Whats my best way to get in as A Engineering Officer

[Connor Burton]

Hi there, I'm new to the forum and was hoping some of you would have some advice for me!

So the way I look at it to become a Engineering officer I have two possible routes,

What my original plan was that i would go to a university and complete a MCA approved degree, A MEng in mechanical and marine engineering as this allows me to gain full chartered engineer status, and also be except from all oral exams for a certificate of competency up to the level of chief engineer, I was also planning on completing my STCW 95 basic safety course. However the problem iv found with doing this Is I cant find many company's who take on graduates with no seafaring experience, The only one iv found so far is Maersk.

The other option was a Cadetship which means I leave with a EOOW CoC and a foundation degree, but then have to work towards a BEng and then a MEng part time. It also means I wont properly attend university due to the amount of sea time, and I would very much like to have the university experience but I do understand that going to university may not be the best way to get where I want to be.

But then I recently thought that my degree program would allow me to take a year on placement, which I could use to gain enough sea time to qualify for EOOW.

Sorry if this isn't the best structured post but I wasn't sure how to lay it out.
Any Advice would be great,
Connor,

[Doc Vernon]

Hello Connor
First thank you for your posting,and for joining this site!
As I am not of the knowledge pertaining to your Post,i am sorry that I cannot make any actual comments as to what is the best way forward for you!
However I am sure that with a wee bit of time there will be some suggestions as to where to go first!

At this point you yourself seem to have most of what you want,but its in the end your decision!
However a bit of help here and there is always good isn't it!?

I hope that you will find the best for yourself and get to the Top of the Ladder in time!
Stick with it whatever you decide and the very best of Luck in your Career!

Regards
Doc

This may assist ??
https://nationalcareersservice.direc...ngofficer.aspx

http://www.careersatsea.org/apply/sp..._companies.php

[j.sabourn]

Looking at some of these fancy titles Diplomas Degrees etc. and being a layman myself. I would say pedanticly to do a computer course, as if/when you achieve your aims you will probably finish up in your accommodation looking at mainly computer screens if shipping carries on at its present rate of progress. The old way of serving your time in a shipyard then being graded, and going to sea no longer seems to apply. Then came cadetships where the candidates did at least receive some seatime. Now as has previously been discussed on this site about being qualified before ever going to sea seems to be the way to go. There maybe some on site who will no doubt know all about this, but in general I would assume that most here came up the old way. There are engineers on site who may have kept up with the times. Regards John Sabourn

[robpage]

One problem with getting a M.Eng , PhD or any higher qualification is lack of practical experience , and paper engineers have a dangerous lack of knowledge based on knowing everything , but knowing nowt, on the ultra modern computerised leviathans that may work , but an old Greek
Oil Tanker you may be found desperately wanting , and in a situation where lives are put at risk , faced with the choices you list , the cadet ship will give you better experience , and the masters degree can be done by distance
Learning to some extent

[Ivan Cloherty]

Go with your heart, you are young enough to take a chance and if it doesn't work out, at least you have tried and you will not drive yourself crazy in the future by wishing 'if only I had done that'. My own opinion is go with the first company that offers you the opportunity to go to sea, you can then after the actual experience decide whether or not the sea life is for you. No sense in spending time getting a lot of degrees then going to sea and finding it is not for you, because if you don't like it after you've sailed and you are in that first hurricane crossing the Atlantic or typhoon crossing the Pacific you cannot go home at 5 p.m. I doubt many of us old codgers would want to sail on modern ships, but as you will never sail in the past it wont make any difference to you. But as the old saying goes 'faint heart never won fair lady' and it's the same with life, if you don't try you will never know. Good luck whichever way you decide your future lies.