So, I get people who tell me "that's sounds so cool what you're doing!", or "What a cool job"... And it is, but most people don't really understand, that working in the maritime world has a price. Before diving into the industry, you might want to step back and assess your life with regards to family, goals, etc.
I have been happily married for almost 18 years, we have a 15 year old daughter and a 10 year old son. We truly enjoy doing things together and we are the epitome of a happy family. When I took on this path of becoming a mariner, I knew from experience in the Navy, that I'd have to be gone a lot, especially during the first 2 years while I get through my schooling. Last year, with school and all, I was home for about 180 days total, which is pretty on par for what most guys in the this industry average out at. Now, when we are home, we are home and are essentially on paid time off, still getting paid. During this home time, you can become super-parent, attending more functions, hanging out with your kids after school, do fun things during the day, get projects done in their entirety and so on. It has it's perks.
Today's technology obviously allows us to be more connected via Facetime, text, email, etc. while I'm away but when 8-9 weeks have passed without seeing your family, it can be hard on all parties. We manage it quite well, and my wife and kids seem to have a pretty good system that keeps them busy and focused. I think things get more lonely on my end because, well, I'm mostly on my own, meeting new people, crew, classmates, etc. while working and attending classes in the Pacific Northwest.
Mariners make pretty good money, which helps ease the burden and give you a feeling of "worth-it-ness", but it still hits hard at times and makes you stop and really appreciate what you have back home.
Tomorrow, I will see my wife for the first time in over 7 weeks. We talk almost daily, but there's still something special about being face to face with someone you love that has been gone or absent from your daily life. I get to spend the weekend with her, then finish out 2 days of school before heading home for 3 weeks. This spring and summer is going to be busy, and I probably won't have much home-time, but it will go by quick.
My schooling is over in less than a year, and my schedule will flush out and be more regular after that. I'll most likely work 3-4 weeks and then have 3-4 off, or work a bunch with shorter breaks through the summer and then take a bunch of winter time off. Each company is different, but ours is definitely busier in the summer months. Some of our guys will work back to back trips, with short little breaks through the summer and then take 3 months off straight in the winter. Many maritime employers work you on a regular schedule of 30 days on, then 30 days off, or something similar.
Having said all that, maritime work is rewarding, adventurous, fun at times and it allows you to fullfill that desire to explore and adventure out, while earning a good wage. It can definitely be hard at times, unhealthy at times, hard on the body, hard on the mind, but all that can turned around depending on how you wrap your mind around it. I look at hard work as an opportunity to get in shape, and I look at an underway trip as a challenge to try and eat healthy and stay fit, see cool things and meet cool people.
I enjoy being in the water, being on and around boats and I really enjoy being a part of an industry that has magnificently rich history dating back to the super early days. I enjoy the people, the traditions, the folklore and the places that we visit. Boats, ships and sailors have been around for a long time and unless the earth dries out, they will continue to exist and provide jobs for hundreds more years to come.
"The sea is the same as it has been since before men ever went on it in boats."
- Ernest Hemingway
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