[MRM]

As someone who does look at resumes and helps decide who to hire, I suggest taking the cruise position unless you have a better bird in the hand. Having a job, any job, when you are applying for new positions, makes you a better candidate than someone who does not have a job, no matter how valid the reason is.

There are several important reasons for this. First, employers strongly believe that the single factor that predicts success at work is a strong desire to do the work. Everyone considered for the job will be competent. Everyone who gets in the door to be considered will be capable. The one who gets the job is the one who looks like he has good skills, transferable experience, and demonstrates the burning desire to WORK.

It's easier to demonstrate a burning desire to work when you have a work history. In fact, if you take the cruise ship oportunity, I would recommend staying for a whole year. Working for less than a year makes some employers think you're not stable and will jump from one position to another. A one year stay shows some stability.

I would strongly prefer to see a candidate with a gap in his resume (filled in by consulting gigs) then full year of cruise experience, with applications going out before the end of the year. I would not like a candidate with a gap in the resume and no job occupying his time. A little better, but not as good as having a full year on your resume, would be a six month contract, followed by another gap in the resume. In other words, the full year looks a lot better and it gives you time at the end of the year to send out applications with a substantial job history while still employed.

Plus, as is said above, even if you're on a cruise ship, you can still network. You could do a blog and post your work on it, you could take ship and shore photos for your own portfolio, you could produce porn shorts on the side. Oops, scratch the last one. You get the idea.

Take the job, keep it until you get a better job, keep that one until you get a better job, open your own business full time when you have the skills and financial foundation. That's a good path to success. But you need a job, any job, first.