 At an early age he went to work for the Edge Moor Bridge Works of Wilmington, Delaware, joining their engineering department and remaining there for two years.He then settled in Trenton, New Jersey, working as a draftsman for the New Jersey Steel and Iron Company, which was acquired by the American Bridge Company in 1900.He remained with this company until 1903, when he resigned and formed his own engineering and contracting firm, N.A.K.