Careers At Sea

Sacha


Age: 24


Current Position: ETO Officer Cadet


Company: MEF/Bibby Ship Management


I’ve been interested in a career at sea ever since I joined the Sea Cadets. The fact that the job would be challenging appealed to me, as did the fact that it could take me all over the world.

Although I originally thought about joining the Royal Navy, after graduating university I started looking into the Merchant Navy and decided it was more for me. I liked the option of working on different types of vessels, from cruise ships and tankers to offshore support, and the balance between work and time off that I would have once qualified.

As my background is in maths and software engineering, I found I was most interested in an Electro Technical Officer (ETO) role.

I’m currently in the first phase of a Electrical/Electronic Marine Engineering Foundation Degree. I’ve only been studying for two months, but the part I’ve enjoyed most has been the practical short courses that we recently completed – especially firefighting and sea survival techniques. My friends and family have been really supportive, and are always interested to hear about the things I’m doing as part of my Merchant Navy training.


“Although I’ve just started, I’m already glad I’ve chosen to follow this career path. I’m enjoying learning a new subject, and working alongside a lot of like-minded cadets has been a great experience”


My first sea phase will start later this year – I’m really looking forward to seeing what it’s like being at sea. I think the thing I will find most rewarding will be when I’m able to use what I’ve learned at college to solve problems and get the job done onboard ship, both in my cadetship and when I’ve finished training.