After decades in the corporate world of finance, 65-year-old Derek Bronk enrolled in TAFE NSW to make a maritime career change and swapped a glass tower office for the glassy water of Sydney Harbour.
The lure of life on the water is growing in popularity as a career option. In 2024, domestic marine tourism was the top employer in the sector nationally supporting 149,000 jobs.
One of those jobs became Mr Bronk’s, but to enable his career change he needed the required maritime qualifications.
Mr Bronk’s connection to the water started when he was a child growing up in the United States. “My love of sailing started when I was very young, and I got my boat licence when I was 14,” he said.
After university, Mr Bronk joined the navy, becoming a surface warfare officer, an experience that would later prove valuable.
He migrated to Australia in 1993, where for many years, spent leisure time crewing on yachts around Sydney Harbour while building his corporate career.
After decades in the corporate sector, he decided the time was right to pursue his passion for boating. From 2023 to 2025, he studied four maritime courses at TAFE NSW and is now qualified to captain a vessel up to 24 metres.
“TAFE qualifications were the key to my career change from office to harbour,” he said. “I always thought of TAFE as being for young trainees, but many of my classmates were people changing careers later in life.”
He said one of the hurdles to a maritime qualification was getting the required experience on the water.
“I was fortunate that my time in the navy was recognised by TAFE and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority as solid service, which meant I could qualify sooner.” - Derek Bronk
He now captains charter cruises on Sydney Harbour and said it is an industry with plenty of demand for people with the right qualifications. “The maritime workforce is very mobile, people move states or overseas for seasonal roles, so opportunities keep opening up,” he said.
A typical day starts early, with Mr Bronk arriving two hours before a charter to prepare the vessel. “The best part is the mornings. On a weekday, it can feel like you have the whole harbour to yourself,” he said. “It’s not a bad office to work from.”
TAFE NSW Maritime Team Leader Nicole Allen said Derek was a good example of how quickly someone can change their career with the right skills and training.
“We offer training for people seeking careers across the marine industry, whether it be at the helm of a vessel or boat building and restoration, marine engine maintenance, maritime operations or sail making.
Some of the main drawcards to marine sector careers is the variety of roles and the places those qualifications can take you,” she said.
To learn more, the Index of Marine Industry: 2025 prepared by Deloitte Access Economics for the Australian Institute of Marine Science can be found in the Marine Business News Resources page, or click on the banner below to go directly to it.
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