Times are tough for pirates. Shipping vessels are more well-protected than ever, and newly unionized crewmates no longer offer the cheap, exploitable labor they used to.

Such is the bind of the modern-day pirate captain.

But in the modern world, careers are no longer as linear as they once were— and with pirate captains’ innate understanding of leadership and isolated systems management, why should they suffer in a job that no longer serves their needs? Pirates everywhere are now switching careers, with great success.

To learn more about transitioning to a workplace in which land-lubbing is the norm, we sat down with Captain Savoy Beardington (SFS ‘16) to discuss his life after graduation:

“With a major in Security Studies and a concentration in International Law, specifically concerning enforcement in international waters, I started as a lowly Second Lieutenant the summer after graduation,” explained Beardington. “By the time I had risen to the rank of Captain, the industry had changed. It was no longer the same field that captured my interest as a wee lad.” For this reason, Beardington recently took an entry-level position at McKinsey’s Global Polling Initiative.

Beardington isn’t the only Captain to be disenamored with the field after recent changes. Polling conducted by Beardington and his team shows that Captain satisfaction is down 24% in recent years.

Stories like Beardington’s can serve as a model for pirates everywhere. “When times arrr tough,” said Beardington, “just remember that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel— a bit of land on the lonely horizon.”