A sailor is a general term for a person who works on a sea vessel. The job encompasses a variety of duties and is heavily tiered in some areas of the world. A sailor can occupy both low-level general jobs as well as perform highly specialized tasks which earn a good salary. For example, a sailor can be tasked with something as simple as cleaning the deck, or they could be the ship’s Chief Engineer or even the Captain, responsible for the general organization of the ship’s crew.
Becoming a sailor varies from job to job – to get hired on the lower levels, one just needs a high school diploma and in some instances some prior working experience. Higher-ranking jobs can require a lot more though, some even need specialized education to be undergone – for example, the aforementioned job of a Chief Engineer is a highly technical one and takes a lot of studying. Sailors generally need to be physically fit, able to work long hours without exhaustion and of course, be unaffected by sea sickness.
Sailors earn varied salaries – they range between $35,000 – $65,000, depending mainly on the sailor’s rank and experience. Sailors who’ve been on the same ship for a long while are usually able to climb its ranks easier than if they were to switch over to another ship. Additionally, there are large differences between the earning potential in the commercial, industrial and military sectors, as each have their own advantages and disadvantages and offer different opportunities to sailors.