They aren’t all captains?
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Bazinga!
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Only in their imaginations.
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Go engineering - way more shoreside options. Shoreside options for mates are grim.
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I picked deck because I liked what deck officers do and deal with.
My first job offer out of Schuyler was logistics with UP Railroad — I said no thanks, but there are options in every direction. Doesn’t have to be afloat or using your license (Edward Villella.) Several grads from my class went into aviation/air terminal management while others scattered to places like the FBI, local PD marine divisions, airline pilots, military, law and high paying office gigs. I saw engine license grads in some interesting places as well… completely unrelated to engineering.
The specific skills of a deck officer are very limited, true… but the degree and experience can take you damn near anywhere if you have ambition.
So just do what you enjoy.
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Probably the best advice. You may be doing it a long time.
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I have some good advice. I am a Kings Point Graduate class of 1982. My father was class of 1945 Deck. I wanted to be an engineer as a young man. I also liked navigation. My father was a Captain. At Kings Point I excelled in Math and physics. When the time came, I went Deck. My friends blasted me as the saying was " if you flunk physics , Go Deck" I worked my way up at sea and sailed Master for 11 years. No regrets. I value the leadership skills and challenge. With that being said, the captain takes a beating during and after their career. Engineers have more opportunities after sailing provided, they apply themselves and acquire skill sets. I worked for ABS after sailing and enjoyed doing surveys guided by engineering principles. I enjoy working with talented engineers to this day. Unless you have a background or love for sailing, deck operations, or vessel management, I would say GO ENGINE. I don’t hate my past and I am grateful. Both jobs at sea can be monotonous. Lots of boredom followed by intense activities. The Captain’s job can be unforgiving. Happy to talk to you by email if you wish.
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In general I always said that deck is more mentally taxing and engine is more physically taxing. In the end what consists of a “Deck” and “engine” job can vary widely depending on what area of the industry you go into or even what deepsea union you join or if you go private. For example as a MEBA or AMO mate you are more likely to potentially be involved in engine related projects / getting your hands dirty compared to MMP. In other words I’ve never heard of an MMP mate with welding experience being involved in welding projects onboard. With AMO and MEBA I’ve heard about mates welding onboard and even know someone who was asked by the company to stay onboard past their hitch just to weld.
In the end, if you go deck minor in engine or if you go engine get a minor or know stuff about deck. The jobs tend to overlap more the smaller as the tonnage of the vessel decreases. Smaller the vessel = more overlap.
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Exactly, and since there is an excess there is a much greater opportunity for pay and position for the equivalent license level with not nearly the responsibility as a CM holding his own watch.
Eventually I am sure that tide will change, and there it might not be so disproportionate.
We should just do what we enjoy, but also set yourself up for success.
The industry needs more of one than the other right now, that seems plain and simple to me.
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Absolutely… If you aren’t mechanically inclined, you will probably end up being unhappy in the Engine Room. If you enjoyed those kinds of hobbies… fixing things as a kid, you probably will enjoy the endless supply of broken stuff…
Same kind of goes for deck… do you enjoy responsibility in high pressure and public situations… docking the vessel with an audience in less than perfect conditions? Have you done much boating already? Do you like to take the wheel?
Taking the job based on what you think might be a relatively “easier” job will highly depend on what’s “easy” for you. You may find that the industry you work in can have just as much to do with job life quality as anything too.
Go deck. Get a pilot job.
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I’m a firm believer in cross training. I think a vessel officer should be able to conduct normal operations at any station on the vessel.
Please note “normal” as being day to day stuff of steering vessel in an open low traffic seaway, to pumping bilges to a holding tank.
As far as I’m concerned all low level officers should earn their stripes in both areas deck and engine. You can specialize after 2nd level.
I know that is not the current reality. Very few take the dual license path and the licensing structure makes it hard to do also.
I have worked as CE on smaller tonnage (over 1600 less than 10,000) for twenty plus years. I would cultivate an engineering crew only to see them bail within two years mainly to shore side jobs. Shoreside jobs are plentiful for a maritime engineer.
I would encourage the engineering crew to go up on deck to observe or help out if allowed by deck side. It was always frustrating to see a piece of equipment misused by a deckhand or mate to the point of breakage especially when I knew engineering staff would have done the job without breaking equipment. Sucks to have to repair items when you did not get the “experience” of breaking it.
The current maritime push is to reduce seagoing staff even more by way of remote piloting cargo vessels. There pretty much will always be an engineer needed on a vessel. Remote piloting or AI can only do so much. Sensors fail. Unplanned situation’s come up.
Well from my perspective the bridge is gossip central. Lots of jaw jacking. So are your eyes glued to the horizon, nope. Generally the mates on watch are stuck to a computer screen, either on an ECDIS or an internet browser.
If you took social internet off ships the pay would go up 200% . Instant shortage of mariners. 
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I think AI control of ships even for deck officers is along way off. The ability for AI sensors to pick up everything track things accordingly and make a decision that might be a special circumstance is along way off. Overseas in heavy traffic it might involve communicating with several different ships. How is AI supposed to do this with GPS sensors that are being knocked out and spoofed. Hiring foreign mariners is way cheaper than fitting out an entire vessel with sensors. Not to mention a huge liability
I’m not really sure what you mean? Internet is a recent development, many of us have sailed without internet. Funnily enough actually, there was way less of a mariner shortage then than there is now.
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He’s saying if you took internet access off the ships, a majority of the younger mariners would quit, and hes absolutely right. Its a recent development but a lot of folks wouldnt go without it, myself included.
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Yah right man! You’re stuck out here like the rest of us. 5 year plan will turn into a lifetime. I’m a millennial myself, Internet is important and Starlink is a game changer… but even if they took it away, doubt you’d leave. You’re a prevalent poster on a niche forum only the geekiest of us post. I love FPS games and shorts just as much as the rest of them, but nothing beats the quick large sums of money. Just a few years ago, we’d have to resort to offline gaming, and rudimentary email system forwarded through the Captain. Internet nerds just sucked it up for a couple months, and I’m sure you would too.
I mean speak for yourself, every moment of cell service would be spent on LinkedIn if they took away our internet. I do remember the pre-internet days. 6 months with Crolwey WAK wothout so much as a smart phone did me in, its not worth the money anymore. I need the money but at the same time I don’t. I’m barely sailing full time the past couple years as it is, im not pulling in as much as the folks around me and I’m doing fine just keeping insurance rolling while I’m working on other project. Ive seen too many people “stuck” out here and thats not a life I want.
Don’t count older mariners out of quitting or retiring if they took internet away. Everything has changed even more so over the last few years. EVERYTHING is online and connected to the internet. You need internet to pay bills and do mostly anything nowadays. You take internet away you can’t manage your life!
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There are still some big companies out there that don’t provide internet. I’m about to do a trip where i most likely won’t have anything for 2-4 days. Granted, its an oddball non-routine thing that we’re doing, but if it was a regular thing i would definately not be working here.
I can give two shits about streaming. Paying bills is on auto. All i ask for is to be able to text/chat with the family once a day.
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