Why does every new diver want to be an instructor?

[TravisS.]

I question the desire for some to instruct others in something they know nothing or very little about.

Have you attended or sat in on a College level course at a University lately? Your same question kept me up for several nights after visiting University of Colorado, Boulder!

My biggest critique of my college professors is that the majority are not experts in their field. This is a major stumbling block to their students, learning is hard enough when you have a good teacher, an incompetent one is drain on themselves and their students.

 

[diverrex]

When I first started diving I also thought it was strange that so many beginning divers immediately talked about going for DM and instructor, before they even knew if they were a good diver. I really find it strange when someone who has never done a single dives talks about becoming an instructor.

 

[Doomnova]

There are 3 types of Proffs at the univeristy level,

1)Proffs who teach because the can do it and go out of their way to make sure you do well (rare) and solely teach (even rarer).
2)Proffs who are there to do research and know they can't teach well in a classroom setting but have to teach as part of their tenure.
3)Proffs who can teach do it pretty well/well and do research (very rare)

Most people at university's probably know a lot about their specific field and areas of interest, but are forced to teach because that it part of their job whether or not they are good at it or like or dislike. Many of them are smart enough they cannot easily pass on what they know/how they think. I had a proff like this for physical oceanography this summer he knew what he was talking about but you almost had to get him in a small group/1 on 1 to really understand what he was saying.

Anywho lets turn this tangent back into a secant for the discussion at hand.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Get a PADI Instructor License, take some intensive "immersion" (pardon the pun!) courses in Chinese, Korean or Japanese, learn the Metric System --and you've got a potential job of teaching or at least dive guiding waiting for you at any dive-ops resort across the Indo-Pacific/SE Asia/Oceania Region. . .

 

[scubamarketing]

Rise in zero-to-hero: PADI Go Pro nights.

I knew my first dive (45F water temp, 35F air temp, 5-10' visibility) that I wanted to be an instructor because being underwater was amazing and I wanted to be able to introduce others to it. One year and 13 courses all instructed by our veteran Course Director and I was one. My first day of teaching, I knew I wanted to be a course director (although I later stopped at Master Instructor) because I wanted to be able to help other people like me be able to share their love for diving with others.

 

[drbill]

I never once even thought about becoming an instructor during my first few years of diving. Of course it may have had something to do with the fact that back then, I hadn't been certified and therefore had never even met a certified diver much less an "instructor." When I finally got certified eight years later, I had no thought of becoming professional then, either. My interest was in becoming certified so I could teach marine biology to my students using SCUBA... I had to get certified when I moved to California.

Today the thought of becoming a dive professional is the farthest from my mind. Why would I want to assume all that potential liability while being paid peanuts. All I still want to do is educate people about the critters they see down under! Of course you knew that already, Robert.

---------- Post added January 19th, 2013 at 06:53 AM ----------

I was fortunate enough to go to a university where the faculty were almost always experts in their field and most of them were very good if not exceptional; teachers as well. They inspired me to teach, and it turned out I was pretty good at it according to my high school and university students.

My biggest critique of my college professors is that the majority are not experts in their field. This is a major stumbling block to their students, learning is hard enough when you have a good teacher, an incompetent one is drain on themselves and their students.

 

[theduckguru]

How did you develope the opinion that every new diver wants to be an instructor? When scuba is offered at colleges, a very high percentage enrolled in the class never complete the open water requirements for the certificate. There is also a very high percentage of OW divers who never dive again after certification. The drop out rate alone far exceeds the instructor wanna be rate.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I don;t see anything wrong with new divers aspiring to become DM's and instructors . I also don't think all, or even most, new divers feel that way. Those that post on SB are more than the unusual casual diver, and their interest level is great, as is their enthusiasm. Hopefully, early on down their path to becoming a dive pro they will realize that you become a pro, you just don't "be one. You become one by going through the designated course of training AND by developing competence through experience in diving in different conditions, places, with different gear. I knew a divemaster here in Colorado who received his credential with 65 total dives, all of which were in Aurora Reservoir at depths of 20 feet to maximum of 60 feet. He had credentials but not competence, as he never dealt with anything unusual, had very limited knowledge of equipment, and could tell divers getting ready to go diving in Cozumel or Hawaii or Florida anything about diving in salt water, proper weighting, etc. I hope there are always new divers who have the desire and enthusiasm to grow into competent professionals AND will invest the time necessary to gain the experience, along with education, to be competent professionals down the line. Key word: competent.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Dsix36]

I do not, and have never, had the desire to be a DM or an instructor.

Another possible idea springs to mind. That is simply doing what you love for a living???

When I graduated high school and was about to continue my education, I had a serious choice to make. I still do not know if I made the right decision, but I am living with it. I had awesome grades and was awarded several scholarships to college. I turned down 4 different ones that were board, book, and tuition for a 4-6 year term to pay my own way through a vocational program. My thinking was that this was going to determine the rest of my life and I wanted to have a job that I actually enjoyed doing rather than just to make money for the bills. My chosen industry changed drastically and I am no longer doing it, but it was still my decision to make.

There really is something to be said for being able to have a job that you enjoy. In my experience, turning a fun hobby into a job tends to drastically reduce the fun factor. This is why I will never do anything in the dive industry professionally.

 

[TMHeimer]

I do not, and have never, had the desire to be a DM or an instructor.

Another possible idea springs to mind. That is simply doing what you love for a living???

When I graduated high school and was about to continue my education, I had a serious choice to make. I still do not know if I made the right decision, but I am living with it. I had awesome grades and was awarded several scholarships to college. I turned down 4 different ones that were board, book, and tuition for a 4-6 year term to pay my own way through a vocational program. My thinking was that this was going to determine the rest of my life and I wanted to have a job that I actually enjoyed doing rather than just to make money for the bills. My chosen industry changed drastically and I am no longer doing it, but it was still my decision to make.

There really is something to be said for being able to have a job that you enjoy. In my experience, turning a fun hobby into a job tends to drastically reduce the fun factor. This is why I will never do anything in the dive industry professionally.

I couldn't agree more. Even with my very limited experience assisting with classes it's easy to see that it is a job. For one thing, if it weren't, you wouldn't get paid--nobody is going to pay you to just have fun all the time. It doesn't really have much to do with diving for fun. It CAN at times be fun and rewarding if you like working with students. But that is the reward, not seeing something great underwater. When I'm with a class I must turn off my overwhelming tendency to scour the bottom for shells. I can see why some instructors get burnt out. Same thing with teaching anything--you must enjoy teaching, not just "doing" the subject. I always read that instructors should make time for their own diving, and it is obvious why.