Why does every new diver want to be an instructor?

[TMHeimer]

I haven't met any new divers in person ever who said they wanted to be an instructor. But my guess would be that diving, like being a musician, is a very fun thing so why not teach it to make a living? Apparently, much easier said than done. But you also have to wonder, why not aspire to make a living DIVING--ie. commercial diver. The money seems very good there, though you can't do it for 30 years. Teaching involves a whole lot more than knowing how to dive well--it involves being a good communicator to students. I have no desire to be a scuba instructor, but taught school Band, and I'm sure teaching ability is the same regardless of subject.

 

[TSandM]

I don't necessarily think many people expect to make a living at it. But they just learned to dive, and they love it, and they looked up to the people who taught it to them, and they would like to become those people. It's a pretty natural response, really -- at least, it was mine. And you also get to see a bunch of other people in the pipeline ahead of you, so it seems fairly simple to do. And it is. That's the problem . . .

 

[uncfnp]

I admit i am amazed at the number of posts that I have read on SB from new or even want-to-be divers that have plans for some form of professional diving. Some apparently before they even hit the water! I know you guys are irresistible but...

 

[robertarak]

I have been taught to do a great many things; drive a car, ride a motorcycle, fly a plane, martial arts, boxing, close combat shooting, and several other fairly dangerous things. The thought never crossed my mind that I should start training to be an instructor of ANY of those things when I was just learning myself. I didn't even want to look past rescue as a diver for some time and many dives. This mindset of rapid advancement to be able to teach others to do the same is just scary.

 

[jar546]

Why would a high school senior who never picked up a hammer commit to a college to get a 4 year degree in architecture? What right do they have? They have every right but the typical, cynical person does not seem to understand that each of us have different dreams and aspirations that is our right to pursue. What concern is it of yours what others choose to do with their lives? Let others learn lessons on their own.

Why are Internet forums full of super confident, highly skilled people with more experience than anyone else?


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[TravisS.]

Instructors, at what point did you decided that you wanted to be an instructor?

Perhaps the popular culture saying "those who can't do teach" has some relativity in this instance.

I am content with continuing just being a diver and trying to be a better one at that, however I do recall a moment during my PADI OW class when I wished my college offered a BS in Scuba...

It may be worth considering that the zero to hero mentality perpetrates virtually every aspect of modern western culture. Gone are the days when young men submitted themselves as apprentices to masters (of trades or professions). Our forefathers set high standards, we lower those standards so that we may elevate ourselves, as opposed to obtaining skill through experience.

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

I believe it's the same mentality we find in our public education system We spend more time telling students they are exceptional and well suited to a certain task despite their actually ability. I see this frequently in many aspects of instructor / paying student.

Reality sets in later and this is why we see very few repeat customers after OW.

 

[uncfnp]

Why would a high school senior who never picked up a hammer commit to a college to get a 4 year degree in architecture? What right do they have? They have every right but the typical, cynical person does not seem to understand that each of us have different dreams and aspirations that is our right to pursue. What concern is it of yours what others choose to do with their lives? Let others learn lessons on their own.

Why are Internet forums full of super confident, highly skilled people with more experience than anyone else?


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i would equate it more with the high school senior that takes someone's blood pressure and decides that he wants to teach nursing.

I am not saying there is anything wrong with wanting to advance in diving, just an unusual number of people that decide this relatively early in their diving career.

 

[oreocookie]

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the amount of "I've never dove, but I want to be an instructor" posts on here is not reflective of the amount of people who actually consider this. The core of SB members are people (of all levels) who have a passion for diving. I think new divers on here are generally grouped into 3 categories: "I need encouragement/advice", "I want more information" and "I want to go pro", while new divers in general are probably divided into "this is not my thing", "this is fun, I'd do it again" or "this is awesome, how soon can i do it again?". The "this is awesome" group is the only one that might immediately want to go pro and they're probably the most likely to join SB.

I never considered going pro until I did my Rescue class, and even then, I'm not really sure what made me consider it. During my first session of my OW course, the instructor had us say how far we thought we'd go up the certification ladder when we introduced ourselves. At that point I figured I'd stop at AOW. Oops.

While I was doing my DM, I met someone who arrived at the shop intending to do zero-to-hero, having never done a dive in his life. I couldn't understand why. He told me all of his friends who had tried diving loved it, so he was sure he would too. Turns out he left after a week, barely finishing his OW after realizing he gets seasick really easily. I guess if diving is portrayed as being so easy that anybody can do it and that the pro lifestyle is just awesome, who wouldn't want to go pro asap, especially if you've tried it (diving) and realized that it really is awesome?

 

[4dawgma]

Just cause. On the flip side, after 21 years, I might get my advanced o/w this year. Although my instructor says I've already done everything, he suggested I practice my compass skills a bit. I can't ever find the damn boat.