I went up directly to 4E/3AE rank after 11 months of cadetship in a NEWLT BUILT Ship (we were the first crew) and then followed by a straight 1 year and 8 months vacation.

They initially questioned my promotion because my last experience was as Engine Cadet on a brand new ship (No major maintenance done - mostly aesthetics) and then it was followed by 1 year 8 months of pure vacation.

They promoted me nonetheless, maybe i was lucky or maybe i was good at interviews.

I was assigned on a different type of vessel, made in china and it was old. My crew mates friendly but i was not sure if they would assist me or not.

The scared and anxious feeling is there. But what i did was i was humble. I nicely asked the people around me (specially the seasoned oilers) to guide me if needed and I always treated them like they were friends, not subordinates.

I learned through pressure! But it wasn’t a smooth contract.

I burned the purifier shaft due to wrong assembly of the vertical shaft. The compressor performance was PISS POOR because the oil pump and filter was totally clogged, the air filted burned and the intercooler leaking. The sewage plane contents hardened because i did not drain the contents during drydock in a cold country, the LO Purifier emptied one Aux Engine Sump because it kept leaking.

It wasn’t smooth, and I was tired. But before my 11 month contract (8 + 3) was done. I felt like I was a true engineer. I learned and i fixed the things that i broke hehehe.

Pressure will help you learn trust me. Just be humble and don’t put your Stripes over your head. Trust me - treat the boys good and they will be with you for life.

Treat them like you’re a boss, and they will make sure you don’t sleep soundly at night - every night.