C areer “mapping”, in which a plan is worked out which indicates where a young person wishes to be at every stage of his or her career, is a fashionable concept. Certainly it is a good deal more structured than matters were in previous generations, when a career tended to develop in an almost random fashion, as luck, opportunity, circumstance and ambition intervened. It is reckoned to be a good idea, particularly when somebody is contemplating a sea career, but with the seafaring confined to a finite period and as a preliminary to a shore side further career within the maritime industry. For sure, some people will stay at sea for the whole of their working lives, but they will be in a minority, and it is perhaps unfair and certainly unrealistic to lure young people into the sea side of the business against this concept of a whole working life spent at sea. So it is a good idea to consider the options, and also some rough approximation about when career changes will be made, as early as possible in one's career. The alternative, of an increasingly desperate search for a shore job once the sea career has palled, may have been a traditional way of doing things, but has really very little going for it. It is best if the young cadet or ship's officer gradually gets some idea of alternative shore side employment by reading, by asking around and above all, by meeting people who have made the move from ship to shore. They will routinely meet superintendents, managers, port people, pilots, stevedores, surveyors and gain some idea of what is involved in these various marine industry careers. They should take the trouble to find out about shipbrokers, marine insurance people, maritime lawyers and those in the regulatory or academic world. Most people are pleased to talk about their jobs and there is no shortage of information around. Career mapping will also investigate the sort of qualities and additional qualifications an officer will need if they are to be seriously considered for these jobs, as statutory maritime qualifications, while important, will be just the start. Many jobs, for instance, will need a very high standard of literacy, and if a young person does not have this ability, then some hard work will be needed. If a degree is required, what sort of degree? Some jobs, such as pilotage require special characteristics such as spatial awareness, and a calm, methodical manner. Some may require service and experience gained in certain types of ship. Somebody making a career map also needs to consider the “time line”, which will see the officer gain the experience, or qualifications. Do you wait for a command before branching out? Or is the Master's of Chief's certificate the jumping off point? A career map will not have the precision of a navigational chart, but will provide useful guidance.