A FEW years ago, I was a freshman who had one goal — to acquire the right attitude and academic knowledge to become a competent seafarer in the future. Today, as a cadet in training, I realized that those are not enough.

Across my journey as a student of Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation (BSMT) at Palompon Institute of Technology, together with my batchmates, I studied, trained and endured four years of hard work to equip myself with theoretical knowledge to work efficiently at sea. While mine paid off, having the chance to secure a cadetship at one of the premier manning agencies here in the Philippines, not everyone is as lucky as I am.