Career

There are two streams in merchant navy: navigation and engineering. To be a navigating officer, you have to complete a three-year course and to be a marine engineer it's a four-year B.Tech/BE course. Now some pointers about life at sea.
The salary and benefits are excellent but in the initial years, you have to stay at sea for 5 months and then you get a 2-month leave. Senior officers/engineers have to stay in the sea for less. Now if you are really serious about joining the merchant Navy, you should research about the life at sea, you could watch documentaries on youtube about their lives. Only if you are convinced, you should opt for Merchant navy directly after 12th. Another way is to pursue a mechanical engineering course for 4 years. After that, you can do a one-year pre-sea course (http://www.grse.nic.in/page_company-product.php?page_id=83) and gain entry into the merchant navy. This second route has two advantages. You have 4 years to think about your career choice, and you have other options always open as a mechanical engineer.