<p>I was just curious about some of the things you can do after the academy. I really love being on the water and would be in heaven to work on a real ship but i am concerned about ever having a job like that because i want to have a wife and kids and be able to live in one place. If i work on a ship wouldn't i be at sea most of the time away from my family? Are there any jobs that would allow me to work on ships and still have a normal family lifestyle?</p>
<p>I know one job is be a pilot on like the mississippi river but it takes years of experience and years of working your way up to that type of job.</p>
<p>Well, it is the “Merchant Marine Academy”, so yes - the Merchant Marine fleet is a popular career choice…</p>
<p>Seriously, I have many people at sea who have “normal” home lives, some even have a second job often running their own business from their home. I had a captain who makes custom furniture when at home (for customers) and sails on ships “as a hobby”. </p>
<p>Harbor tug crews usually work two weeks on/off. You’re also usually in places where there will always be cell coverage, so you can stay in regular contact. </p>
<p>Pilots can pretty much lead “normal” home lives too, and, depending on where they are, sleep at home almost every night. Yes, it is a tough road to travel to get there, but anything is possible and you never know where you’ll end up. I did an internship with a pilot’s association before my 1/c year and it was amazing hearing the backgrounds they all had before becoming pilots - deep sea, ferries, tugs, even running fishing boats in Alaska. One was a former yachtie who became curious one day and started deckhanding on tugs. Fast forward 15 years… now he’s on of the senior pilots there. The point is, most didn’t set out to be pilots - were just in the right place at the right time. </p>
<p>A lot of what’s going to influence your home life is less about your job and more about who you are as a person, the kind of wife you find and how she handles it (make sure she knows what she’s getting herself into) and what the quality of the time you spend at home is. I’ve sailed with guys who have completely normal home lives - and others who have been divorced 3 times. </p>
<p>But really, if that’s what you’re worried about right now… you got a long road ahead of you - take it in small steps. Realize there are options though - not everyone has to (or does) sail deep sea as a career.</p>
<p>i know its not for everyone but i mean i want to be on ships it be a dream come true but i also want to be there for my wife and i want to see everything that goes on in my kids life i dont want to miss anything because im away at sea 3 weeks at a time. thanks for the response and i know i got take the small steps im just curious.</p>
<p>Future:</p>
<p>1) KPMid09 hit the nail on the head - there’s lots of qualifying/maritime employment options available to KP Grads thus the truth and veracity in the title of the “Options & Opportunities” pamphlets we’ve all seen and distributed.</p>
<p>2) That said a Career in the Maritime industry like many others does indeed often involve seperation from your spouse and family for extended (more than a couple of days) periods.</p>
<p>3) Thus the choices you are pondering are ones you, and most of us graduates, wrestle with through our lives. If it makes you feel better I know lots of folks who didn’t/don’t go to KP and don’t have the opportunities it provides that also wrestle with those issues. Its hard for me to imagine, if you are at an age that qualifies for entry, you have real specific items your worried about but hey it is possible there are folks your age that do - I just wasn’t that mature at 18. All I can say to that is what I said above there are options and each has different +/-'s however, in order to have that problem you need to either go to KP, a State School or go get your Z Card and start sailing - to some degre only then will you really know which of those options will be best for you.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Future2010…I think it’s great that you are considering your future options, but, perhaps you need to worry about getting into KP, and then actually making it through to graduation :)</p>