Careers in the Scuba Industry

[Hullsner]

I am attending college next year i know i want to do somthing with diving but I don't know what to major in in college. I hoped to gain some insite from some of you on the scuba board. I would really appreciate your help and ideas.

 

[rmediver2002]

As a scientist you could specialize in underwater work:

Anthropology, biology, oceanography, geology


If you decide to major in business then you could go to work for:

Manufacturers, magazines (management or sales), travel industry


There is also work available as both a freelance and staff writer for the various dive industry magazines.


If you want to instruct as a business then check out FKCC Florida Keys Community College, they have a diving business management degree and you will be able to complete all your instructor qualifications as credit courses.

The of course you could always consider commercial diving or military diving but the number of days in clear water enjoying the view will decrease to near zero in either case...

There are so many different ways to go, and I did not even scratch the surface here. Decide most importantly what your interests are and what you would be happy doing over the long term.

I would be very interested to hear how your search and selection goes...

Good luck!!

Jeff Lane

 

[rmediver2002]

Oh yeah,

If interested in diving as a scientist why not attend the best training program?

www.adp.fsu.edu

http://www.anthro.fsu.edu/uw/uw.html

http://www.adp.fsu.edu/uwbio.html

Good luck!!!

Jeff

 

[O-ring]

I have degrees from both sides of the picture (practical and non-practical) and I think you will end up finding something in college that blows you away. I would start taking your general/block courses and see what grabs you.

Anyway, I think these general ideas hold pretty well (others may disagree).

Liberal arts/social sciences - very interesting areas.. if you are planning to work in them plan now for an MA and probably a PhD if you want to make any money in them. Job opportunities outside your area (i.e. business or technology with a liberal arts BA) are possible, but you have to really sell yourself and be creative (and diligent) about finding a job.

Engineering/Business - very practical areas.. you are likely to get a job right out of school with no advanced degree and will have a higher starting salary (esp. engineering). Drawback - less interesting and more susceptible to working in "the grind" than the others.

You could probably fashion a dive career out of anything you do in college.. Above all, enjoy college. I rank the college years among the best of my life and had an absolutely amazing time.

 

[Wendy]

If you are a divemaster you can work part time at Disney World in the Living Seas at EPCOT. The University of Central Florida is here, so you could work there part time while in school.

Also if you have a degree in marine biology or something like that you can get a job at Sea World as a trainer.

You could major in a social science (criminal justice, political science, or sociology) and become a police officer, get your DM, and try to get on a law enforcement dive team.

Or just skip college and start a business cleaning the hulls of boats in marinas while scubadiving.

 

[AzAtty]

Having switched majors 4 times myself, I finally settled on Economics because I liked it. Ironically, one reason I chose Econ was because I thought it wouldn't require much math (I didn't like math). But I ended up in doctoral level math classes by the end of my program and I loved it.

Choose something that interests you. There is nothing worse than subjecting yourself to countless hours of material you would rather not learn. If you're concerned about the marketability of your degree, consider graduate school after you finish college.

All you need is a little creativity to figure out a way for diving to play a role in your career. The most obvious courses of study are those involving marine biology. Engineering, medicine, law, accounting, marketing, fashion design, and many other areas of study could have diving incorporated into them.

 

[Hullsner]

Thanks for all the Info!!!!!!

 

[Amphibious]

I'm in the same boat you are.

I'm Majoring in B.Sc. Natural Resource Management with a Minor in Geomorphology. Hope to work with Marine parks and Artificial reef development.

look into the local fish and game and Natural resource people. a lot of places have volunteer positions for fish counting and habitat studies. no money - but a good way to get connected. I'm filming Salmon swims this summer/fall for the university. looks good on applications.

WENDY: just a note- you can work at disney, but you have to be a NAUI divemaster or Instructor. they only hire Naui.

Willer

 

[Lawman]

who has the best diving equiptment, ships,
missions and training? Uncle sam, that's who.
The pay isn't bad and if you like the life it's
a great career.

 

[Wendy]

Amphibious once bubbled...
WENDY: just a note- you can work at disney, but you have to be a NAUI divemaster or Instructor. they only hire Naui.

Willer

I didn't see that on the job description. It just said that you have to have DM cert, 50 logged hours, CPR/First Aide, O2 provider certs.