I can't blame novice divers who discover the thrills of scuba diving and just can't get enough of it. 'Going Pro' seems to be the answer - you get to dive every day, live in the tropics and enjoy a fantastic lifestyle.... and you get paid for diving... not vice versa!
PADI definitely encourage this... right from the start. The OW DVD mentions DM training...and so do most course materials thereafter. Many dive centers are heavily committed to 'continued education' as this truly maximises their profits. The higher up the training ladder, the more money made from tuition, equipment sales etc. The dive 'pros' who work in those types of center are more 'salesmen' and less 'educators'. IMHO, very rarely do they consider the student's best interests when touting their sales pitches.
With respect to pro-level training (DM and Instructor) those salesmen do pander to the 'scuba dream' - selling courses upon the supposed merits of the lifestyle and employment opportunities available to the qualifed pro. Quite frankly, that's a huge deception. The dive industry is hugely competitive, few 'pro' qualified divers sustain a career in it... few even get a salaried job. Those that do work as pros do incredibly long hours for incredibly little money. The majority of the work isn't 'glamorous'... it is menial labor early in the morning and late at night... long before the customers arrive and long after they have departed. The diving isn't "fun", like the customers experience, because of the responsibilities and duties attached to it.
That's not to say that continued education
isn't a bad thing. Training is good...and makes better divers. However, the training has to be 'real'...not an 'off-the-shelf'/'one size fits all' delivery of a product...and it needs to be targeted to the student's actual developmental needs.
One of the problems with PADI, SSI et al... is that they don't have any form of dive leadership course
other than the DM level. There is a benefit from learning dive leadership - any diver can aspire to that. Few would argue that it was an irresponsible step. However, the DM course isn't
just dive leadership... it's also a vocational course for working in the scuba industry...and an instructional assistant course.
Those are elements that few divers need.
I see dive leadership as the skills, procedures and responsibilities of a 'senior' diver who mentors and supervises other, lesser qualified/experienced, divers. Whilst part of the DM course, it isn't the main focus of the course. However, it is something that does have a place within a dive community of people qualified to "dive independently, without need of professional supervision". BSAC, and other agencies, have 'dive leader' level. These are firmly differentiated from teaching assistant roles. That, IMHO, is a very good thing....and benefits the dive community immensely.
For the novice diver, who wants to progress in status and responsibility - then dive leadership is the core development that they should pursue. Employment in the industry and progression to teaching is just a distraction at those levels - and should be ignored. There is no way that a novice diver can realistically understand, or make an informed decision, about having a desire to work in the scuba industry. Likewise, there is no way they can honestly appraise their own suitability to become a diving educator.
If the desire is to live a 'tropical lifestyle' then there are easier ways. Getting bar or restaurant work is far easier and doesn't require the huge investment of time, money and effort.
Ok... so I might sound like a big hypocrite... because as I type this I am sitting in a wooden beach-side resort in the Philippines, enjoying a mango shake and watching the sun glitter on calm azure seas... chilling out after a 7 days of diving with customers and teaching scuba courses. That's not a bad life. That's what most of my customers see. They don't see the pressures of living here... the money issues, the relationship issues, the injuries, the exhaustion, the commitments and sacrifices I've made to be here. As they say... the grass is always greener on the other side. Sometimes I do envy those holidaymakers who come here... with money to spend...secure employment...quality healthcare...financial stability... On particularly bad days, I even think I might want to swap places with them.... but that's rare