Does this plan sound reasonable?

[emttim]

Alright, so my eventual goal is to be debt-free and be a PADI instructor so I can live off the 30Kish/year it pays and live decently since I'll have no payments outside rent. I was planning to just go straight from DM to OWSI to MSDT by the time I finish at Davis, but after reading some threads here and noting the fact that I have an abundance of time since I'm only 24, I'm thinking maybe I should stop at DM for right now and focus maybe not so much on logging dives but on assisting classes. In reference to the recent thread where an instructor had 5 students and 2 of them ran OOA on a deep dive, well...I'd rather not be /that/ instructor, so I figure getting as many class assists in as possible as a DM will help me avoid that.

So I'm thinking of getting my DM by next summer, finishing up at Davis with my degree, work on getting my CFA and get an entry-level job somewhere and spend the next 3 years getting rid of my debt, accumulating some assets as well if possible, and assisting classes as a DM. Once I have my cFA & bachelor in econ, I figure if I choose to, I can still act as a consultant on my own schedule while I do SCUBA instruction--or just do instruction by itself. I think if I do it that way, I'll have 3-4 years of experience assisting classes as a DM and I'm going to guess maybe 200-300 logged dives (probably more since I plan to get a job after college in an area in Florida where I don't have to travel to go diving but I'm being conservative) before I go to EASE and get my OWSI & MSDT. This sound like a good plan to you guys?

 

[Doc]

This sound like a good plan to you guys?

Sometimes life gets in the way of even the best laid plans.

 

[muddiver]

Why not go the distance now and get your Instructor cert. and then work with someone as an assistant? DM typically make $0 here on the left coast. As an Instructor you could do simple stuff like refresher classes or discover local diving while you build up your experience, and make money while you are doing so. also since your an EMTy why don't you get your DMT and work at a local chamber as well. There are positions out there.

Just some ideas.

 

[bmcsteve]

Sometimes life gets in the way of even the best laid plans.

Yes it does.... Sounds like a great plan, but you have to remain flexible. Especially since you left out the part about "accidentally" falling in love and getting married, having kids, etc.... Gotta have a contigincy plan for that, because it always seems to happen just when you think you have everything mapped out perfectly.

 

[Doc]

you left out the part about "accidentally" falling in love and ....

I hear that Cindy McCain has a sister.

 

[emttim]

Why not go the distance now and get your Instructor cert. and then work with someone as an assistant? DM typically make $0 here on the left coast. As an Instructor you could do simple stuff like refresher classes or discover local diving while you build up your experience, and make money while you are doing so. also since your an EMTy why don't you get your DMT and work at a local chamber as well. There are positions out there.

Just some ideas.

Hmm, all good points. I definitely would like working as a DMT since obviously medicine & patient care interests me, seeing as I work as an EMT. I would think most of the DMT jobs would be at Duke though...and I have no plans to ever live in PA.

Yes it does.... Sounds like a great plan, but you have to remain flexible. Especially since you left out the part about "accidentally" falling in love and getting married, having kids, etc.... Gotta have a contigincy plan for that, because it always seems to happen just when you think you have everything mapped out perfectly.

Well, of course I'm going to be flexible, but I've already accidentally fell in love before & based on how it turned out...well, I know better now than to tie my life to another person regardless of reason. The most a girl would be to my life is a welcome addition, however, key word is addition since she wouldn't change my plans or goals in anyway. I don't count on anyone other than myself to have my best interests in mind.

I hear that Cindy McCain has a sister.

Yeah, I bet the youngest McCain is probably still 50 years old too...I'll pass.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Sounds like a good plan. I would like to do something scuba related when I can afford to retire (like 10-15 years). I like the plan of getting the degree and pursuing the dream at the same time.

Do it now well you are single and no commitments (houses, wife, Kids etc...) If you already have these then you shouldn't be having this conversation until you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[MX727]

Who are you diving with out there? Is Mother Lode still a shop in Sacramento?

 

[emttim]

Sounds like a good plan. I would like to do something scuba related when I can afford to retire (like 10-15 years). I like the plan of getting the degree and pursuing the dream at the same time.

Do it now well you are single and no commitments (houses, wife, Kids etc...) If you already have these then you shouldn't be having this conversation until you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Yeah, naw I don't have any commitments like you mentioned. Otherwise I'd just forget about it since I would have little choice as far as moving goes.

Who are you diving with out there? Is Mother Lode still a shop in Sacramento?

I have a few buddies but ironically it seems as if almost none of them can ever dive, so I just dive with whomever I can. I've damn near thought about solo diving a few times because it's been such a PITA but I'm just firmly against playing chicken with death unnecessarily.

I've never heard of Mother Lode. The only dive shops in Sacramento that I know of are Andy's Scuba World and Dolphin Scuba Center.

 

[Ed L.]

Getting out of debtis your first goal. You are planning on getting some assets together and I presume you are talking about savings. You want at least one year of living expenses stashed away for an emergency. This way you are not calling mommy, daddy or the credit card companies to bail you out.