How old is too old to start a career in diving?

[lisagreen01]

Hi divers,

I thought I'd get a conversation started about age and the diving industry. I'm 32 and heading overseas to finally achieve my dream of becoming a dive instructor. A couple of questions

Do you think this is too old to start a successful career in diving?
What do you think the advantages/disadvantages are of joining the diving industry after your 20s?
Do you also think it's possible to have both worlds - work as a dive instructor or somewhere else in the dive industry and still raise a family if the opportunity came along with the right person?
Do you think the diving industry is an ageing one and there for there are more older instructors about?

I've been wanting to achieve this dream for so many years and my main concern is I should have started many years ago in the industry and I'll be disadvantaged by my age. I've been diving since 2012 in place such as Belize, Mexico, Jordan, Thailand, Komodo, Bunaken...the list goes on! I plan on becoming MSDT certified in Thailand at this stage.

Thank you,
Lisa

 

[C Dub]

1 year.

 

[northernone]

Hopefully you have solid employable skills already developed and a work ethic which will make you valuable to a business.

The dive industry is flooded with barely trained "professionals" who can barely feed themselves on minimal wages for their minimal skills.

It's rare for someone to feed a family fulltime working in this hobby.

Can't speak about the trend of age in the industry.

Hopefully that's useful.
Cameron

 

[Blasto]

Do you think this is too old to start a successful career in diving?

Depends on your definition of "career" and "success". If you define the former as any job at all and the latter as not physically starving, then just about never.

I've been wanting to achieve this dream for so many years and my main concern is I should have started many years ago in the industry and I'll be disadvantaged by my age.

If you had started many years ago, you'd most likely be in the exact same place as where you started, which also happens to be the correct answer to "where do you see yourself in 10 years" in this industry.

 

[Steve_C]

The only really bad thing that can happen is that you spend the last 20 years of your life asking what if. At worst you will do a lot more diving for a few years and have some experiences and go on with your life knowing you tried and the diving life was not really for you.

Like all professions, you need a lot more experience, your card is just permission to start learning the business, it takes people and communication skills that need to be developed. You also need to round out what you do in some way. Learn to run a shop? Develop a youth dive program? Work in the movie industry? All of this requires getting a lot more experience and training under your belt. Most businesses loose money for the first bit if not for ever.

 

[joe10540]

There is a joke about the difference between a new dive instructor and a pizza.

A pizza can feed a family of four.

If you are able to make a name for yourself and work for yourself you will make more money than if you are working for someone else BUT you also won’t make any money if you aren’t teaching. It’s a great side business to fund vacations or more diving but you won’t be able to do it exclusively for quite some time.

 

[Steve_C]

I will toss another point in the ring. How many friends do you have? How easy do you talk to strangers? Do you come across as competent but not egotistical. Are you naturally a supportive person. Can you take charge if needed in an emergency situation. Can you be a decent positive person to others even when you feel like do do. Like all businesses you need to have happy customers who will recommend you to their friends and family and want to come back for more.

 

[ChuckP]

So you're saying at 51, I probably shouldn't quit my day job? LOL

 

[Steve_C]

So you're saying at 51, I probably shouldn't quit my day job? LOL

Depends on the day job and how much you have stashed away from it.

 

[NatureLVR]

Man, you folks are killin' it. Every one of your comments are spot on.