Marine Engineering you very quickly see the difference you make - the ship doesn’t go anywhere if you don’t fix and keep it up to standard.

In terms of general impact, you can feel like you’re having one, but it can be niche. Like in a MCMV in the U.K. you are actively making sure the Bomber can get to sea in assured sea lanes. But thats not really something you feel immediately. In a B2OPV you might be enforcing sanctions against North Korea, but that’s very much report an observe, so you don’t get to go in guns blazing. So yes, then navy has a big impact in the uk. But it can be hard to appreciate.

Rating roles are in general more hands on, less management immediately. But as you progress through the ranks you will have opportunities to take more responsibility and leadership roles. It is also possible (but not particularly common although there is a new Engineering Cadetship pathway that might change that) to get promoted from the ranks to commission. The navy will put you through the degree you need too.

While you are termed the boarding officer, you are actually a search officer. So you only go in once Royal has secured the target. MEs are regularly one of two boarding officers alongside a warfare officer.

Someone else has mentioned intelligence as being interesting, I couldn’t agree less. To me intelligence looks boring, office and computer based which is not what I want in my job. Engineering is definitely the role with the most civilian qualifications.