How To Crack The Entrance

       Friends, what you have read till now, is just the beginning. The most crucial part in the entire process, is to pass the entrance & gain the sponsorship. The entrance of all the companies is similar. First a written aptitude test, then an interview & then a medical. But you have to pass in all the 3 stages to get the sponsorship.But don't worry, I am here to guide you through the entire procedure. Luckily, the aptitude exam does not have negative marking, so chill, relax, & hit your answer when in doubt ;)

       So, about the test, the test contains of 4 sections, each containing 50 MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions), a total of 200 MCQs to be answered in 2 hours. The number of questions may vary from company to company, but the basic structure is the same. The 4 sections are:

1. General Aptitude
2. Professional Knowledge
3. Reasoning
4. English Skills

       Since General Aptitude & Professional Knowledge is a little tougher than the other 2, its better to go for the other 2 first. In this way, you can save time & score more. Usually, number of people writing the exam is in thousands, & people getting selected is even less than a hundred. So the odds of getting selected are pretty less, unless you can bang a great score. People say, that they have contacts, & will easily get selected in the company, but its only after you have passed the written exam, coz a separate organization manages the exam & only forwards the qualified students' list to the company. So, whatever contacts you have, keep them aside & concentrate on the written exam.

       First go for the Reasoning & English Skills section. These are very easy to solve, but if you get confused with some questions, leave them & go for the next, we will see about those questions in the end ;)

       Now start with the Professional Knowledge, the questions will be mainly based on IC Engines, Boilers, Rankine Cycle, Refrigeration & Ship's structure. Now I am here to guide you through the test, not the syllabus, so please guys, if you don't know the Ship's structure & all these basic things, I am sorry to inform you, you are not fit to be a Marine Engineer, so please stop reading & find another job. :(

       Sometimes there will be even numerical on Thermodynamics, but if you are not able to solve it, its okay, even i couldn't solve during my exam ;) Leave the questions that you cannot solve, again, we will see about them later. ;)

       Now start the General Aptitude section, this my friends is the worst section. And guys, keep this in mind, no calculators are allowed in the exam, so you do have to know the tricks in aptitude. Try solving the easy questions & the ones which you have practiced, first. Then move on to the tougher ones, & ya, keep an eye on the clock. Again, leave the questions which you cannot solve, we will see them later ;)

       So, now all the sections are completed, but with some questions here & there remaining. If you have some time remaining, try solving those questions.

       As for the questions which you really cannot solve or guess the answers, mark them all 'C'. According to a research done, using permutations & combinations, the probability of an answer being 'C' is the highest. So never hesitate to mark the answer 'C' when not sure or can't solve ;)

       When you pass the written exam, then comes the interview. Interviews are easy, just turn up to be a decent gentleman, proper formals, with tie & black shoes. If you do it, half of your work is done here itself. Now the interview will be taken by a minimum of 3 people, 1 will be a technical person, 1 HR person & 1 psychiatrist. The technical person will ask you mainly about IC Engines & Boilers. The HR person will mainly ask about activities & hobbies. But the main guy you have to impress in an interview is the psychiatrist. Only on the psychiatrist's permission the company will sponsor you. A psychiatrist will test you for suicidal behavior. When the psychiatrist asks you why you want to join Merchant Navy, tell them just 1 thing, coz you  would like to work with machines rather than on a table, & be yourself, don't take tension ;)

       Once you are done with the interview, its just the medical that stands between you & the sponsorship. Now this is a thing that no one can help you with. If you are not fit, can't help you there guys. Once you are through all these tests, you are good to go. You are just one step away from becoming a Marine Engineer, & that's TRAINING!!!

       Be sure to check my new posts, they will be what happens during Training, & how to survie it & be a Marine Engineer :)

How To Get Into Marine Engineering

       Dear friends, you have read about the life of a Marine Engineer. This posts however, highlights the process about, 'How to get into Marine Engineering'. Before telling you about it, I would like to give you an  overview of the entire Merchant Navy. There are 3 branches in Merchant Navy:

1. Deck Side : The one responsible for Navigation, Loading & Unloading of the shipment.
2. Engine Side : The one responsible for the Maintenance & Operation of the engine.
3. Help Side : They are the Cooks & Stewards & other basic helpers on the ship.

       The people working in Engine Side have to be a Marine Engineer. To start, there are 3 ways in which you become a Marine Engineer:

1. 3 year Polyvalent B.Sc Degree Course (Nautical Sciences)
2. 4 year Marine Engineering Course after 12th
3. 4 year Mechanical Engineering Course + 1 year PGDME/GME/TME Course

       The first way is expensive, but you have job surety and within 4 years you will find yourself on a ship. This process is very expensive, as the fee for each year is about 4-5 Lakh INR per year minimum. The fee structure depends upon each institute, and the seat availability. There are a number of colleges all over India. For a list of all the institutes approved by DG Shipping, you can log on to http://www.dgshipping.com. This site is the main site for all the seafarers in India. The DG Shipping (Directorate General of Shipping) is the whole & soul of your entire career as a Marine Engineer. The DG Shipping will be responsible to hire & fire you at will, depending upon your actions during training & when you work on the ship, irrelevant of the company you work for.
        The second way is easier, but a gamble from job point of view. This includes a a degree course to be completed of 4 years. The fee structure is also high.

       The third way is a little tricky & long, but many people go for this way. This is very less expensive as compared to the first way. For this you first have to complete Mechanical Engineering from any institute. Then, after your complete completion, you have to hunt down the Shipping Companies. Beware, there are like thousands of companies, but not all are trust able. Before you completely choose the company you are interested to work for, run a background check about the company, like, how many ships does it have, where does the company trade, how is the financial situation of the company, etc.

       These things play an important role, as once you are hired and sent on a ship, you will not be able to complain about anything but just work. My preference is first go for big companies, like, Shipping Corporation of India, Great Eastern Shipping, Essar, Maersk, Anglo-Eastern Shipping, etc. But first try for Indian companies rather than foreign. Always keep an eye on the companies website, coz there will be an advertisement around June, to register for the exam to get the sponsorship. Even the advertisement will be printed in Times of India & Indian Express.

       So as soon as the advertisement is out, you have to register & prepare for the exam. For now, don't worry about the exam, my next post will be of how to crack the exam. So for now lets concentrate on the process of 'getting into'. So, register, prepare, pass the exam & you get the sponsorship of the company, & then the company itself will give you a seat in any of the Maritime Institute, for your 1 Year PGDME(Post Graduation Degree in Marine Engineer) / GME(Graduate Marine Engineer) / TME(Trainee Marine Engineer) course.

       Then all you have to do is be strong enough to complete the course, & you become a Marinee Engineer, starting your career as 5th Engineer, & rise till Chief Engineer...

Introduction

       Marine Engineering refers to Engineering related to Ships. Everyone thinks, "Whats there to control in a ship? Just an IC engine? A rudder? Hell its even easy to control than a car, without brakes and clutch." Well then i hate to tell you, you are wrong. There is more to Marine Engineering than you think. Everyone sees the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" & thinks, "Hey, all you have to do is lower the main sail & the ship goes forward...as easy as that." But have you ever thought, what if the wind is blowing in the opposite direction you want to go to? No use of the main sail there. This is where the need for Marine Engineering comes in.

       Over the centuries, Marine Engineers have perfected the ships from rowing to using steam engines to now IC engines. Marine Engineering has an extreme demand, yet there are very less people volunteering to enter it. Did you know, that Merchant Shipping is the lifeblood to the world economy carrying about 90% of international trade with a total commercial worldwide ships of 1,02,194?

       Marine Engineers are required on a ship, mainly to keep the propeller running and for maintenance of the ship's engine. Why, you ask? Well suppose you are driving your car, & the engine stops running, all you do is call a engineer, tow your car to the nearest garage. But suppose a ship's engine stops running in the middle of the sea, you cannot call to the nearest port n ask for a tow-ship. A Marine Engineer has to repair the engine, in the middle of the sea, with waves of ocean rocking the ship, making it nearly impossible to work. Sometimes you have to work day & night, without sleep, or even food, to get the engine repaired, coz there are only a few number of people even on a very big ship, and the shipment has to reach within the time given by the company.

       Well but that's just in case your engine fails, otherwise its a very exciting, thrilling, dangerous n life-changing job. Once you become Marine Engineer, even you yourself don't know how you became this new person. Its not just the uniform that makes us stand out in a crowd, but also a different attitude & personality. Marine Engineering is not just a job, its an adventure everyday, out in the sea. You get to visit many countries & meet different people, & I need not tell about the earnings...

       But, to become a Marine Engineer, one must go through an intense training. A training which actually changes your life, makes you ready to face the world. Survive that, you survive out in the sea...