Aspiring Naval Architect

My name is Zac-Manuel Sousa de Freitas, and I am an aspiring Naval Architect living in Johannesburg, South Africa.

I recently completed my Masters Degree in Architecture, finishing my final year with distinction and a RIBA nomination for my thesis. My passion has always been in design. Applying creative problem solving to innovate and rethink how design is generated.

My initial interest was in automotive design, generating efficient forms based on aerodynamic studies, however, I pursued a career in architecture as it catered to more of my interests and skills at the time. My passion for innovative and creative forms has only grown over the years, and upon discovering the naval architect course, I was hooked. What better way of combining my masters degree in architecture and my passion for design and creative form making than naval architecture.

It is my wish to enroll at the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology for the course Yacht & Boat design in order to become a Naval Architect, however, crippling student loans and limited job opportunities has created a scenario which makes this highly unlikely.

I am aware that there are only a hand full of South African Naval Architects and it is my dream to add to their ranks and do my country proud.

Upon speaking to Westlawn, I have found out that the course itself costs $4500 and a $100/month enrollment fee and that the average student completes 1 module per year, with the 4 modules which make up the course, taking approximately 4 years to complete. At my calculation that would cost approximately $9300 -$10 500 to complete the course depending on the time taken to complete.
I would ideally like to try and complete this in a shorter period than the 4 years stipulated and will try to juggle the full time job and freelance job I have in order to do so.

This would be an amazing opportunity and a dream come true. I am aware that the current economy is incredibly tough and every little bit helps.

I want to thank you in advance, from the bottom of my heart in helping me on my journey.

Thank you.