heading into a career

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livefish

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im trying to figure out what type of career i can do with scuba diving. i was considering becoming a divemaster. i do have a few questions though. i want to have a stable income because my soon to be husband will be going through college at the time. what sort of income does a divemaster pull in? how dependable is that career. also i was thinking about working at an aquarium of some sort. mabey be a marine biologist, or something. does anyone recomend some sort of classes that i can take. i am at a community college so what sort of things should i do? please help the me.

your new friend,
livefish
 
I'd consider something else. Most divemasters work for almost nothing, sometimes nothing and are expected to do all the grunt work for their instructors/dive ops/boats while they log dive time towards their instructors certificate.

I've discussed this with two divemasters, one works in Cayman and after a year there he was finally able to stop going to the free happy hour buffets for dinner almost every night. He was hoping last year to be able to afford an upgrade to his own bedroom in the apartment he shares with his co-workers. Assuming he's still got a job post-Ivan.

The other is a contractor who DM's on the weekends. At best all he gets out of diving is free trips, tips and the occasional discount on gear.

Actually every instructor I know except one has a day job also. And his day job is owner of the LDS. Some LDS's hover on the brink of closing routinely. In my area, I've seen three fail and one new one start up in the last decade.

The waiting list for degreed marine biologists at aquariums is longer than you'd think. I know of several aquariums where just the exhibition divers list - who work for Free and clean the tanks - is 2 years long. I'm hoping to get on the list for a local aquarium that hasn't even been built yet.

Don't mean to rain on your parade, but that's the reality of a dive "career".
 
oh dont worry about raining on my parade. i want and need to know all views on this subject. i was having a hard time finding a general career and i thought why not advance to a divemaster(thinking it was a good career due to all the travelers and people interested on this subject) that does help me a lot because now i can possibly search elsewhere for a career, but where to start
your new friend,
livefish
sjspeck:
I'd consider something else. Most divemasters work for almost nothing, sometimes nothing and are expected to do all the grunt work for their instructors/dive ops/boats while they log dive time towards their instructors certificate.

I've discussed this with two divemasters, one works in Cayman and after a year there he was finally able to stop going to the free happy hour buffets for dinner almost every night. He was hoping last year to be able to afford an upgrade to his own bedroom in the apartment he shares with his co-workers. Assuming he's still got a job post-Ivan.

The other is a contractor who DM's on the weekends. At best all he gets out of diving is free trips, tips and the occasional discount on gear.

Actually every instructor I know except one has a day job also. And his day job is owner of the LDS. Some LDS's hover on the brink of closing routinely. In my area, I've seen three fail and one new one start up in the last decade.

The waiting list for degreed marine biologists at aquariums is longer than you'd think. I know of several aquariums where just the exhibition divers list - who work for Free and clean the tanks - is 2 years long. I'm hoping to get on the list for a local aquarium that hasn't even been built yet.

Don't mean to rain on your parade, but that's the reality of a dive "career".
 
A large part of the answer to your question depends on where you are and/or where you wind up. If you can find a place that is active in instruction and talk to the owners/instructors about their DM compensation you may be better off than a place that just does day trips (though at some big tipping resorts they'll do ok). If you're going to go into scuba diving as a career you should go to instructor at least for open water and EANx specialty. Of course opinions are like ___holes and free advice is often worth exactly what you paid for it. :)
 
I'm only a divemaster to facilitate some of my tropical field classes... it pulls in an extra $100 a year for me, which doesn't even cover my annual liability insurance.

I also teach as a marine biologist, which after a decade of college study in the field and years of research experience, nets me about 30% less than most starting teachers in public education make.

Regarding public aquarium jobs, I used to volunteer at one. :D
 
livefish:
what sort of income does a divemaster pull in? how dependable is that career.

Expect to lose money working as a DM. About half of us do. Good news is there are a lot of jobs for DMs - plenty of opportunites to lose money :biggrin: You can make money, but don't expect to support yourself, or your husband in school.
 
livefish:
im trying to figure out what type of career i can do with scuba diving. i was considering becoming a divemaster. i do have a few questions though. i want to have a stable income because my soon to be husband will be going through college at the time. what sort of income does a divemaster pull in? how dependable is that career. also i was thinking about working at an aquarium of some sort. mabey be a marine biologist, or something. does anyone recomend some sort of classes that i can take. i am at a community college so what sort of things should i do? please help the me.

your new friend,
livefish

I'm not a DM yet so, I cannot answer this part of your question. However, my academic background is in marine biology and I can talk about the scholastic side. Lots of science and math (biology, chemistry, zoology, calculus, etc.)! Try a general biology course or marine biology and see if you enjoy that aspect, then go from there. You may want to see if there are government or independent contract jobs in your area that are marine related. These types of jobs typically do not pay much, but if you enjoy it, you'll find it to be rewarding (or maybe that's just me).

Good luck!
 
I don't understand how anyone would work as a DM for little or no pay. I have worked at a dive shop for four years while in college. I only worked from MAY through AUGUST and averaged around $450/week. Granted, I was working 50-60 hours a week but lets be honest, a lot of that time is spent diving or riding on the boat or sitting in the shop answering the phones. Not exactly hard labor. You don't make a lot of money but then again your not doing anything that requires a high level of education. I have heard of people "interning" to receive their DM or OWSI. Most of the "deals" they were given came out to about $2 an hour. Anyone who agrees to this and then complains about not making enough money need only blame themselves. There are dive jobs out there that pay good money. But, you have to be commited and willing to relocate.
 
Trust us. If your planning on being a husband with a dependable income dont look for a job in the dive industry. Besides the grunt work, crappy lesson plans, annoying salesmen, having to rip off students and customers with overpriced gear and serivice fees, and constant competition by know it all dive shops, you make very little money. I would invest my time and money on a degree in marine policy. it seems to be paying the most now days. Look at schools that are around you. Im sure theres some school up north that can offer that. Trust me if you want to spend time in the water and have money and time to spend with your wife, then get a job that pays well and offers time off to do the things you love. just remember getting paid for diving is like getting paid for your sperm. you do get to jack off but the paperwork and the long waiting rooms just arent worth the money.
 
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