I would like to attend a school in Florida, so does anyone know of a good school or is an instructor that I could meet up with sometime this summer? Also, I've been wondering how easy it'll be to find work and how many advanced classes, after I get my OW license, would I need to take to get a decent job? Decent meaning being able to afford an apt in FL by myself... nice driving distance from the coast. Diving is my dream job, but I just wanna make sure it'll pay off.
I Want To Pursue a Career In Diving
- Thread starter Aqua888
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pollywogg
Guest
Sorry to tell you this, but diving prefessionally doesn't pay. You will not be able to afford an apartment by yourself anywhere that's near the water in Flroida. Most, if not all, new divers wnat to do it professionally. It's so cool, who wouldn't want to get paid for it. But there's the catch. Fun diving doesn't pay. Talk to many DMs that have been doing it awhile. They don't dive for fun nearly as much as you would think. If you want to get salty, you could go the commercial diving route. There is better money to be made there, but from what I understand, you usually have to put in your time tending or elsewhere before you can even put on your hat and get your feet wet in larger operations.
Not sure where in Florida you are, so I can't reccomend anybody. Who do you want to certify through? NAUI and PADI are tried and true.(I myself am NAUI biased) However, many PADI and NAUI shops down here are switching over to SSI. The availability of a certain program or SCUBA certification agency in your area will sway who you train up through.
And finally, take your time and learn to dive before you train up to DM(or wherever your diving aspirations may be). It(should be) a long road with lots and lots of dives and education(Ahem..Zero-to-Hero).
Not sure where in Florida you are, so I can't reccomend anybody. Who do you want to certify through? NAUI and PADI are tried and true.(I myself am NAUI biased) However, many PADI and NAUI shops down here are switching over to SSI. The availability of a certain program or SCUBA certification agency in your area will sway who you train up through.
And finally, take your time and learn to dive before you train up to DM(or wherever your diving aspirations may be). It(should be) a long road with lots and lots of dives and education(Ahem..Zero-to-Hero).
Yeah, I thought about the Commercial Diving Academy, but I'm not too sure I wanna weld or anything like that :/ I guess I was kinda hoping that you'd say that resorts would be hiring for people to do dive tours and stuff. Well what about marine biology? I was looking on fkcc.edu and saw research diving.. Marine Biologists get paid well, I'm sure! I really want to work in the ocean. I would hate to have to have some old boring office job..
Jupiter31
Contributor
Getting a degree is never a bad idea - good luck
luckydays
Contributor
I think many of us would love to have a career in diving some way but the money just is not there. At least not enough for me. Many people I have met who dive professionally either have another job or are pretty strapped for cash. They do it because they love it, not because of the money. After years of living off of a military paycheck, I cant live like that again so I will remain a recreational diver who gets wet when ever possible.
Good luck to you though. College is always a great thing. Find a career you love and dive on the weekends for fun. Or DM for a shop on those same weekends and work for tips while getting your dives in.
Good luck to you though. College is always a great thing. Find a career you love and dive on the weekends for fun. Or DM for a shop on those same weekends and work for tips while getting your dives in.
Aqua888:
Before buying into the "you can't make a living in the dive industry" false truth, check out threads such as the one below. For me the industry is just a hobby (I am a part time DM), but I can name at least 2 dozen full timers in fields related to recreational diving that make over $100,000 annually. The question you have to ask is, "are you willing to work your butt off to be successful?" If the answer is yes, you will make it in the dive industry. If the answer is no, good luck anywhere you go!
There are a great number of dive professionals that approach their careers/jobs like a hobby... It should not be a shock that it doesn't work in diving any better than it does in any other industry...
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/new-divers-those-considering-diving/284874-diving-careers.html
P
P.S. A degree is always a good idea!
Before buying into the "you can't make a living in the dive industry" false truth, check out threads such as the one below. For me the industry is just a hobby (I am a part time DM), but I can name at least 2 dozen full timers in fields related to recreational diving that make over $100,000 annually. The question you have to ask is, "are you willing to work your butt off to be successful?" If the answer is yes, you will make it in the dive industry. If the answer is no, good luck anywhere you go!
There are a great number of dive professionals that approach their careers/jobs like a hobby... It should not be a shock that it doesn't work in diving any better than it does in any other industry...
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/new-divers-those-considering-diving/284874-diving-careers.html
P
P.S. A degree is always a good idea!
The most common role in scuba is not an instructor , DM etc. It is a SALES person. You don't make enough money to support yourself and your family off being an instructor alone. You have to rely on sales in association with your instructor or DM role.
Who better to sell scuba gear, upgrades, new items to than your students?
Who better to sell scuba gear, upgrades, new items to than your students?
rsldonk
Contributor
To be taken seriously in the field, you need a minimum of a PhD. That's a good 5 or 6 (and depending on the program possibly more) years AFTER the bachelor's degree. To top that off, most professors make ok, money, but not 6 figures. By the time you pay off all your student loans for going to school that long, you're about ready to retire. It's a rewarding career path, but it's not going to pull in the big bucks. Now if you like doing research and all the mind-numbing numbers crunching that comes after your initial data gathering, this is the way to go. You will never go wrong getting an education.
Outside of commercial diving, there is not really a lot of money to be made. The owner of my LDS pulled out $600 for the entire year last year (he's also an accountant, so he makes his living money on that) and more or less uses his dive shop as a way that he can write off his diving expenses for tax purposes. Basically, owning the shop supports his habit. Not a bad way to go, but not a really good way to do something like support a family.
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