Moving up the ranks: marine surveyor Bari Khan

It was a bold decision to – in a way – leave the industry and go unemployed but it was the right decision to take. Seeking happiness in what I was doing and being content was more important to me.

When the opportunity arose at the MCA I initially didn't want to take it forward. I wanted to join superyachts – again for the money and the lifestyle. I also hadn't finished my degree at that point in time and it was other friends who told me about the graduate trainee surveyor programme. I didn't have any expectations when I went for the interview and was totally relaxed. It turned out to be an excellent decision and transformative decision and life-changing one for me also.

I think if people are happy with their lifestyle and their home life and where they are onboard then I wouldn't advocate changing for the sake of it. But as people progress and times change I'd say then if you want to understand shipping from everybody's point of view then the opportunities are there.

When I've talked to other officers and cadets then there is an issue where the lower ranks get flooded with new recruits who then are doing jobs above their paygrade. It's not something I've witnessed myself but others have. It's a bigger issue as well for society that we live in and for government to address.

It's important the infrastructure is put in place to allow people to progress, to thrive and to give back to the industry and to society what has been given to them.

The lack of understanding of how to progress to the higher ranks is a stumbling block. That's why I decided to quit early and make the move I did. Without understanding why people are making decisions and the way in which those decisions are being made then it's hard. I think it's missing from colleges and teaching as well.

What was missing for me at the time was information on how to progress from third engineer to second engineer and then to chief engineer and where, how and when those decisions to move people up were made and why.

I think the education side of the industry could be improved to help people understand the long-term prospects of the industry. For me at the time that lack of knowledge really pushed me to change direction.

I'm at the MCA and there are a lot of opportunities there. My intention is to go back to sea and obtain my higher tickets and see how far I can progress in that manner. However, how and when that happens is still to be determined.

I'm not sure that that the issues about progression in the maritime industry will be addressed for people coming through the industry. From my point of view, having seen the industry from multiple roles and points of view is useful. It helps me a lot and gives me confidence to get back to sea. Having these experiences should put me in good stead to go back to sea and hopefully get to chief engineer as well.

Knowing what I know now, then I think the advice I'd give – if I could – to a younger me would be to make the change and go for it. If you get promoted too early then that can be an issue as well. In terms of progression because of the demanding environment – that requires people to make critical, holistic and sensible decisions – it's important that as well as people being trained academically and practically for what they have to do, that they also understand why they are doing it and the bigger picture of that action.

Just because somebody has a higher ticket doesn't actually mean they are ready for that rank or role. It's from experience of seeing others who have been promoted too soon and then we have things like cranes being ripped out of decks or other safety critical things happening because people have been promoted too quickly. People should also be supported in their progression through the ranks so they can make effective good decisions.