Q: How did you start your career on passenger ships?
A: I’ve started as a 3rd Officer at Celebrity Cruises, having accomplished my cadetship on container ships before that. The celebrity cruises vacancy was very unexpected - I applied via the internet, not hoping much to be noticed, but I eventually was hired.
Q: How’s life on passenger ships?
A: Depends on the company. I’ve had four months on and two months off contracts at Celebrity and three on/off at Lindblad expeditions and Mystic Cruises. The food is excellent, of course. There is also an option to visit restaurants for passengers. Communication is a part of the job - some people try to avoid it sometimes, but I always find it interesting, to be honest.
Q: How do you like voyages to the Arctic?
A: Now is my first season in the Arctic, and in 2021 was my first season in Antarctica. It’s a magnificent experience, and I wish everyone to visit these areas of the planet.
Q: Is it hard for you to work in the maritime industry being a woman?
A: In the beginning, it wasn't easy to find an apprenticeship. Nowadays, it’s becoming easier for younger generations, and I am happy to see that. Workwise I hardly encountered difficulties.
Q: What do you think helped you to get to your current position? Is it more hard work or luck?
A: Of course, hard work and an ability to have eyes open for opportunities. I think these two are very important in a seafarer’s career.
Q: What are your hobbies?
A: I sometimes draw and also enjoy various water sports. On board, I mostly run and go to the gym, but it’s more of a habit based on a necessity rather than a hobby.
Q: Do you think it's challenging to build a strong relationship working at sea?
A: It is not easy, for sure - but not impossible. One significant advantage of passenger ships is the option of family travel - this also exists on cargo ships but is much easier to organize on a cruise ship. There are many examples of successful seafarer relationships, and I hope to be such an example someday.
Kateryna, I appreciate you sharing your sea career story and hope it will encourage more women to join this profession. Also, thanks for becoming an ambassador of Worldwide Nation. We look forward to our partnership and hope it will entertain people working on ships.
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Q: Why did you decide to become a seafarer?
A: Living in a seaside city, Gdynia, Poland, made it easy, since the Maritime University was probably the closest one. I knew few people studying there. Also, after not much of a digging, I realised that I could make a fair amount of money working at sea and isn't it the reason why we go to work in general?
Q: Was it a smooth ride throughout your education?
A: Hell no! Especially when you were trying to pull off the childhood dream career with the music project at the same time. I took a break around the second year of my education and worked in the show business industry for a while, but at some point I decided to get going with what I started in the first place. That's when something just clicked and suddenly I became more interested in the whole maritime thing. The music project was still around, but became more like a hobby.
Q: Do you enjoy working offshore?
A: Short contracts and variety of interesting operations fit me well. I am lucky enough to have worked on various types of vessels. From diving and ROV operations, through a floating gas plant to geotechnical drilling.
Q: What about the life at home? Do you find it difficult to build a strong relationship with this job?
A: Actually I don’t. My relationship is the best thing that ever happened to me. My girlfriend also works in the maritime industry. In our case we understand each other perfectly and the way it works with the life at sea. We spend lots of time together when we're at home and that's what works best for us.
Q: What do you want to achieve working at sea?
A: Absolute maximum. Work is in progress on becoming an offshore rockstar...
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Being a woman working offshore can be tough. When you have a crew of 50 people on board and only five or fewer are women, you feel like something is missing. I have met very nice men, but as well, men that can get difficult just because I am a woman. I think that, unfortunately, there are still a lot of preconceptions in the mind of some men, and they can be sexists, misogynists, perverts, or dogs, the kind of man who hits on every woman even though he is married. Fortunately for me, I have only experienced a few situations like that, and I just needed to be strong, to stand up for myself and speak out.
There is a Colombian saying: “the life at sea is sweeter” it is not always true, but for sure, at least for me, it is more interesting than sitting at a desk all day. And most importantly, being at sea makes me feel happier and alive.
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