THE YOUNG SEAMAN'S LIFE ‘Thank you, Great Water, for making me a crew…’
With a quote from Jurek Porębski's s ailor s ong we welcome Michael Macierzynski, a graduate of Gdynia Maritime School, who has been an active engineer for half a year and describes his work and career path on YouTube channel Young Sailor Vlog. Michael agreed to give us an insight into the path a young adept must take to one day sign his first contract and set sail as a crewman. A doctor, a singer, a firefighter, a policeman and a teacher are the five most popular professions that children aged three to six dream about, according to
16 | Winter 2021 | Lifestyle
a 2016 IPSOS survey. What was it like for you? Since when did you know you would become a sailor? This was in my second class of high school so it was a mature and thoughtful decision. I've been into mechanics and DIY since I was 7 years old and in high school I spent a lot of my free time fixing my car. Then, I wondered more and more whether I should become a mechanic. At that moment something woke up in me, I was inspired by my brother-in-law, who was then a third officer mechanic on chemical tankers and I decided that I would follow his path.
My brother-in-law, Cezary, directed me on what school to choose, how to get started, what to focus on the most, etc. and at this point I'm a fourth-year mechanical officer and he's a second-year. How did your family react to your plans when they realized you were going to get serious about it? Among the jobs that a young boy can do, there are, let's say, ‘quieter’ professions than sailor. Honestly, my family was a little shocked that I chose this path because everyone
