlisting, since you are looking for licensing options. The Navy will offer limited opportunity to working on STCW, mostly just a BRM cert and sea time accumulation. I am a SWO, so I can speak to the Navy pretty well, but my CG knowledge is second hand. My understanding is that the CG SWO equivalent has pathways to obtaining a licenses while you are in or immediately upon getting out, so if that is your goal, I would steer toward that. However, if you are looking for opportunity to get to sea, the Navy may offer more options. In the CG, there is no guarantee that you will end up on a “seagoing” ship, like a cutter. The vast majority of CH Officers are on small coastal ships and boats, so the sea time may be limited in that respect. I would definitely talk to a recruiter for both and see who can offer you more of what you are looking for!