Advice Needed from Experienced Naval Architects

Hi here is a question from a Naval Architect who has had a little or none career improvement till date. It’s been 5 years that I have been working as a naval architect and I don’t see any improvement in my learning or the career profile. I want to change my career path by taking up any management course. I have applied for colleges abroad and I might get in a few ones. One college outrightly rejected me saying that Nav Arc is specialized blah...Blah. Seeing this, I got worried and applied for a masters in Nav Architecture. It's not that I don’t like the field or anything like that, just that I haven’t worked in the field or realistic construction projects and I believe my skills are far outdated. What I want to ask is..is it advisable to continue in the same field or change the career path. Honest advice from Experience Naval Architects.

 

Bottom line is do you
1 a Job
or
2 a career?
and lastly
where is your passion - what interests you what motivates you and gets you out of bed in the mornings?

 

As Ad Hoc said 'What is your passion?" As has been said before in this forum, the first few years is doing grunt work and learning what your skills and likes are. Now you feel you are at a cusp of something, and you are. Do you want to stay with the engineering, the design, or the management? Each path is different going forward from here. You did not state where you are presently (big/small shipbuilder/design office etc.) which makes giving advice difficult.

 

I am from India. To be honest, I'm confused. Really confused. I am working in a design office(research-based), a pretty small one. However, I always thought of working in the production department of the shipyard. I have always hated a desk job. It just isn't the right fit for me, this, I am sure. I even tried my luck but people are hesitant to recruit me because of the lack of yard experience. I try to convince them, but I fail ALWAYS. I don't think I can take up the design work any more as I feel there hasn't been any development of my skills or career. I don't know how long I can continue like this. So, i was planning the switch.

 

I need a career. I'm tired of doing what I do. I feel like its leading nowhere. I am in fact having sleepless nights thinking about the career. I don't know if I need a career switch or a job switch.

 

It seems that, too soon, you have reached the top of knowledge and it is a real pity. I, after many years practicing my profession, feel that every day I can learn something new (it is true, it is not a way of expressing myself). Probably if you try to delve into a specific topic, check that there is still room for learning, there are still incentives in your work. Anyway, I think that before starting to design things, a technician should have enough experience in the workshops.
Try to clarify what you want and go directly for it, with perseverance, even if you go through moments of discouragement. The necessary force for it must come from you. We can advise you different things but it is you who should clarify and put the means.

 

I understand the sarcasm and what you're trying to say. See it has been 5 years that I'm working with a little to none improvement in my pay. I do know money is not everything. Even I have learned a few things related to the field over time but that's not helping in the advancement of my career. But anyways thanks for the motivation.

 

With the utmost respect I want to say that there are no second readings in what I have said. I have said what I wanted to say without sarcasm nor contempt nor bad intentions. Take it as you see fit. Good luck.

 

Do you want to be a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in the big pond?

 

I am not a naval architect, but I have spent many years working in the Naval architecture field. For that matter I started out in the 1960's working in a ship yard in their Naval Architecture division doing the grunt work of calculating weights and moments, calibrating tank level indicators (these were big Navy Ships and a Coast Guard icebreaker) some drafting (no CAD back then) and any other grunt work the NAs didn't want to do. The tedious stuff. I learned a lot. I learned mainly I would rather work in design (never did) but in my Coast Guard career did a lot of work with production boat building, which was where I realized I really wanted to be.

My point is don't give up. Keep trying to find a ship yard job, even if you have to take something below what you are shooting for. Once you are there you can work your way up by being patient and demonstrating a willingness to take on any job and do the job to the best of your ability. I know, some will say that's dreaming in today's work environment, but I have seen it work time and time again. I know many people who have gotten ahead that way. But it takes hard work, patience and perserverence. Good luck to you.

I might add, that for 20 years of my 34 with the Coast Guard I was doing exactly the same work the NAs were doing and getting paid exactly the same as they were. So you can get where you want to be.