Career possibilities with NA bachelors degree

As a NA you can be a Classification Society surveyor or just work for someone else to gain experience and then start doing your own designs slowly while you don't need to sell them to support yourself till you get a customer base and can go to it full-time.

I think what you're describing is true of most degrees, but many people work outside the field in which they have a degree. Now, you've added another very difficult factor and that is to do it in Curacao. I don't know how many opportunities there are in this field there. I know of Curacao Drydock.

Let me give you a comparative situation. Say I get a degree in civil engineering, but I live in Lincoln, Nebraska and I'm unwilling to move. There is probably only one civil engineering firm in town. (Note that Lincoln Nebraska is larger than Curacao). What if you had an opportunity to intern at Vripack? Often if we want to pursue a specific career it requires sacrifices. Yet, only we can decide if we're willing to make them or not. There is nothing wrong with saying "I'm not moving", but just recognize how it limits your opportunities.

I'd also suggest you think of things you might want to do and then model your education to accommodate them as well. Perhaps you get your undergrad in business and graduate degree in Naval Architecture. Would you like to perhaps work on ships while advancing your knowledge? Then perhaps go to Maritime school as well.

You need to think of your career goals and what you're willing to do to reach them. But Naval Architecture is a very small field and then limit it to Curacao and you've made it extremely small. As to other fields, you can enter many, but this degree isn't specifically designed for them.

What have you been doing since high school graduation? You've had three or four years. Is it in a field you might continue in while working to become a naval architect?

Focus on the US or Holland, Curacao is not the place to start any business or career in my opinion, it's the place to end it...;-)

Two very good posts there fellas.

In expanding his shop and forming a brand, that's a lot of business and a very little bit of naval architecture. If you don't do the business side well, it won't matter what you know from a design point. Also, in designing and developing the boat you want to brand you can also and should also get help from others.

What you're wanting to undertake is quite an effort. A good bit of general business skill, a good bit of accounting and finance. You also need to prioritize and put in order your plans. Your own boat brand or expand to other parts of the Caribbean first? Definitely not to be done at the same time.

Do you know how many boats are sold annually in Caracao, of the type you're considering? Have you studied the market, done research? What level of sales would you require to be profitable? See, I would have no idea what kind of boat to build for Curacao and you're not going to find yourself exporting a start up boat to the US or somewhere.

Bass Pro Shops? No. Not even conceptually. Do you have any idea the investment in just one of their locations? Don't try to emulate something in a very different market and with huge funding. Think of what is right for your market. Harder in some ways, easier in some. May not have to be as fancy or as prime a location. I'd recommend you looking at a builder in the Bahamas and see how they've created a niche. But then do understand the Bahamas get more boat traffic than Curacao.

You're talking first about being a businessman. Second about knowing how to design and build a boat. Most failed boat builders do not fail because they can't build a boat.

An entirely additional topic is other areas of the Caribbean. Each country will have it's own challenges, own bureaucracy and regulations.

Thanks for further explaining your goals. I hope what I've said helps you. Do not want to discourage you from your goals, but open your mind to the true challenges and what will be required. As the next generation in the family business, your challenge is typical. It's to retain what has made the business successful in the past under your father, while evolving the business to new times.