Requisite of Becoming a Seafarer

        Being a seafarer is never an easy profession, they might say that the salary and wages that lies ahead are immense, but the risks and pressure of becoming one is inevitable. As the saying goes “a smooth sea never made a skillful sailor”, this same thing reflects to the life and reality of becoming a seafarer. So what does it take to become a seafarer, what does it need to progress in becoming one, and beyond all this why aspire to become one?

       A seafarer or commonly known as a seaman or a merchant marine is defined as the profession of those individuals who spend and uphold their jobs mostly at the sea. They are known for being good at navigation, handling and operating ships, maneuvering and doing maintenance on a ship’s engine, and all those things which are attributed with the work commenced on ships. They are also known to be one of those well-paid professions that exists around the world, however the thing is that becoming a seafarer is never an easy thing.

      As you take a step of having a resolute on becoming a seafarer, you must put in mind that your life will no longer be the same as it was. Being a seafarer means to take the requisite of being one, taking both the risks and rewards it gives. Enduring both the disciplines and principles it holds while savoring the bounties from the hardships encountered upon it.

      When one aspires to become a seafarer he or she must be prepared to face the reality of its consequences. These includes being separated from the loved ones, spending most of the time working and staying at the ship, and the fact that many challenges and possibilities lies ahead of them both physically, mentally and even emotionally.

      To become one, one must endure the intensity and thresholds of its training, of course an individual must learn to devote himself to this profession and accept its learning and all the required knowledge of becoming one. Equipping oneself with the mentality needed on board the ship, and even honing one’s physique fit enough to perform the work attributed with it.

      This profession also needs someone to assimilate the stresses of emotions felt on board, as it is particularly hard to be isolated from your comfort zone, your loved ones, and all those daily things you can no longer do on board. This profession is known for those types of depression especially on those individuals who are not used on being isolated from their comfort zones.

       Aside from the tensions felt from one’s emotions, the stresses encountered from an individual’s weariness on the life on board can be considered as a dilemma on taking this profession. Seafarer’s life on board mostly consists of its daily routines and most see this as something that just part takes over and over again causing them to feel boredom on themselves, as a result it is needed for seafarers to maintain a healthy mentality on board.

      Physical exhaustion can also be experienced on the life of a seafarer as the chores at the ship may vary on different levels overtime, the factors of having lack rest, and the aspects of daily routines being assigned can contribute to the physical stress being faced. Those problems are the reason why a cadet must be trained to perform versatility and flexibility for them to easily adopt the situations and occurrences that may be experienced on board.

       Flexibility and versatility can be learned during the phase of learning on being a cadet at an academy, those can be encountered at different aspects such of the classes being pertained, the activities being taken, and the learning that are being applied. Pioneering cadets are all required to take these things, not only does it train them for those things but it will also equip them and prepare them for the upcoming challenges they may meet at the future.

          Part of these training are the calisthenics or exercises being implemented on the academy, these activities hones one’s physique through different type of methods which enables the cadets to establish and sustain a well-built body. The exercises varies from cardiovascular, aerobics exercises and even exercises that promotes strength to an individual’s body.

         Besides the things that are administered to promote a healthy body, a cadet’s mentality must also be trained in realistic forms of learning. These learning includes those that are implemented on classes, those in the practical forms, and those that are learned on the laboratory. These learning are mostly focused on those subjects that are the foundation for cadet ship such of seamanship, navigation, naval architecture and all those subjects that are considered a necessity when going on board. 

        To cope up with the emotional troubles felt on board which are unavoidable, a cadet must learn to adopt the environment of being a seafarer, and the cadet must learn to tolerate isolation from his comfort zone. He needs to accept the fact of being separated and that his or her life is already in a new type of environment, and that is a reason why someone must think carefully before taking the course of maritime if one cannot tolerate the stresses of isolation.

        To become a seafarer requires dedication, it is not something that should be taken lightly and instead it should be taken seriously. Before stepping in to become one, one must consider the facts of the challenges and troubles that might be experienced of becoming one. It is not like any course which you can revoke or invoke back the things you assimilate upon it, it takes both dedication and passion to transgress.

       So why become a seafarer if it is a bit troublesome in certain aspects? Well if you truly are adventurous, mentally and physically fit, and has the desire and passion to both serve and explore different kinds of things through travels and services then why not become one. Aside from a healthy physique, a good mentality, and a formidable personality when it comes to emotions, it takes guts, hard work and determination to progress in becoming a seafarer.

       Do not take the course of being a seafarer just because of the salary and rates of its wages, take the course because you want to and not because you are forced to have to. If one really desires to become one, then there will be no obstacles great enough to stop you. Being a seafarer is not just a well-known profession alone, but it is something that represents sacrifice and a way of one’s living. Seafarers are significant to this world because they make the economy move, without this profession’s existence it would be hard for the world to visualize and move its way to a better future.