As a marine engineer, you will be responsible for the ship's machinery and equipment and its engine department. This includes all the mechanical, electrical and electronic systems on board a ship. At sea you will be responsible for the smooth working of all systems and be able to solve problems quickly, should anything go wrong.

On shore you will be responsible for over seeing the maintenance and any refits that you may consider necessary. Yours will be an important job as without its propellers a ship is as good as a big piece of metal! Later on, you could move on to designing next generation ships, or specialise in the repair and maintenance of boats.

The life of a marine engineer is not an easy one. You will mostly be below the deck of the ship. You will have to memorise your way through the main engine, boilers and pumps, hydraulic and fuel systems including the ships electrical plant and distribution system. If any part of a ship's systems fails, it must be dismantled, assessed, repaired, reassembled and put back into operation. This will be your responsibility.

You will get an opportunity to work on passenger liners and ferries, ships carrying cargo, offshore oil and gas supply and pipelining vessels, warships and submarines, and a variety of other specialised craft. So you better be prepared to get your hands dirty.

This is what you need if you are planning a career as a marine engineer.

*Ability to adjust with people

*Ability to handle stress

*Should be level-headed

*Practical and cool in times of crisis

Mechanical and Electronic Engineers also qualify for training in Marine Engineering. However, those of you who want to start early need to take the IIT entrance exams after the 12th standard. The course is conducted at Marine Engineering Research Institute (MERI), in Calcutta and in Mumbai. It offers a government recognised Bachelor's degree (BE) in Marine Engineering. There are also some courses offered at other institutes. For all these course, you will need a 10+2 qualification with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.

You course will include practical training including operating, overhauling and testing auxiliary power plants in addition to the fundamentals of marine engineering.

A seafaring career begins as a Junior or Fifth engineer. The ranks progress to Fourth Engineer, Third Engineer, Second Engineer and finally at the apex - Chief Engineer. At this level you will be the technical equivalent of the captain.

Marine Engineers for the most part of their lives work at sea. But there are plenty of shore-based jobs available. You can work in the shipping industry for trading, buying, freighting and selling cargo.

A marine engineer may find opportunities in: -

*Merchant Navy carrying cargo and passengers

*Luxury cruise liners

*Defence forces like Indian Navy, Coast Guard (for entry into Defence Forces you will have to appear for Service Selection Board selection process which you can do either after your 10+2 or after a degree in Computer/ Electronics/ Mechanical/Electrical Engineering.

In the Indian navy, in addition to maintaining the ship's engines, you will also have the opportunity to operate complex weapon systems on ships and even submarines.

Offshore, you could find employment in dockyards as well as companies engaged in ship building. You can also take up jobs with a harbour or port department. But for these offshore posts some experience at sea is required.

In the beginning of your career, expect a salary of Rs 30,000 a month as a Fifth Engineer on a merchant marine vessel. The pay scales are much lesser in Indian Navy. However, salaries in the Defence forces start with about Rs 10,000 a month.