I am equally undecided about YDS or Westlawn. I've known about Westlawn for some time had always wanted to enroll. One day I stopped in at the New York firm of Sparkman & Stevens. There I spoke with the head designer and asked about yacht design as a career and Westlawn. He said its a very good school, yet that S&S didn't take graduates right out of school. They preferred someone with a prior specialty in another field like electrical or mechanical engineering. So much for starting at a big firm.
Recently, finding the YDS site reading it thoroughly I liked what they offer. Its not a theory of yacht design only, but a nuts and bolts education covering realistically what will be needed to get a job or set up a shop and find clients. Separately they also teach CAD/Rhino. Learning to design on a computer these days is essential and I need to learn it.
Westlawn has been around since the 1930's, is a recognized school, but their curriculum doesn't teach CAD of any kind or where to learn it. Like the rest of you I would appreciate graduating from a known school, but in reality getting out and earning money as a yacht designer is the bottom line. Just being proud of a diploma doesn't pay the bills.
A few years ago in the journal for the Society of Naval Architects & Marine Engineers (these guys design ships and graduate from places like Webb Institute; true engineers) that the Society was thinking about requiring legislation to require yacht designers to past an exam or be licensed. There was an uproar from top old-time experienced designers because many of the YD greats like Olin Stevens never had a formal YD education and apprenticed their way to greatness. If required, they too would have to pass a test to stay in business. Later I believe the issue was dropped.
Since yacht design is still an apprentice type career and its truly one's own motivation to learn what you need to succeed then YDS is the choice. They offer internships for students to get experience, build a portfolio and get a job or solo practice. I'm not yet sold on the YDS, but Westlawn while having a good name, appears to only teach theory. I graduated law school years ago and now just hate the field. Law schools believe me teach theory and students graduate knowing zilch. They then learn on the job, take continuing education classes and hire paralegals who know what papers to file, draft, etc. People hire lawyers every day and never ask "where did you go to school", but they do ask what kind of work have you done.
Westlawn does have some damn good credentials and graduates, yet I don't want to spent $10K, four years and graduate not being up to speed for a job or a solo practice of my own. This is solely why I have held off for a few years from pursuing my dream. I may love to design yachts, but earning a living is the bottom line.
YDS school, on their website, says that the state of Maine has never had a distance education school before therefore Maine has yet to ever issue YDS an approval for a distance education. Westlawn on the other hand in Connecticut does have an approval for a distance education school. Lacking this academic credential does leave mixed feelings about choosing YDS.
Lastly, if only YDS used the name MacNaughton School of Yacht Design and put that on their diplomas then I think I'd feel a little better knowing that I'm not going to frequently hear from colleagues "you graduated from where?" YDS just sounds like and unfinished sentence like "what time is it". Can't Tom MacNaughton be proud enough to put his name on it?
Tracking down a YDS graduate, if any exist, is a good idea. Otherwise I can't decide either.
