Why did you go pro?

I'm posting here because I can't (yet) post in the go pro forum... if this is the wrong place, mods, please feel free to move it. Also if this is redundant, please feel free to point me to threads--my searches haven't been successful so far.

The title more or less says it all. I have made several comments on this forum that I don't have much interest in going pro. Some recent discussions have me thinking maybe I should consider it in a few years for various reasons not the least of which is the fact that I truly enjoy teaching people new things. I have done so with kayaking, climbing, surfing, camping, driving, and any number of other activities so it seems logical that, once I have enough experience at this, that would be the path I might end up taking. All that said, I've never required any "formal certification" process to teach any of the other things I've taught, which is part of what makes me hesitate when it comes to SCUBA training.

I know some folks pursue DM for the sake of bettering their diving skills, but I see that as the reverse of what should happen. This isn't about making me a better diver, though I'm sure that I would gain at least some new/better skill for having pursued this line.

So my question to the pros, is what prompted you to become a pro? Did you see a gap that needed filling? Did it just sort of happen as you progressed and saw things you thought needed to be addressed? Did your agency/shop/whatever motivate you along the path? Did someone specifically ask you to teach them?

The initial thought got implanted fairly early ... about six months after I got my OW certification. I was involved in a rescue that someone thought I had handled pretty well and they suggested I'd make a good divemaster. At the time I thought it was a ridiculous idea ... I had less than 100 dives and was just starting to realize how much I didn't know yet. Another year went by, I had established a good relationship with a local dive shop that had a mentorship program for their new OW grads. I had been pretty involved in that program for a few months when the shop owner asked me if I'd ever considered becoming a DM. I related the earlier incident and he offered me a good deal on a DM program if I would commit to DM'ing for the shop after it was done. It seemed like a good idea, so I said OK.

A few months later I was a DM ... helping out with classes ... and discovering how much I enjoyed doing it. So I asked about instructor training. The shop owner said he thought I'd make a good one, but suggested that I get some "seasoning" by working outside the shop with different instructors for a while. We started my instructor training ... on a slow path ... while I spent the better part of a year working my connections with various instructors to help out with classes. The instructors I worked with represented several different agencies, and while some were not allowed to count me against their student to helper ratios, they were all happy to have me assist them in various ways. I learned a bunch about not just different ways to manage classes, and different "tricks" for teaching them ... but also about some of the basic differences in agencies.

A few months after completing my instructor training, the owner who'd encouraged me every step of the way sold his shop and got out of diving altogether. But to answer the "why" question succinctly ... I went pro because someone I considered a mentor and friend encouraged me to ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

It was for me the perfect storm of different factors coming into play. I had been diving for a number of years, and I really enjoyed it. I had the mistaken notion that I was pretty good at it. At the same time, I had to deal with the really clear and very painful fact that my favorite activities at the time were destroying my knees. Diving being easier on the knees by far, I decided to devote more time to it. I went for the Rescue Diver certification, and it piqued my interest.

At the same time I was retiring from my career in public education and looking for a new education-related hobby. I figured I could get my DM rating and enjoy myself helping instructors in the pool. I did that for a while, quite contentedly, and then the shop decided it would no longer use DMs as assistants--you had to be at least AI to help. So that put me into the instructor program.

Although it was not my intention to become an instructor originally, once on that path it became my focus. I really enjoy working with students at all levels of training, and I am now working on an entirely new advanced diving program for the shop with which I am working. I was always a tinkerer and an educational reformer, and I have been dong the same for scuba instruction. I am essentially doing my small part to reform scuba instruction, and I thoroughly enjoy that challenge.

My Story of going pro:

Right after I had managed to get my advanced open water, I ended working at a University with a very active dive club. My initial thoughts were not of being an instructor, but becoming a scientific diver, which is something that I had been wanting to do ever since I started diving. So I started going on club dives and spending all my time at dive shops around the area and attending dive shop sponsored dives, taking specialties and just getting in as much diving as possible. I spent most of my time looking for dive buddies, and was willing to dive with anyone. So I ended up diving with a lot of different people of different skill levels.

Now I never really thought that I was a good diver when I started, but the people that I was being buddied with at drop in dives were scary... I saw all sorts of stuff that I didn't really know was a problem at the time, and ended up having to help people out a time or two. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I did know something didn't feel right about what my buddies were doing.

Some of the things that happened were witnessed by DM's and instructors, and they were all impressed with the way I handled myself, and told me I should really think about becoming an DM. At the time it seemed like a good idea, so I applied at a few shops and got rejected . They had their reasons for doing so and in the end it didn't matter because an instructor friend referred me to a shop in a different area where I was moving to, and they agreed to take me on.

After becoming a DM, I spent a fair amount of time helping with classes in a different area (I spent a lot of time moving around in the last four years) and the instructors there told me that I would make a fantastic instructor. But because of all the moving, I didn't bother with it, I just kept on helping out as a DM.

Then I moved to the other coast of Canada and ended up diving with a great crew of people, two of which were IT's for SDI. It just so happened that they were running an SDI IDC and the price was right so I joined up. The next thing I know, I was an instructor.

So in summary, I suppose I went pro because I was told I had a knack for it, I enjoy it, and because the timing and price was right.

-- Travis

Just finished my assistant instructor this last weekend so new to that rating. I did it because I like being in the water and I like instructing people. Do it for several different areas in my day job and have always enjoyed watching people experince new things and learn. While DMing I had several people I had helped with tell my instructor I should be an instructor, that to me was a great compliment.

In contrast to the other posters, I went pro due to bad communication. Many years ago my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas. At the time I had been certified about 2 years, had just over 100 dives, and was at the rescue diver level. I told her I'd like a Master Scuba Diver Package from my local dive center. They sell a packages of five specialty classes ( you pick as you go) at a discounted rate from the per class price. Well, instead she got me a Divemaster certification package. I was intrigued, young (only 47) didn't want to act like I didn't like the gift, so I went with it and have never regretted it. There is a different type of growth and learning on the pro track, and I think most of it comes in the DM class. Theory, safety, and demonstration level skill mastery are the prime areas. There is also an attitude of positive leadership by example that came with my training. I maintain current insurance and cpr and first aid ratings, even though I am not a full time scuba pro. I enjoy working with new divers and certified divers, in training and in recreational diving. The training is beneficial whether you become a full time working pro or not. I highly recommend it.
DivemasterDennis

I first decided to get certified to take a field ecology class: Kelp Forest Ecology; this would exempt me from writing my college exit thesis although I'd still have to compile a scientific paper. I guess the main reason was the class would give me more structure, and scuba was something that sounded like a lot of fun. I had been watching national geographic shark films and always loved seeing the scuba diver scenes. I guess that has always stuck with me; that and Top Gun.

I went through 4 certs quickly to get scientifically rated; about the course of 10 months.
After a field course to Corsica, France I found out that I really REALLY like diving.

I didn't have a career choice in mind yet, but I knew I wanted it to do with scuba. Possibly teaching as a sideline hobby to my overall career.
So when I came back to the states I took my uni's DM course.
Found out after the first quarter that I really liked teaching and assisting classes. At that point I can definitely say that scuba became a passion.
The rest is history.

______________
The real kicker in my story is this would have never happened if I hadn't decided to try for a double major. I tried to go for a double in Marine Biology and Computer Science. I wanted to learn about marine life and be a computer animator. However I found out fairly late that I wanted to draw to animate, not code to animate. My uni taught the science coding side to computer animation.

I ended up failing a biology class because I spent so much time in the computer lab for a coding class. This led me to take a summer quarter, which led me to meeting another student who was taking the Kelp Forest class I was planning to take. I found out I needed a scientific rating to take the class, rather than just Basic OW. So I fast tracked to get everything I needed before the next deadline for the class (the class was offered every other year).

While I was taking my Adv and Rescue I found out I really hated coding and decided to drop my double. What swayed me to do this was that dropping would put less stress on me and also allow me to tryout for a study abroad field course. The next two quarter led to very few classes and a lot of time to help with the scuba program. I ended up getting into the field course and then proceeded to fast track my scuba education even further. Originally I was to take a year and a half (6 quarters) to get scientifically rated, with an extra quarter set aside (3months) in case I didn't get into a scuba class; I ended up finishing in 10 months (2.5 quarters).
Before going off to Corsica I signed up on scubaboard. Got my pride and ego knocked down a peg or two; AKA obtained scuba modesty, and the rest is history.

Had I not taken the double to begin with I would not have had so many credits early on to make my enrollment priority higher (hence easier enrollment less rearranging class schedules). I would also have not been exposed to so much scuba in so little time. I have no doubt I wouldn't have choose the same route if that weren't the case.

I did it because my husband became an instructor, and he wanted me to help him with classes. I wasn't very enthusiastic about doing it, although I really enjoy mentoring new divers. I'm still pretty ambivalent about shop group open water classes. The private classes we have taught have been fun, but those are a bit more selected students.

I just sort of fell into it. Got my first 'pro' rating after 12 years of diving (PADI Rescue / BSAC Sports).

I couldn't get a regular buddy at my local wet-spot in the UK, but the LDS there suggested a DM internship... economical way to dive every weekend for an indefinite period. I made it last 18 months and did a lot of diving. Price per dive worked out very cheap if you really took advantage of it. Hence DM.

Then there was a military scuba expedition to Ascension Island. The main purpose of that was to train BSAC Instructors for military diving clubs. I wanted to dive in Ascension...for free...so I signed up. Hence.. BSAC instructor.

When I left the military, a buddy of mine suggest spending some of my resettlement cash (funds given for training when leaving the forces) on a PADI IDC in Thailand. Nice way to get the tax payer to fund a month long vacation in the tropics! Hence.. PADI Instructor.

Having left the military - economy and job market in the UK sucked. The devil in my shoulder was saying "take a 1 year career break/sabbatical and go back to Thailand". Obviously, the party hadn't stopped. So I did. 6 years later... realizing that my sabbatical became my career.

Decided to get a Tech Instructor rating, because there was a great tech live-aboard where I was staying in Thailand... and if I brought students, then I got to tech dive for free. Free is nice. Hence, tech instructor.

Later on, did an SSI cross-over, so that I could take over management of a dual-agency shop there. It was ridiculously cheap, because SSI were doing a big expansion. Hence, SSI instructor.

Same sort of ill-conceived crap is still happening to me... probably get some new agency quals soon... Hence...

I had several hundred dives before getting another cert after OW. I was working at a dive shop when one of our instructors said he would take my then wife and me from AOL through AI for free if we helped with his classes for two years. We agreed. We had been making night and deep dives for a couple of years, so he signed us off on AOL. We not only had to help with classes, but also had to help him move twice and watch his dogs several weekends. After working as a DM for a year I missed diving for fun, so I put my DM hat away and hit the beach. I've never regretted it for a moment.