If you do take the eit exam I suggest you take it right out of school. Marine engineering may not prep you for the exam itself, however it is a lot of dynamics, calculus, fluids…etc. all of which you will learn at school. You will forget it all after a few years out of the academy…lol
If you just want to get a license and sail ASAP … look at AMO Tech program… no degree but an apprenticeship program and guanteed Good jobs after completing program…
Texas A&M is where I went… you get out of any school what you put in…I enjoyed A&M and they have perks for veterans but I think you have to be resident but I think it isn’t too hard to get residence
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Depending on secret squirrel stuff that you did, I’d suggest looking at NGA… you can buy back navy pension time and retire early
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Two topics that haven’t been mentioned
Find the best Marine, Electrical, or Mechanical engineering school that you can get into. Then take the STCW classes and do the following from the 3 A/E checklist;
Graduate of an ABET accredited school in marine engineering course
WITH
- 90 days of service in the engine room of steam, motor, or gas turbine
vessels OR Graduate of mechanical or electrical engineering course of an ABET
accredited school of technology, WITH 180 days service in the engine
room of steam, motor, or gas turbine vessels,
You would have to sail as an oiler most likely.
Checklist here-http://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/NMC/pdfs/checklists/mcp_fm_nmc5_40_web.pdf
A steam endorsement seems to be hard to obtain these day. Even SUNY will replace their Steam ship soon with a more modern technology. However from what I understand if you can get the steam endorsement it translates to work in a shoreside power plant.
MSC ships.
You’ll get a steam license at CMA as they count the steam simulator time
I think that applies to all the academies.
I may be wrong but I don’t think Great Lakes get a steam license from schooling
It’s possible. I think there are a good number of steam ships on the Lakes so that would surprise me.
I just asked my 2 AE who went to GL. He had to do steam time on steam ship to get his steam. Guys who don’t go steam don’t get the license. Unlike CMA where the simulator counts. He said they really push for you to get it though
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Gotcha.
I agree that in my personal experience Maine produces the best Marine Engineers… but I also wonder if thats due in part to the remote location. Very few of the best engineers in my class at Schuyler ended up working on ships. Most graduated and went to work for ConEd or a hospital or do something in construction because local companies value the work ethic and starting ability of Academy engineers.
There is a high demand for engineers in New York, Boston and San Francisco… not so much in Portland, ME. The result is that the best engineers graduating from MMA end up on ships so This probably skews the statistics.
That said if you are certain you want to sailaboard ships untill retirement then… Maine will certainly give you a slight edge just as Texas will give you a slight edge if you are determined to work offshore and Kings Point will give you an edge if you want to go back to work for Uncle Sam. But if you want more options upon graduation then you’re probably better off looking at Scuyler, Mass and Cali.
And yea Texas and Great Lakes have some problems but mostly due to their comparative size not the quality of instruction.
The truth is that all the options are fairly close in terms of quality of education. The differences lie mostly in the network you can plug into after graduation and the opportunities those networks can provide you.
Finally, and most importantly, I can’t predict what the at sea job market will look like in four years (nobody can)… right now it’s not looking good for MMA guys who are (at least comparatively) “stuck” going to sea. That very well may change. What I do feel confident in predicting is that the complexity and uncertainty of engineering projects will increase. There will be more sudden dips and booms in the near future and projects that few today would predict. So, if I was in your shoes, the number one question I’d ask is which academy best prepares students for an uncertain future.
.
And the answer is, of course Ft. Schuyler! 
P.S. I may be biased considering I’m a domer and on Schuyler’s future planning comittee. Then again I only agreed to join the comittee (As founder of gCaptain I get a lot of similar requests but accept very few of them) because the school has fully recognized the changes ahead and is committed to changing course as needed to navigate the uncharted waters ahead.
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Welll, John I am not sure what GLMA “problems” you are refering to, beyond possibly networking. However, I don’t think that is the case today as it may have been 25 years ago. The graduates are, literally, everywhere and while the numbers may not be comparable to other schools from MSC, to USCG, the GoM, and of course Lake companies we are present.
Personal bias of course, but I will take a GLMA 3/M or 3 A/E any day. I believe a lot has to do with the school…it is not regimented, day one is the start of a 4yr job interview. Be on time, be professional, and learn your job.
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These cities (and the states the reside in) require a stationary operating engineer license. Many other states, do not (it’s mostly a north vs South thing). This creates very different situation. In non-licensed states, power plant operators are called operators; in licensed states, they are “stationary engineers”, much like USCG engineers.
Domers have a good pathway for jobs in the NYC area, because of connections and traditions. But, the entire utility industry is undergoing some massive changes lately. The fallback con-ed jobs may not be there like they once were. Outside of NYC and nuke plants, it’s not common to see guys with mechanical/electrical/etc engineering degrees working shifts as an operator.
Again, to remain fully flexible for future opportunities, BS (or BE) in engineering with USCG 3rd a/e license should be obtained–as opposed to a marine ops with USCG 3rd a/e license.
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I will say this. I have had good ones and serious duds from every acedemy. One thing I have noticed on the few Great Lakes guys is they have a pretty good work ethic. Their knowledge isn’t above any other but they have been harder workers. I went to CMA. Not because I thought it was any better but because I lived there and it was in state tuition. Cheaper is better IMO when obtaining the license. If all you want to do is go to see them my previous post still stands.
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