Suggestion Suggestion: Years Certified

[Akimbo]

I think it would be more useful to display the actual “Years Certified” in the User Profile. Instead of having a pull-down menu with a very limited number of choices you could ask for the certification date (month and year). Then the "Years Certified" time could be calculated.

 

[Oldbear]

Useful in what way?

 

[agilis]

Useful in what way?

I'm wondering the same thing. Why would anyone care? I've been certified for 42 years. Next year I will have been certified for 43 years, the year after that for 44 years. That takes me to 2016.

Actually, I appreciate the opportunity to use the future perfect tense.

 

[Akimbo]

It can provide insight into a diver's comments that the number of dives can’t. A diver trained five or ten years ago will often express very different viewpoints compared to someone that was trained 20-60 years ago. Now that I consider it a little more, I would prefer to see a calculation of "Years Diving" rather than "Years Certified".

My first thought was to expand the range in the "Years Certified" drop-down but realized that people would have to maintain it over time.

I'm not suggesting this is a big deal, more like a small refinement.

 

[KeithG]

how about "hours underwater"?

i have met people who have been certified for thirty years and have not suited up for over 29 years....

 

[Rhone Man]

I think it is a reasonable idea, just so long as it is optional. Wouldn't want people to think of it as a way to belittle newer divers.

 

[Goodtime Adventures]

Years Diving/years certified doesn't necessarily mean too much though. Many divers get certified early in life, take many years off and come back to it later. Also many divers who are less avid - or more logistically and/or geographically challenged - may have been certified for many years, but are not such regular divers.

IMO there is nothing to suggest that just because you have been certified longer, you know more or have more experience. Although by this token I suppose you could say the same about dive numbers, although at least with that you would assume the more experience a diver gets the more skilled and knowledgeable they become. Or not, assumption being the mother of all f£*k ups and all that!

 

[chrisch]

If you dive long enough you will eventually realise how bad you were before and how much of what you know is actually wrong. The wiser/older/more experienced you get the more you realise you need to practice! Maybe the drop down menu should be "how good do you think you are" and then allow us to block out any idiot user that says "dive god"?

(Did my OW in 1990 - if you care - and still very much learning)

 

[Akimbo]

Years Diving/years certified doesn't necessarily mean too much though…

I think it is a reasonable idea, just so long as it is optional. Wouldn't want people to think of it as a way to belittle newer divers.

The same could be said for the way it is now. Another option would be to just eliminate it. In this case, I don't see the number of years being a reliable indicator of a diver's skill or experience, but it does shed light on how they were trained. That training will likely influence their opinions.

 

[drbill]

How about number of years SCUBA diving? I became certified in 1969 but first used SCUBA in 1962. I just didn't realize anyone had to be certified until I moved to California in 1969.