would you want your child to follow in your footsteps?

[CMA_Decky]

Granted I don't have any expierience or a son (hopefully) but I'm going to have to agree with getting a college degree first. As one AB put it, "You're just one injury away from unemployment."

[UKMerch]

My mother got me interested in going to sea. Maybe she was trying to get rid of me :-D A career at sea is a great experience for any young person.

[captmike]

Surprisingly, my son followed me into the Navy. I was shocked but glad because he didn't have a plan A. He absolutely hated the Navy but realized its benefits. Upon his leaving the Navy he asked for my advice, school or ????. I encouraged him to follow his heart and passion. If he follows his passion, success will follow. He is now about to graduate from commercial dive school in Seattle.

[Cheng]

good story capt mike, congrats, sounds like you did right by the kid.

[Capt_Anonymous]

Heck yeah, he's getting into a great line of work, plus he's in Seattle and there's no better place to be. Unless you live somewhere else and you like it.

[banjomate]

I think that you would find a lot of parents wouldn't want their child to follow in there footsteps because the life was too hard. I had a friend of mine in high school who wanted to take over the family farm and his dad flat out told him "No way. You're not going through what I went through." I'm sure many people that work physically demanding or long hour jobs feel similarly. Or how bout the office workaholic who doesn't get home until well past dinner most night's and has to work every other weekend to pay the mortgage and his 3 car payments. Anyway, when I look at my life I don't have regrets. I also wouldn't care if my son or daughter got an education or not (but my wife would). In fact I wished I would've started sailing right away instead of going to an academy. I'd have made money for 4 years and gotten a ton of hands on experience and probably would've been sailing as Mate in about the same amount of time. Of course my original plan was to sail for 5 years, go back to school and do something else, but that was in '95. Anyway I hope your son does great in whatever he chooses.

[Cheng]

I only have girls and I wouldn't want them sailing with any of you bums.

[Capt_Anonymous]

My daughter would eat this bunch for lunch, but she's not folliwing me into this world.

[seadog!]

It just ocurred to me that this thread should be tittled "...follow in your wake".

[seadog!]

An old saying...
Whosoever putteth his child to make his living at sea had better a great deal bind him apprentice to a Hangman.