For Career Changers

If you are looking for a career in Boatbuilding School In New England, IYRS is the school for you!

Find yourself at the beginning of a fresh start. Your best life is ahead.

Did you know that as many as 50% of IYRS students each year are early-, mid-, or late-career changers? They are men and women seeking a more fulfilling and enriching life through their work. And they have come from every industry imaginable - US military, theater, medicine, law enforcement, engineering, retail, marine, legal, restaurants. We consistently hear from these students that deciding to make this meaningful change took some time - let's face it, life changes can be intimidating - but that their experience and education at IYRS gave them the skills and confidence they needed to embark on their next big chapter...a rewarding new career. 

It doesn't matter where you come from, what level of experience you bring, or how many careers you might have previously dabbled in. Our students come from across the United States and the world and have one important thing in common: they are passionate about learning the art and science of making, building, restoring, and maintaining.

IYRS students are training to become the next generation of fine craftspeople and technicians who will work with their minds and their hands to preserve our marine heritage and build our high-tech manufacturing future. Some of our students have a history of craftsmanship, others learn from scratch.

Experience is not necessary. But a passion for learning and doing is. We look forward to helping you embark on your next big chapter, just as we have helped career changers like you since we were founded in 1993.

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IYRS offers generous scholarships and grants to students who qualify.

We understand that financing your education can feel like an obstacle along the way to pursuing your goals. It may seem daunting to pull together the resources needed to fund your education. But more than anything, the team at IYRS wants to see you succeed. We don't believe that finances should be a deterrent to your dreams. That's why we continually work to build a bridge between you and your future through financial aid, scholarships, and grants. On average, more than 60% of our students receive financial support from IYRS each year. 

During the admissions process, you will have the opportunity to meet or speak with a financial aid administrator who will explain the available options. They will be available throughout the application process to answer questions and offer solutions to help make the financial component as stress-free and manageable as possible. Our goal is to support you in achieving your dream of a new, hands-on career.

Skills That Can Transform Passion into Careers 

You’ll apply the skills you learn at IYRS in a valuable externship, gaining resume-building, hands-on industry experience. You'll learn from our expert faculty in the classroom and on the shop floor, as well as from tangible experience in the field, a dynamic combination for anyone embarking on a new career or looking to enhance an existing one. Your confidence will grow with everything you build as you work to sharpen your knowledge and polish your skills.

Throughout your time at IYRS and beyond, you'll find yourself connected to faculty and alumni through our Career Development department and many alumni engagement opportunities. Whether your interests lie in yacht building, high tech composites manufacturing, digital design, or something completely unique, you’ll have a home at IYRS.

Meet Greg Slimko '21 - Digital Modeling & Fabrication who came to IYRS after a career as a Project Manager in the architectural signage industry. It's the type of career change story we hear often. Does it feel familiar to you?  READ GREG'S STORY.

An attorney, a yoga instructor, and an underwater cultural researcher came to IYRS to train for new careers and found their dream jobs in the process. Meet Damian, Maggie, and Paul - Marine Systems '20. READ THEIR STORY.