Life Onboard
I Turned Down University for a Superyacht - Here's What Happened
In short
A student with a confirmed university place chose superyacht crew instead. A year on: no debt, real savings, travel to a dozen countries, and a clear industry path - with the option to study later still wide open.
Was turning down university worth it? For her, yes: she deferred a confirmed place, did her STCW and ENG1 in a fortnight, and three weeks later was folding towels into swans on a 45-metre motor yacht in the Mediterranean. A year on she has zero student debt, while the average New Zealand student loan balance was $26,075 in 2024/25 (Education Counts, checked 9 October 2026). She had the offer letter, halls booked, the whole plan lined up - this is what actually happened next.
Was turning down university a huge mistake?
Family, teachers, friends - the reaction was almost universally the same: why would you give up a guaranteed university place for a job you'd never done, on a boat you'd never been on? The honest answer was that university wasn't going anywhere. It would still be there in a year. This particular door - young, no ties, no debt yet - wouldn't stay open forever.
"I kept thinking: worst case, I hate it, I come home in three months and start uni a year late. That's not actually a bad worst case."
What was the first month actually like?
Long hours, a steep learning curve, and being the newest, least experienced person on board. But the pay landed in her account tax-free from day one, food and accommodation were covered, and by week three she'd stopped being the one everyone had to double-check. Living this closely with a small crew is part of it - see our honest guide to relationships on board.
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“It never felt like a course or a programme — it felt like having someone in your corner who genuinely cared about where you ended up. Nick showed me I already had more to offer than I thought. Six months later I was a deckhand. I’ve sailed to Fiji. I’m 19.” — Freddie MHospitality → Deckhand · sailed to Fiji · age 19
What does she have that a first-year student doesn't?
Zero student debt. Meaningful savings, because there was almost nothing to spend money on. Passport stamps from a dozen countries. And a professional reference from a captain who'd vouch for her work ethic to any future employer, in yachting or otherwise.
Can she still go to university?
Nothing about this closes the door to study. If anything, having savings and a clearer sense of what she wants makes that choice easier to make well, rather than by default at eighteen because it was the only path anyone mentioned.
Considering the same thing?
If you've got an offer sitting in your inbox and a nagging feeling there's another option, let's have an honest conversation about what's actually possible.
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“He wanted to make the most of his gap year — not the ordinary version of it. Three months later he’s working on multi-million dollar yachts in the Med, watching the sun set over the Balearic Sea, living a life most people only dream about.” — Antoni MHigh school → full-time in Palma · age 19
Nick studied at university in Dunedin before finding his way onto superyachts with zero prior experience and sailing around the world. He's worked in recruitment and education, watched good candidates get overlooked for doing the wrong training in the wrong ports, and now coaches young Kiwis through the same journey: honest, one-on-one and industry-backed.