Expert: Sharon Reed Abboud - 9/19/2007

Question
mam,
i am a graduate in bs marine engineering. i have done 6 months of sailing as a junior engineer .i want to join for a course offered by strachlyde university of scotland in ms in marine engineering .i don't know about the job prospcts after this .i want your suggestion regarding this course whether i should join this course or go for my sailing? please reply as soon as possible

Answer
Thanks for your question!  I would suggest that you network with people in your industry—marine engineering—and find out if it necessary or advisable to get your MA.  You may want to consider joining a professional association and then corresponding with a couple of members in the association’s directory.  

A good place to start might be the UK-based Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology: http://www.imarest.org/ They have a “young members network”—a network for young professionals working in a marine science, engineering or technology sector or studying for a career in a related area.  If you click on “Careers” you will also find job seeker advice.  

Here are two US-based marine engineering associations:

The Society for Naval Architects and Marine Engineers: http://www.sname.org/  Be sure to check out their career pages: http://www.sname.org/careers.htm

American Society for Naval Engineers:  http://www.navalengineers.org/  

These links might also be of interest to you:

http://www.dieselduck.ca/ a Canadian-based web site for professional Marine Engineers worldwide.

http://www.graduatingengineer.com/futuredisc/marine.htm online article: “The Future of Your Discipline, Marine Engineering,” by Eric Luchman.  In this article, the author discusses the advisability of getting an MA.

Also, check out some employment listings for the types of jobs you eventually hope to get to determine if you need an MA for those types of jobs.  Here is a job listing site for Marine Engineers in the UK:

http://www.ukengineeringrecruitment.net/marine-engineering-jobs.php

You might also want to send an e-mail to some of your former instructors in your undergraduate program.  They may have some good advice for you.

Good Luck!