a little help please

[lsutiger848]

Hey guys I am a high school student thinking about n.a. and m.e. I was wondering which kind of jobs could I get if I had these kind of degrees. I was looking into and interesed in mega yatchs and oil rigs. Basicly my question is which type of jobs could I get if I go into this field. Another thing if any one has one of these jobs and are feeling really nice I would like to know a ball park range of what some one might make going into this field? If you want you could e mail me at jonfogarty848@yahoo.com thanks

[jehardiman]

Mega yachts and oil rigs require vastly different skill sets in the entry levels and neither of those skill sets are going to get you into the big buck jobs later.

Where are you thinking of going to school? Generally, picking the proper school (i.e. who recruits from who) and cultivating contacts (social networking) in where you want to end up will get you your first job. After that, I have found that people generally fall into places that their talents/desires excell (but you always have to do your own weights). So if you want the big buck jobs, get into project management early and don't expect to see your significat other alot.

[lsutiger848]

thanks for replying you said prject mangement. What do they do just look over how things or built or what. Also you say big bucks can you email me a ball park amout. Some one told me there is more money in commercail ships barges and that nature. Is that true? Also you talk about it depends which school you got to. I was looking at UNO, Sunny, and some others. My Dad wants me to think about merchant marines, but I dont think I am into that.

[jehardiman]

Project management is the scheduling and sequencing of the work and control of money spent for product produced. They are the guys that end up addicted to Tums and take the fall for cost overruns, delays, etc.

From my knowledge in big government/commerical shipyards and oil patch (small yards and design offices may be different)

Entry engineer for a big company 30-50K depending on education and experience, less for smaller companies/design offices. Sometimes they have profit share options. These are the drones, the people who do the basic engineering, drafting, inspection, and testing. You need alot of them for large projects.

Senior engineer (say 10+ years exp) for a big company 70-110K+bonuses depending on abilities (i.e. licenced) and benefits/profit sharing. Contract engineers make more, maybe 110-130K, but are for term only and get no benefits, retirement, or profit sharing. These are the guys that do most of the real design and engineering development. They steer the drones and try to deliver the requirements on time and on budget. Good contract engineers are always looking for thier next job when the one they are working on is half finished.

Partners, VP's, Senior/Head Project managers, etc. This is where the big bucks are, but on the other hand, this is where the blame falls. Because of this, they need to be hardnosed and pragmatic when it comes to contract deliverables and schedule. These are usually NOT engineering positions, but rather sales or management types. They don't care if it is the best design or even a good design, "does it make cost and schedule?" is the bottom line. Salaries are hard to pin down here because so much is dependent on negoiated agreements and contracts. They could make anything from a very senior engineers wage (say 130-180K) to mid-6-figures depending on bonuses and incentives in the contract.

For a better handle on what the marine field is, go to http://www.sname.org/outreach_career.htm

As I said, it depends on which school you want to go to.

For oil patch, go to FIT or texas A&M as an OE

For general NA, Webb or UofM in NA&ME

For small craft, UNO or do the Westlawn course

For ROV/AUV, FAU or MIT as an OE

For a oceanographic/scienctific bent, UW or or Berkley in their specalized programs

For merchant ship operations any of the maritime academys

For commisioned military service, USCGA or USNA

For a schools list, go to http://www.sname.org/outreach_degree.htm

[Frosty]

I dont think you should be thinking about how much you will earn. You should be thinking about how much you can offer and how valuable you will be to your employer and if you can do the job.

It doesnt matter what school you went to, you need to have something to sell --skill.

You will never get rich working for someone else.

You should be 'able' to retire at 40.

[DavidJ]

I agree with pretty much everything jehardiman said except the part about the schools. From personal experience and the experiences of many friends I have come to believe that the schooling means very little to an engineer. Education provides you with the ability to think like an engineer. It gives you the mental tools required to LEARN the job. School doesn't actually teach you how to do much of anything. Whatever you end up doing for a job is what you will end up specializing in and learning.

I know friends who have graduated with mechanical engineering degrees who learned to be excellent naval architects. I know other people who graduated in civil and moved into the mechanical. And of particular interest to you I know two Naval Architecture graduates(from the same program in the same year) with one going to oil rigs and the other to yachts.

I'd say go to whatever school sounds the most interesting and has the funnest night life/student activities. Then get summer jobs or COOP jobs at companies that interest you. Really if you graduate with a Naval Architecture degree you will have no trouble finding work in either oil rigs or yachts. The oil jobs will usually pay much more though.

Try to arrange a meeting to visit Trinity Yachts. They are one of the biggest yacht builders around and they are centered in New Orleans. I think their design office is now in Gulfport. Also I know that ABS(the American Bureau of Shipping) has their main yacht inspection division in New Orleans. You could also try seeing if you could talk to them about what they do, they seem very busy. I know two people who just graduated from a Naval Architecture diploma program that got hired there(and one more at their Houston office). They started at $25 an hour. A big place like that can provide for many opportunities for advancement and future education.