A little less than three years ago, I was graduating college with all my friends. I was so excited about my future-everything looked unknown and scary. I had some plans for my life, as I knew that I was moving to Florida where I was doing AmeriCorps for a year. After that, I figured I'd be heading back to school again for Graduate School, something it seemed, everyone was doing.
Well, life changed a little bit. Not really in a bad way, to be honest. I now work on a cruise ship, sailing around the Hawaiian islands and playing with children. I get to be in the warm air, and I basically get paid to be "on vacation". Of course, as with every job, it has its downsides. If you talked to some of my co-workers, they'd tell you EVERYTHING that is wrong with the job. My first contract, I was the same way.
The recruiters do tend to lie when they tell you about the job. They "photoshop" the job for you. It becomes exactly what you are looking for. "You'll have plenty of time off to see all the islands and do everything the guests get to do." "You'll get to party and drink at sea, staring out at the waves and moon and laughing." "You'll be in paradise, all day, everyday." Did you forget you'll be working? It is a job. However, when you do have time off, yes, you'll be able to see the islands. It just depends on what your job is and how much time off you have. If you take the night shift, you'll get all day off. You just won't be able to drink and party with your friends at night. It's a give and take situation. Isn't it like that with every job? Nothing is perfect in life.
Once you remember that no job can be perfect and that you are actually living on a cruise ship, it gets better. You don't pay for room and board. The food on the ship is not the best, but hey, you'll defiantly lose weight! A lot of times, when you are bored, the only thing you'll want to do is work out. You walk everywhere anyway (unless you take the shuttle) so you'll probably be in the best shape of your life!
You will meet a lot of people on the ship, including crew members. You'll most likely, unless you are anti-social, make lots of friends. Sometimes people come and go, so get used to that. Not everyone should work on a cruise ship, and sometimes the cruise ship hires people who are terrible co-workers. We always wonder if some people are just really good at interviewing or if the company was desperate, but sometimes people just need to be fired. Then there are those who decide it's time to "jump ship". I kind of think of these people as those who "end their life". It's like, "I can't handle this anymore, I have to go." It's terrible, because they have to pay for their own flight home, and they don't give a two weeks notice, so they look terrible to the company. How hard is it to last two more weeks? If I ever leave before my contract ends, I'll make sure to give my two weeks.
When you come home from the ship for your vacation, everyone is so jealous of you. They want to know what your life is like and have these amazing ideas in their head. Sometimes you want to let them keep the ideas. "You make millions of dollars for being on vacation? Do you sit on a lawn chair and look at the ocean all day?" It's so funny. Yes, I get to see the islands on my time off, and most weeks I get plenty of time off. Sometimes, though, I go a whole week before I'm able to get off the ship! However, I love to look at the positives of life, and hey, it's Hawaii! It's beautiful! It's warm! And I am pretty happy. So, to anyone who is unemployed, why not head to Hawaii and work on a cruise ship? It's pretty awesome.
The recruiters do tend to lie when they tell you about the job. They "photoshop" the job for you. It becomes exactly what you are looking for. "You'll have plenty of time off to see all the islands and do everything the guests get to do." "You'll get to party and drink at sea, staring out at the waves and moon and laughing." "You'll be in paradise, all day, everyday." Did you forget you'll be working? It is a job. However, when you do have time off, yes, you'll be able to see the islands. It just depends on what your job is and how much time off you have. If you take the night shift, you'll get all day off. You just won't be able to drink and party with your friends at night. It's a give and take situation. Isn't it like that with every job? Nothing is perfect in life.
Once you remember that no job can be perfect and that you are actually living on a cruise ship, it gets better. You don't pay for room and board. The food on the ship is not the best, but hey, you'll defiantly lose weight! A lot of times, when you are bored, the only thing you'll want to do is work out. You walk everywhere anyway (unless you take the shuttle) so you'll probably be in the best shape of your life!
You will meet a lot of people on the ship, including crew members. You'll most likely, unless you are anti-social, make lots of friends. Sometimes people come and go, so get used to that. Not everyone should work on a cruise ship, and sometimes the cruise ship hires people who are terrible co-workers. We always wonder if some people are just really good at interviewing or if the company was desperate, but sometimes people just need to be fired. Then there are those who decide it's time to "jump ship". I kind of think of these people as those who "end their life". It's like, "I can't handle this anymore, I have to go." It's terrible, because they have to pay for their own flight home, and they don't give a two weeks notice, so they look terrible to the company. How hard is it to last two more weeks? If I ever leave before my contract ends, I'll make sure to give my two weeks.
When you come home from the ship for your vacation, everyone is so jealous of you. They want to know what your life is like and have these amazing ideas in their head. Sometimes you want to let them keep the ideas. "You make millions of dollars for being on vacation? Do you sit on a lawn chair and look at the ocean all day?" It's so funny. Yes, I get to see the islands on my time off, and most weeks I get plenty of time off. Sometimes, though, I go a whole week before I'm able to get off the ship! However, I love to look at the positives of life, and hey, it's Hawaii! It's beautiful! It's warm! And I am pretty happy. So, to anyone who is unemployed, why not head to Hawaii and work on a cruise ship? It's pretty awesome.
