Perks of being a sailor

Disclaimer – as much as we would like to believe that the life of a sailor is that of Captain Haddock and involves charting the unknown seas and looking for sunken treasures and fighting to restore family legacy, it is not. Though the treasures are long gone, the life of a real sailor is just as adventurous. As a career prospect, not many look towards the sea, but unless one has a debilitating fear of Krakens, it is actually a great job.

The scope of the job is at the same time broad and narrow. Entering the marine academy, one could become a mariner or an engineer. Depending on whether you liked beating kids up at school or were on the other end of the beating because you were too busy hiding behind physics books, take your pick. Whichever you pick, the biggest incentive is the number of places you get to visit. New cultures, new cuisines, new people – a hipster's dream come true. So, if you are the adventurous kind and want a life which involves travelling, can it get any better? Of course, this would also mean spending days on end on ships and the vast landless horizons may soon lose their charm, but it is the final payoff that matters.

Speaking of pay, sailors and marine engineers tend to have a great salary. On the downside, the scope for spending that money may be limited as the job is pretty much an on-board one. This also means a limited social life and family time. A loner's paradise but for people who care, this could mean bouts of solitude. Some would say this builds character; learning to take on responsibility from an early age is something that should be handy. And long term prospects in the industry, with the salary and a steady rise, are things to keep in mind.

A lot of young people do not look forward to a steady desk job for the rest of their lives. Here too, a life on the sea may be the answer – the job is unconventional and the paper pushing is minimum. Besides, the long holidays, career flexibility, and a great pay certainly equal a good bargain.

Two things to keep in mind for their potential career path are definitely the fitness and education. If you are one who gets squeamish every time you were forced to get on those plastic boats in Dhanmondi Lake, then a life at sea may not be for you. As for education, since the Physics and Mathematics in the HSC level is mandatory for applicants, if math is the stuff of your nightmares, then the nautical life is better left for others.

In the end it boils down to your priorities. If a lack of communication and family time is a problem, then the life of a sailor may not be the best choice. On the other hand the high wages and future prospects minus the cubicle life do sound appealing. Depending on how Titanic affected you as a kid, think it through.

And if you still want to see the sea, but the marines and merchants do not cut it, grow out your beard, grab an eye patch and start singing in your best Jack Sparrow voice – Yo Ho it's a pirate's life for me!