I don't know what to do!!!

[ClassicVW]

hey


I have just decided to join the merchant navy, but I am confused and frustrated. I am hoping to get help and information from you guys so I can set my mind on what to do .
I know in the merchant navy there are 3 different jobs that suit me, engineering officer, deck officer and electro-technical officer. This is my problem, all three suit me down to the ground and I just cannot pick which one for my career. I cannot find any reasonable information on the internet so I have come to you guys for help.


which one, out of the three above would you recommend as a career?


thanks

[Captain_on_the_Bridge]

Hi Classic,
To say which one I recommend for you is a difficult thing as everybody has chosen their path for their own reasons, however if you want any particular details about what each job role involves then the other members will be able to advise.
If you sit and weigh up the pros and cons of each you might find one that you prefer over the other 2.

[Steve]

which one, out of the three above would you recommend as a career?

Most will recommend their own branch, though a Chief Engineer once congratulated me for being a deck officer and said prospects were much better in my branch than his!

Tell us more about yourself. Why does each of the three appeal to you?

[ClassicVW]

Well I don't really have any specific interests apart from being out at sea. I guess I like to get my hands dirty and be involved, and also like sight seeing and viewing beautiful scenery. Being outside most of the time would be nice as well but ain't a must.
I picked those three because of the pay and the travel. It was kinda my ambition to become a engineer a couple of months ago, but that has faded slightly now seeing other jobs on offer.
I guess I have some background with engineering and a slight bit of electrical as well. I didn't do very well in English in school so maybe a company would not accept me because of that when applying to become a deck engineer. I remember looking at the requirements for a deck engineer once and saw that it required a GCSE B in English so this might limit my options?
Don't get me wrong here and think I'm lazy and greedy or any thing but I would imagine the best job out of the three would be the one with the most hours off work, easiest work, most hours off ship when in dock and best pay.

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that I'm 16 but I don't think this will make a difference.
I hope this info helps
and thanks for the help as well

[GuinnessMan]

Most will recommend their own branch, though a Chief Engineer once congratulated me for being a deck officer and said prospects were much better in my branch than his!

All branches are pretty poor at the moment, but to be honest, the most sought after branch at the moment is the Engineering one. We've got deck officers by the dozen, whereas we are rather short of decent Electricians and Engineers.

Well I don't really have any specific interests apart from being out at sea. I guess I like to get my hands dirty and be involved, and also like sight seeing and viewing beautiful scenery. Being outside most of the time would be nice as well but ain't a must.
I picked those three because of the pay and the travel. It was kinda my ambition to become a engineer a couple of months ago, but that has faded slightly now seeing other jobs on offer.
I guess I have some background with engineering and a slight bit of electrical as well. I didn't do very well in English in school so maybe a company would not accept me because of that when applying to become a deck engineer. I remember looking at the requirements for a deck engineer once and saw that it required a GCSE B in English so this might limit my options?
Don't get me wrong here and think I'm lazy and greedy or any thing but I would imagine the best job out of the three would be the one with the most hours off work, easiest work, most hours off ship when in dock and best pay.

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that I'm 16 but I don't think this will make a difference.
I hope this info helps
and thanks for the help as well

To be totally honest, none of the streams really have the most hours of work, nor do any of them have any easy work nor do any have the most hours off the ship. You're somewhat buggered on that front. If I was you, I'd go and have a good read of the different roles and have a good long and hard think about why you want to go to sea because I can guarentee you it's nothing like "Cruise Ship Diaries" or any other pish like that. By all means ask any questions you like, we've got lots of Deckies, Engineers and a few ETO's kicking about on this site and most of us are willing to answer sensible questions (non sensible ones tend to go off topic fairly quickly), so ask away.

Until you've done that, had a very good think and can actually explain why you think being out at sea is for you, then you will probably not get a cadetship of any kind....

[ETwhat?]

I think your probably best to wait a while before making an aplication, ' I would imagine the best job out of the three would be the one with the most hours off work, easiest work, most hours off ship when in dock and best pay. and also like sight seeing and viewing beautiful scenery. Being outside most of the time would be nice' these really dont sound like the rigth reasons to choose any career also time off in port will depend on ship type, as will pay most of the jobs really dont have you outside very much or if they do its in crappy weather. I wouldnt say any of the jobs are easy, although what makes them difficult varies greatly.

[ClassicVW]

If someone had a choice between 3 jobs then I would imagine that they would prefer the better one or the one that suits them? as all three suit me I just wanted to know which one is the most recommended. I've looked everywhere for information about the jobs and they all seem great. I love navigation and all the stuff a deck officer does, I love engineering and I love electronics.
I've already applied to loads of companies to become a engineering officer a couple of days ago but I had second thoughts. My dad met this guy while working on the ship who was a electro technical cadet and he said that his line of work is extremely easy, so I was thinking, is this the way forward?

[YoungMariner]

Engineering without a doubt offers the most prospects in terms of opportunities from a very early stage; whether at sea or ashore. At sea it's quiet a tough job, and probably involves more unexpected working hours and physical work then the Deck side.
The Deck side generally has more BS, but the work is often more scheduled and depending on ship type mostly doesn't involve you getting that dirty. Prospects for a Deck Officer are good at sea, but if you move ashore without a Masters CoC its much harder to get ahead and make good money.
The ETO side, I dont really know how to comment, but in modern ships if you have a lot of knowledge about computers, AV and satellite equipment there is mega money to be made in superyachts!

[Steve]

Well I don't really have any specific interests apart from being out at sea. I guess I like to get my hands dirty and be involved, and also like sight seeing and viewing beautiful scenery. Being outside most of the time would be nice as well but ain't a must.

Sounds like a deck officer - paid to look out of the window, a bit of work outside around the deck, opportunities to get your hands dirty if you really want to without having to work on the **** plant like an engineer.

I would imagine the best job out of the three would be the one with the most hours off work, easiest work, most hours off ship when in dock and best pay.

In my company, deck officers generally do the least work in port, so it's easier to get ashore. In port, engineers are busy maintaining things that they can't monkey with while we are at sea. Pay is pretty much the same across all branches.

[Steve]

he said that his line of work is extremely easy

I am always suspicious of people who find their work too easy. It usually means that they are failing to do a large part of it.

[Steve]

All branches are pretty poor at the moment, but to be honest, the most sought after branch at the moment is the Engineering one. We've got deck officers by the dozen, whereas we are rather short of decent Electricians and Engineers.

Maybe in your companies. In mine we are short of deck officers and overborne with engineers. The last set of cuts got rid of a lot of engineers, but virtually no junior deck officers. The deck officers are leaving of their own volition for opportunities elsewhere. It has been like that for a long time.

[Bulman]

From what I know I wish I had tried for deck but thats just cause it seems glamorous although I could be wrong.

Just take your time in choosing I rushed into electrical engineeering as a 6th form drop out, but I do enjoy it!

Just plan it out, even make a list of pro's and con's of each maybe try get some experience then choose. It's still early days, hope he doesn't mind me saying this but someone on here messages me saying he was a ETO and starting in sep like me but in his 30's so you've got plenty of time!

[GuinnessMan]

Maybe in your companies. In mine we are short of deck officers and overborne with engineers. The last set of cuts got rid of a lot of engineers, but virtually no junior deck officers. The deck officers are leaving of their own volition for opportunities elsewhere. It has been like that for a long time.

This is a general industry view that you won't have being in the RFA since it's not a company.

[Steve]

This is a general industry view...

My point being that it does not apply in all sectors of the industry. Organisational status irrelevant.

[GuinnessMan]

My point being that it does not apply in all sectors of the industry. Organisational status irrelevant.

Whilst that may be true in the RFA, that is but one very small part of the industry, whereas we have involvement in near enough, every segment of this industry.