The engines and systems that keep a ship running are your domain — designing, building, or maintaining the propulsion, power, and machinery that move vessels across oceans. The engineering that keeps ships alive.
The work spans design office and engine room: engineering propulsion, power, and mechanical systems, or maintaining and repairing them at sea or in shipyards. You work with tight tolerances, harsh environments, and strict maritime regulations. At sea, there's no calling for outside help, and a failure mid-ocean is yours to fix.
Seagoing roles mean long stretches away from home in tough conditions. The work can be physically tough and occasionally hazardous, the regulations are exacting, and months at sea suit some, wear on others. Shoreside design and shipyard jobs trade the travel for a different routine.
It tends to suit people who are resourceful, mechanically deep, and self-reliant. If you need a stable home base or dislike isolation, the seagoing path may not fit. But if you like fixing complex machinery far from any help, and the rhythm of the sea, it's demanding, well-paid work.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Engineering roles →The engines and systems that keep a ship running are your domain — designing, building, or maintaining the propulsion, power, and machinery that move vessels across oceans. The engineering that keeps ships alive.
Median pay for a Marine Engineer is about $106K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $80K to $168K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, and Active Listening.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 5.8% through 2034, with roughly 8,440 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Naval Architect, Consulting Marine Engineer, and Senior Structural Designer.
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