Career Path..

[Herbatronical]

Hey,

just wondering if money was no issue, what would be better..

a 5 years masters degree in marine engineering, which includes a 1 year of experience,

orrrr

just the normal hnd/fd route?

which would be better for the future, employability and salary etccc.

[Bulman]

Depends what sort of job you want, degree for office/management/design but cadetship for being on ship, don't think I met any one working who hadn't done it through the cadetship route, but obviously it's not unheard of.

[JonathanI]

As said above the masters will probably be only beneficial if you come ashore. You will get the same salary as Someone with a lower qualification. If you are both ranked equal then both will get same pay.

[Herbatronical]

Ahh okay, I was looking and lots of jobs require degrees for you to be considered, I was just wondering what my options could be for next year as I am finishing college next June

[JonathanI]

Ahh okay, I was looking and lots of jobs require degrees for you to be considered, I was just wondering what my options could be for next year as I am finishing college next June

What kind of jobs were you looking at ? I think most companies want to know your competent and can do the job rather than have a nice flashy certificate. Although it's another thing to separate you from another candidate.

[ETwhat?]

If you actually want to work at sea, then you will need to do some aspect of the cadetship, so either the FD route or a regular degree and then a fast track year to cover all the marine bits that you wouldn't get at a degree.

much later it would be a better route to have a masters degree but at twice as long it will slow you down for actually working on ships

[Herbatronical]

Thanks for all your replies,

Did I mention that the degree is a sandwich and after your second year, you can do a year in industry, dont know if this would be the same as the sea phases with the cadetship but it sounds similar.
Was just wondering incase I dont get a cadetship, I want to have a backup that would still be worthwhile

Cheers

[ETwhat?]

It's similar in that they believe to make a decent course you actually need some real world exposure, however with the cadetship the sea time has the requirement that you achieve a set of specific goals as laid out in a training record book so one wouldn't be a substitute for the other.

Ive known a few engineers to do the fast track and it was about a year, the did intense courses on some of the marine subjects, completed the laid down book of workshop skills so lots of turning and milling about the safety courses (about a month of them) and then had to go to sea to get the required sea time, was 6 months now 8?

in honesty if that was the route you wanted as a fall back you would be better doing a three year general engineering degree, however the masters degree will provide better opportunity's outside working on ship.

[Herbatronical]

Cheers for your reply

Its not a definate, I just want a backup for cadetship, as I wasn't successful this past september intake, had multiple interviews but never passed, think it was due to my age as I am only 17, but I will be trying again next year

Cheers again for your replies