Would you?

[scubafied]

First, the breakdown.

I was OW certified at the beginning of this year. I've always been drawn to the outdoors and been particularly fond of wildlife. Add to that the fact that I'm a bit of a gear ***** when it comes to outdoor sports and it was only natural that my first experience with the underwater world was borderline euphoric.

Stuck in a job for the last 12 years or so that I was aching to move on from, I thought maybe this was the answer I had been looking for. Spurred by my initial excitement I dove into the forums and websites trying to uncover any additional information about possibilities for training opportunities, job opportunities, and lifestyles to be had from living as a dive instructor/professional. The information I found was fairly grim and led me to believe that given my situation (married with a couple of dogs and attempting the whole domestication thing), it may be possible but some things were going to change drastically and we should be prepared.

Fast forward to today. The divorce is almost final, my job laid me off, I don't have a car to worry about and I got one of the dogs in the split. I've got somewhere in the neighborhood of $16,000 in savings and an additional monthly income of $700 from another source.

Now, the question.
Given my circumstances, would you take the plunge?

I think after my initial instructor training was finished I'd like to focus on the video/photography side of things since that is another of my main interests. I'd also look into various other certifications to make myself more useful/employable. Combined with 13 years of customer service experience working for a 4 star resort I'm hoping my employment options would be decent.

I know the dog is going to be one of the big hurdles but I think I can manage to keep her with me as I've already spoken with a couple of IDC's that could help me find housing that would allow her. I'm also aware that the living to be made on the recreational side of things in this industry is going to be fairly nominal but am hoping that combined with my other resources I may have enough to live a simple life near the beach.

Thoughts?
Comments?
Questions?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Louie]

Why not? There's nothing really holding you back and if there's something you really want to do, go for it.

What I would do in similar circumstances is:

• Do a bit of research and see which places interest you
• Take more courses, do more dives and see if you're REALLY into it
• Maybe take a mini-break or mini-breaks in a couple of different locations to see if the lifestyle is something you'll enjoy
• Ask yourself if you want "challenging" lifestyles and and full of unpredictable and exciting situations or do you want one that is quiet and stable

Your dog may put limitations on your travel and work options but you've already looked into options for taking it with you so you're aware of this matter.

$700 may seem small in North America and Western Europe but there are countries where that will subsidise you and give you a nice backup income.

All the best figuring it out and enjoy whatever you end up doing!

 

[knowone]

What's the name of the dog?

 

[RJP]

If it's what you want to do, you'll figure out how to make it work. Just realize that once you start trying to make a living doing something you love as a hobby often take some of the luster away.

Plus the fact that if you want to combine dive instruction and photography, your $16,000 will barely cover training, scuba gear, and photo equipment.

Perhaps the other move to consider is to simply move to a resort location and find employment that affords you the opportunity to dive when you're not working, as opposed to diving for work.

 

[terrylowe]

Wow! Sounds like life has not been very fun for you lately. Sorry about the divorce. And laid off to boot... That's a really "heavy" first post.

I have a few of points of advice for you:
1. Be careful making decisions while you are under big stress or pain. I would suggest that NOW is not the perfect time for you to make this kind of decision.
2. Put together life goals in 4-5 year blocks. Think "what do I want to be doing with my life in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?" And on and on. Then do whatever you have to do accomplish those goals. Does being a world-traveling scuba instructor fit what you want for yourself in 25 years?
3. Be skeptical of the advice you get. A scuba web board might be a place to get flippant, biased or even incorrect suggestions.

Best of luck to you!

Terry

 

[knowone]

Personally I would never have split the dogs.

 

[Garrobo]

"My theory in life has always been: "Do it and worry about the consequences later." Worked for me over the years.

 

[fjpatrum]

Take the plunge. Nothing has ever been gained in life by being timid. Worst thing that happens is you find you don't like it and you're "out of work" longer than you would be if you got another 9-5 job.

 

[fab50diver]

Absolutely!!! At 50, I really wish we'd moved around more and certainly I wish we lived much nearer the beach! Do it!!!

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I gave up my cat because her dog and my cat were "brothers"

Then I went to Key Largo to become an Instructor, and spent a couple thousand on camera gear