Thnaks for the kind words Jay and Iceman.

I found that people either loved it or hated it. There was no in between. Most people either barely stayed one contract and that was it or they came back and stayed for years. It is a very different life, one that I loved. It was a huge departure from my normal, very serious life and I think that was part of the attraction. I loved the freedom from responsibility and the fun of it all. I had never really had a young, fun life as I had always been serious; busy with school, career, buying a condo and having a mortgage at 22. So this was like living out my youth for the first time. I was old for the ships - 28 when I started. Most staff (not officers or crew) were 20. I felt very old at first.

It is a great life for a short time for a young person and if you are smart, the money can go a long way to getting you a great start on the rest of your life.