I used to work at sea. It paid for my flying licenses. Had some great times at sea and made some great friends, but I enjoy flying much more.
The lifestyle at sea is different (always flush with cash when home), but 3 months solid away from home with nothing but slow wifi and a 20min phone call a day is pretty rough on relationships. Now, I sleep in my own bed every night no matter what time I get in.
The real difference is they will pay for your training and pay you as you do if you go to sea, whereas an integrated school will cost you a massive loan that will take you until your 30s to pay off.