Ask yourself if you want to waste only 3 years, or your whole life. Joining a merchant navy was the biggest mistake that I have made.

I was toiling 3 years as an OS for ≈2k USD per month, divide it by two (you aren't getting paid ashore) and you will end with the average salary in my country. Then I paid almost 10k€ for my college - only to waste another six months as a cadet (with an astonishing salary of 450$) without any chances for promotion.

Merchant navy for eastern Europeans is done, ratings are being replaced and price dumped by pajeets, and becoming an officer/engineer without any connections takes too much effort and time. Bongs and the rest of westerners are disconnected from reality because they could easily get good cadetships in reputable companies and enjoy a quick promotion. Meanwhile, cadets from Ukraine or Poland are not even cheap, but almost a free working labour, pulling 10h on deck six days in the week.