Over the past few weeks I have come across several articles regarding the true meaning of what it means when you have the words “crew member” on your CV, and as that line features on my own resume, I simply had to have a read. In fact, I even felt compelled to hit the “share” button which is something I very rarely do…

These are two such articles: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-former-cruise-ship-employees-make-best-employment-sean-sassoon https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-resume-doesnt-tell-you-crew-member-sean-sassoon I agree with every word, and could even add a few hundred myself, but safe to say if you’re a hiring manager and come across the term “crew member” in your inbox, it’s well worthy of a read.

I learned many things during my time sailing the seven seas, both about myself, about status and about cultures. I learned that I can pretty much deal with anything thrown at me, I can organise myself (and occasionally others - you know who you are!) to get a job done, be it 5.30am or 11pm, all on very little sleep if needs be.

I learned that people from all corners of the globe can get along just fine, and made hundreds of friends that I will never see again. I learned just how far I can be pushed before I am ready to snap and just how hard I was able to work, I learned how to deal with the general public and what can be achieved both by myself and whilst working with a team, and how all jobs no matter what they are, where you're from or what you do can cause frustration. I also learned of where to find the best beaches and who to walk on them with, the best ports for wi-fi, the best places to pick up a new toothbrush (trickier than it sounds), the best water parks, the best cocktails, the best people to party with and the best place to stand for some of the best views of the world. I always wanted to see the world from a new perspective, and it's a part of my life that I'm proud that I did and something I will never forget. So when people ask me why I decided to give it all up, it’s a difficult question to answer, however, the above articles made it a lot simpler somehow. I have visited more places than you can probably think of, and sailing the seas is an awesome adventure, and there’s absolutely no doubt that I made the right choice personally to pursue that, but living and breathing in a constantly changing, stressful, working 18 hour days type of merry-go-round microcosm of an environment 24/7 for months on end makes you start looking for the exit button.

So now when a client asks me to turn around a tender document or an infographic or a presentation or a report around within a few hours, I find I can take on that challenge and do an awesome job. How do I know this? Because I've tested myself to the limit and just like my mum has always said about any situation, worse things happen at sea!