Long periods away from family and friends, stormy seas and little scope for lengthy shore leave mean a sea-going career is not for every youngster, especially a woman.
But for Carmen Chan Ka-man, the lure and challenge of the sea has proved irresistible to the extent the 32-year old has become Hong Kong's first female master mariner.
Gaining her master's ticket last month means Chan can technically command the biggest container ships and tankers.
In reality, Chan said she would remain chief officer for another three years to gain more seafaring experience before, hopefully, being made captain. Chan, who returns to sea next week, joined China Navigation, the shipping company controlled by John Swire & Sons, as a cadet.
She has revelled in the challenge, enjoying the camaraderie and management responsibility on board, and looks forward to becoming captain.
Tony Yeung Pui-keung, manager of the Maritime Services Training Institute, said Chan was one of the first to enrol in the sea-going training incentive scheme when it was launched in 2002 by the Maritime Professional Promotion Federation.