hijax
Contributor
- Messages
- 158
- Reaction score
- 36
- # of dives
- 25 - 49
@ScubaDoo83 a little late reply but figure I'd jump in since I've been in IT for 25 years, felt what you've felt and done some homework. Honestly, the feedback I've received in the past is that it's a really tough living and certainly not as glamorous as it may seem. The DMs and instructors work their butts off, don't get compensated near enough for the headaches they endure (especially problematic customers), have to maintain flexible and odd hours and incur tremendous liability due to the nature of what their teaching (hence why they need to be insured). So you have to ensure that you have a definite passion not only for diving but for customer service and teaching all while living on a fairly tight budget. Unless you own a dive shop or find one that offers really good commissions for sales & teaching, you'd have a very hard time making what a person in IT makes. It's certainly possible but it doesn't seem to be the norm.
My recommendation is similar to what someone else mentioned. Move down to a tropical place and work as a freelance software developer. That'll afford you the flexibility you want to dive while allowing you to maintain a solid living. I live in South Florida and can tell you we have some great diving here and Key Largo is only an hour and a half away from Ft. Lauderdale. And hour south of Miami for that matter. It would also allow you to continue your training and giving you a chance to determine if the professional route is for you. For me it's not the route I want to take but I have continued my education becoming an SSI AOW and planning on taking my rescue diver course soon.
And I would recommend checking out Ultimate Software as they were rated one of the best employers in the nation: HR Software & HR Payroll Solutions for HCM - Ultimate Software. If I didn't get to work for Microsoft from home, Ultimate would be the place I'd go to in a heartbeat. They're based in South Florida and have a lot of employee perks.
Hope all of this helps.
My recommendation is similar to what someone else mentioned. Move down to a tropical place and work as a freelance software developer. That'll afford you the flexibility you want to dive while allowing you to maintain a solid living. I live in South Florida and can tell you we have some great diving here and Key Largo is only an hour and a half away from Ft. Lauderdale. And hour south of Miami for that matter. It would also allow you to continue your training and giving you a chance to determine if the professional route is for you. For me it's not the route I want to take but I have continued my education becoming an SSI AOW and planning on taking my rescue diver course soon.
And I would recommend checking out Ultimate Software as they were rated one of the best employers in the nation: HR Software & HR Payroll Solutions for HCM - Ultimate Software. If I didn't get to work for Microsoft from home, Ultimate would be the place I'd go to in a heartbeat. They're based in South Florida and have a lot of employee perks.
Hope all of this helps.