When people hear you’re in the Merchant Navy, the first thing they ask is — “Kitna kamata hai?”
Yes, salary is good. But honestly, the sea gives you much more than just money.
To all cadets and junior officers reading this — if you’re joining this profession only for the pay, you’re missing the bigger picture. Because the sea gives you something no college, no desk job, no city life ever can.
- Discipline That Becomes Part of You
You wake up on time. You wear your PPE even when no one is watching. You finish jobs in harsh weather. You follow procedures because one mistake can cost lives.
This is not classroom discipline. This is life discipline.
And once it enters your blood, it never leaves — even ashore.
- Courage – The Real Kind
It’s not easy to step into the unknown. To stand on bridge wings during heavy seas. To enter enclosed spaces. To drop anchor in blackout.
The sea gives you courage. Not the shouting type. The silent, calm kind. The one that makes you take command when others panic.
- Mental Toughness
You learn to survive loneliness. You learn to stay calm during audits, breakdowns, even personal losses.
While others complain about traffic and AC not working, you’re managing 20,000 tonnes of cargo in a typhoon.
Sea makes you mentally bulletproof.
- A Global Mindset
You sail with Filipinos, Ukrainians, Chinese, Greeks, Romanians, and more. You learn how to communicate beyond language. You respect cultures. You adapt.
The sea makes you a citizen of the world.
- Leadership Under Pressure
Even as a cadet or junior officer, you’re in charge of safety, security, cargo ops, watchkeeping. You learn to lead teams. To stay composed in emergency.
This isn’t textbook leadership — this is real leadership under pressure.
- Brotherhood for Life
The sea gives you brothers (and sisters) in boiler suits.
You might not know their full name, but you’d risk your life for them. You laugh together, eat together, face storms together. The bond is unbreakable.
- Appreciation for Life Ashore
After months of sailing, a simple hot chai with family feels like heaven. A night without alarms, a walk on land, a hug from your child — priceless.
The sea teaches you to value the small joys of life.
- Stories Worth Telling
You’ve seen flying fish at dawn. Icebergs in the distance. Ports most people can’t pronounce. You’ve faced pirates, steered in fog, and watched sunsets from the middle of nowhere.
You’ll always have stories no one else can imagine.
Final Thoughts
Yes, the sea takes away some things — time with family, comfort, festivals.
But it gives you something deeper: Character.
You return stronger, wiser, tougher. The uniform may fade, the contract may end, but the lessons the sea gives stay with you forever.
So next time someone asks, “Kitna kamata hai?”
Just smile…
Because only a seafarer knows what he truly earns.
Written by:
For the ones who sail — and become more than just professionals. They become legends in silence
