Scuba Career college degrees? What would be best?

[crashneo7]

So I've been craving to get into scuba diving. Lack of money and time kept me from it. But I'm free.... So I'm looking at persuing a career in scuba diving. I've been trying to figure out some college courses degrees that could help better the chances of acomplishing this. I'm thinking I'd like to get into some sort of area of environmental conservation of fresh water warm and cold. Inland lakes ponds rivers streams. I'm thinking studies in ecology and a few others would be good starters. Anyone with knowledge on any careers involving diving and some sort of field relating to this? If so what sort of degrees do you suggest persuing or college certifications? I know how to go about doing diving certifications so that topic is covered just curious about the college aspect of a future with diving. Thanks.

 

[OldNSalty]

What are you asking again? Forgive me but it is early...do you want to know what careers require a degree and involve diving or were you under the misconseption that college courses might help you pursue a career in diving?

Careers that require a college degree and might involve diving:
Underwater archeology (yes, there really is a degree)
Oceanography
Marine Biology
Maybe an Engineering degree and try to get a job designing scuba gear? (I knew some guys that did this for the Navy)
I'm sure there are more

College type courses that would let you dive:
Technical schools with certifications in things like underwater welding
???

You don't 'need' college to work in the diving world. Maybe a good business degree and take scuba as an elective.

You can go from zero to instructor with no high school, a little money and probably a few months of work. Good luck.

 

[smoothfin]

this might be worth checking into:

Great Lakes WATER Institute

Its the great lakes, not the inland stuff, but it might be worth checking out.

 

[crashneo7]

Thank you very much. I'm thinking studies in the field of Marine Biology might be a good place to get into. I have been surfing the internet all morning and for the past few days looking at college courses and found a site describing and explaing a marine biologists job and the different areas of it.. Thank you very much. And the Great Lakes Water Institute is very well known around here I completely forgot about it though for some random reason just compressing way to much to fast trying to jump right in.

 

[simmonsjr]

You could do a standard ecology degree and then apply the knowledge to aquatic systems. Or here is a good one through the University of New England: Aquatic Ecology and Management. Or you could specialize in something like Aquatic Entomology. Marine Biology could be a place to start but keep in mind that marine means ocean and you expressed interest in freshwater.

If you decide to approach it from a recreational standpoint then look for an outdoor leadership program. That's part of what I'm doing as a minor; although, as has been pointed out already, you do not need to take any college to work as a dive professional - you just have to go through the certifying agency's instructor program.

Jason

 

[Rhone Man]

Not much money in Marine Biology. I'd tend to aim for something on the engineering front - you can parley that into a lot of different opportunities. Underwater mining has been "the next big thing" for about four decades now, but there are signs that it may finally be starting to happen.

 

[simmonsjr]

May I also suggest posting this query here: Marine Life and Ecosystems - ScubaBoard? You will likely get a more focused answer.

 

[OldNSalty]

Depending on your aptitude, you may be able to pursue a high paying degree void of scuba and then just spend your spare time and disposable income on diving

 

[kwflfire]

Here at our local college we have a diving school, here's the link School of Diving you can move down here for 2 years and get your degree.

 

[MSilvia]

I'm looking at persuing a career in scuba diving. I've been trying to figure out some college courses degrees that could help better the chances of acomplishing this. I'm thinking I'd like to get into some sort of area of environmental conservation of fresh water warm and cold. I'm thinking studies in ecology and a few others would be good starters. Anyone with knowledge on any careers involving diving and some sort of field relating to this? If so what sort of degrees do you suggest persuing or college certifications?

I recommend checking out the University of Maine at Machias. It's a small school, with about 2500 students last time I knew, and they have two areas in which they particularly excel... environmental/marine science, and recreation management. If you were enrolled there, you could major in marine biology or environmental studies with a concentration in marine ecosystems, or you could get into the recreation management program and learn how to run a profitable scuba business while taking elective courses from either of the other paths I mentioned.