The chances that you are clicking on this to read shows that you have an interest in boating, yachting, and all things maritime. Feeling the wind in your hair and sailing out onto the horizon can be a dream for many people. But is it one that you can make a career out of? Is yachting or boating a good career to get into? 

These questions are good and need to be considered, because as luxurious as it all might sound, it isn’t all glamorous or like a ‘Below Deck’ Netflix show with drama and fun at every turn.

It would be a complete change of your lifestyle and a very different way of doing things. If you are interested in a career in yachting or boating, then this helps to give you an insight into what you could expect and the kinds of careers that are available to you. 

Is yachting or boating a good career? 

There are a number of benefits to boating or yachting as a career, from being paid well to being able to travel the world. You can mingle with a lot of like-minded people, have expenses paid, and make a lot of great memories.

You can learn a lot of skills too, from learning about Volvo Penta boat engines to sailing and navigating. If this is the kind of thing that you are looking for, then for the right person, it can definitely be a great career choice. 

Like with all things, there needs to be balance. There will be some downsides, as there are with all careers. So here are a few to think about, to see if it does sound like the kind of career that you would like to have. 

• Long days and hard work: if you are looking for a simple and straightforward nine-to-five kind of job, then this would not be it. You can be paid well, but there is no getting away from the fact that there is a lot of hard work involved, involving long days too. Sometimes you can be working around sixteen hours a day to make sure that the experience for guests is all great. 

• Living away from your home: You can be away from family and friends for long periods of time, from six months up to two years. If the thought of this sounds tough, then it is likely not to be the career for you. You will get to see the world and explore, but with different time zones and a busy job, if you want to be having video calls with your family every day, it is unlikely to be a career that you’d enjoy.

Career prospects

There are a number of career prospects that make yachting or boating a great career, especially for people without a degree who still want to earn well.

If you’re in it for the long term then you could definitely rise in the ranks. You could go from being a deckhand to a lead deckhand, to a steward to a skipper. These all have aspects of the job with transferable skills, so you could easily move on to something else after a career like this.