Major career change !

[mathauck0814]

I realize my amount of dives are far short of the requirements and that it would take quite a bit of time to achieve the instructor level od certification....
I have considered attending one of the dive academies in the keys to get through the certifications in about 16 weeks

I suspect your assumption about "quite a bit of time" is unrealistic. You may be able to tick the boxes on someone's checklist while they rush you through a few months of diver education training, but to think that you're going to go from <50 dives to an instructor in a few months (even a few months of diving all day every day) is foolish to me.

You can read all day long here on Scuba Board to get various takes on it, but there's no magic number of dives, number of years, etc. that will prepare you for the job. It's about variety of experience over a great period of time, the types of issues you've had yourself, mitigated for others, rescues you've performed and a whole host of categorically rare things that make an instructors' knowledge valuable. It takes a lot of time diving to build up that arsenal of experiences to the point where it's worthwhile for someone to want to buy access to your experiences (especially with the high degree of competition in the industry).

If you're in such a hurry, I'd second Akimbo's suggestion that you look more toward the captains' license or working on compressors, or leveraging some aspect of your previous business experience to aid a shop. You just won't even have scratched the surface of what you'll need to be a good instructor in 16 weeks. Or 32 weeks. Or considerably more...

 

[DL44585]

Agreed with most people here that fact that you are 50 doesn't matter at all!! But the 50 dive does.
However to become an instructor you will have to work your way up the recreational and professional levels first.

If you want more information try Dive with Dan - Scuba Diving - Daniel Lane has lots of information on there and many blogs on diving.

 

[WB2GLP]

Age isn't a problem. Limited dive experience isn't a problem for acceptance into a training program. BUT.....(not to rain on your parade or crush your dreams) getting your OWSI is less than half the battle. The REAL problem is finding a job as a newly certified OWSI that offers a salary that will sustain your current needs. In other words, I wouldn't quit your day job (or sell it) to chase down a dream unless you're financially prepared for tough times after earning your OWSI.

I'm sure you've heard the old joke, So how do you make a million dollars in the dive industry?

Think long and hard about what you're plans are and be honest with yourself because climing out of debt is much harder than falling into it.

Okay, I'm done sounding like your wife or parent.

 

[luscioman]

I would work on getting my AOW and Rescue now and get a few dives under your belt and they are a pre-requisite.

 

[Blyslv]

Thanks all, I'm in a similar boat, 51 and unenthusiastic about my current career.* The plan right now is to quit my job in Jan., move to a place where I can get DM certified, then spend at least a year diving, living very frugally, working where I can and getting a lot of experience logged. Then I will think about becoming an instructor. In the meantime I can observe various business models and assess local conditions for operating a business. I know I am not going to get rich, but if I can support myself in three years, I'd say I'm doing it right.

I mean why not jump into something totally new and unfamiliar and competitive? Can you think of a better way to make a 51 year old man feel 23 again?






*Ever notice how common water metaphors are in the English language?

 

[vhpillich]

As others have said... Log more dives and work towards your goal. Age should not be a factor (assuming you have no limiting medical conditions).

Go for it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jonhoodpms]

Hi all,
AWESOME responses ! I really appreciate everyone's input - good or bad !
I will be heading down to the Keys in a week or so to get some input for the diving academies !
Please keep all comments coming !

 

[sheeper]

Don't let just age stop you. If your skills, abilities and health support being an instructor...JUST DO IT.
I'm picking up again and (re) starting my instructor cert. I had dropped the original idea back in the 80's. Now I'm 56 (in 3 weeks) and looking forward to being an SDI Dive Instructor!

 

[DownbelowDiver]

I have always loved diving and considered getting my instructor license 10 years ago, but didn't because there were only 2 dive shops where I was and both were family owned.

Now, I am 52 years old and would like to get an instructors license but I am worried I may have a tough time getting a job because of my age - any thoughts or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Hi jonhoodpms ,

Have you ever heard the term &#8216;dive lifestyle&#8217;? When you enter the scuba diving industry, there is no distinction between a job and enjoying your life doing something you love to do, meaning a lifestyle. Teaching scuba diving is very rewarding, so it&#8217;s not common to hear dive Instructors talk of their &#8216;job&#8217;!

I am a PADI IDCS Instructor and a part of the Go PRO team at Downbelow Marine and Wildlife Adventures Travel and Tours Company based in Borneo.
We run 5 Instructor Development Courses (IDC) every year and our Platinum PADI Course Director Richard Swann has certified all races and ages of people from all walks of life who want to become a PADI Instructor for their own reasons!
Age discrimination would cause great losses in the dive industry. Some student divers appreciate someone older than themselves teaching them skills because of the social aspect concerning age.

For the IDC, we integrate the dive training under our 1-month professional internship program, and the fully inclusive itinerary is conducted at our premier PADI 5 Star IDC beach house on Gaya Island.
These internship programs are more than just dive training, it encapsulates the entire dive lifestyle experience, such as conservation practices.

PADI IDC | IDC Asia

Add us on any of these social network communities, on all of which we have a very active presence, and you&#8217;ll get a better idea of us and our daily activities!

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Any questions you have about diving, I&#8217;ll be happy to answer them!