Suggestions on getting me out of the office and going pro

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

ScubaDoo83

Contributor
Messages
349
Reaction score
84
Location
Covington, KY
# of dives
100 - 199
I've got a decent paying job in IT but I absolutely hate going to an office everyday. I am thinking of taking a year or two off to go overseas as a scuba instructor. Here's the situation:

- I'm 30

- Have some savings (outside of retirement)

- Currently obtaining my OW (bought all my own gear, premium gear)

- No wife, kids or mortgage

- Payments for student loans will start in a year or so (no other debt)

- I'm in the midwest with limited diving options (and winters)

- I could supplement my income online using my technical background

So I have a few concerns about how exactly I can go about doing this including:

- How can I move into an instructor role as efficiently and quickly as possible? (Which school? Where? How long?)

- Could I make enough as an instructor overseas to live, pay my loan monthly and save (even if just a little)?

I love the outdoors and the water, am outgoing (don't get hung that I'm IT) and love adventure. I'd really like to see this goal come to fruition.
 
Probably not what you want to hear, but you're only just getting certified now. Go out and do some diving first. Learn how to dive, make some mistakes, learn from those mistakes, grow as a diver. Then, in a few years time, think about going pro.
 
You're right, not what I wanted to hear but I prefer an honest answer to a fairytale any day :) I agree, I'll need to pace myself a bit, plus I need to stay here and save a bit more money before any big decisions but I personally feel a few years is a bit long for what I'm looking to do. I'm thinking about just continuing my education with the SSI school I'm with now. By the looks of it I can make progress to Master Diver rather quickly (I'd have to travel out of here during the winter for dives).

My question is, if I get my DM with SSI how easy is it to transition to PADI? I just want to be as marketable as possible once I'm ready to move.
 
- Payments for student loans will start in a year or so (no other debt)

- Could I make enough as an instructor overseas to live, pay my loan monthly and save (even if just a little)?

I am not and don't intend to be an instructor but from reading and observing

First learn to dive and get a significant (>100, preferably>200) dives under your belt. Maybe try and holiday in Thailand, Indonesia, etc to decide where and what costs.

Foreign Languages: The more you speak the better. If you speak Chinese, Russian, Spanish and German you are more attractive to the dive shops as you fill multiple needs for them. Remember more clients = more certifications = more income. Look at what tourists go to your chosen destination, it's their languages you will need.

Learn to love doing open water certifications: They are the most common certification in resorts. Note: If you are a good and contiencious instructor this may put you in conflict with your employer, examine your consious to see how you will address the "should fail" situation.

Money: you may make enough to live frugally, not enough for much in the way of extras.

Freelancing in IT: Now this may make the difference. Poor internet access will be an issue, also working early mornings and late nights as instructing (hopefully) in betwen. Establish yourself as a remote working contractor prior to your overseas sojurn.

You can live your dream

---------- Post added July 8th, 2014 at 02:25 PM ----------

Maybe the Freelance and forget the scuba instructor as a major source of income.
As an IT professional there are many jobs that you can do anywhere in the world as long as you are connected.

An example
In one client (UK Bank) I encountered a Mrs X on many of the overnight problem reports but never met her. Curious I asked around only to be informed that she only came into the office once a year as she lived in New Zealand. Her day job was our overnight support and she was very good at it, thats why they made the consession to keep her on even after she moved halfway round the world.
 
You're right, not what I wanted to hear but I prefer an honest answer to a fairytale any day :) I agree, I'll need to pace myself a bit, plus I need to stay here and save a bit more money before any big decisions but I personally feel a few years is a bit long for what I'm looking to do. I'm thinking about just continuing my education with the SSI school I'm with now. By the looks of it I can make progress to Master Diver rather quickly (I'd have to travel out of here during the winter for dives).

My question is, if I get my DM with SSI how easy is it to transition to PADI? I just want to be as marketable as possible once I'm ready to move.

you do know that there are more employment possibilities with PADI...why not just go with PADI at the start? with SSI youu can only work at a SSI facility, and there are not too many of them.with PADI you can also work indepent of a LDS, with SSI you cannot..Doing a cross over to PADI you would need to at a minimum do the OWSI portion of a IDC then pass a IE..I suggest doing the full IDC (asst inst portion) then on to OWSI part.
It will be much more costly going SSI to PADI than just going straight to PADI. If you want to do as you say then do up to rescue with SSI then go for DM with PADI
 
Great ideas, thanks for the reply. I have been struggling to find mobile opportunities actually. I am skilled in web development and support of many different platforms but for some reason I have not yet been able to find location independence.

---------- Post added July 8th, 2014 at 10:38 AM ----------

you do know that there are more employment possibilities with PADI...why not just go with PADI at the start? with SSI youu can only work at a SSI facility, and there are not too many of them.with PADI you can also work indepent of a LDS, with SSI you cannot..Doing a cross over to PADI you would need to at a minimum do the OWSI portion of a IDC then pass a IE..I suggest doing the full IDC (asst inst portion) then on to OWSI part.
It will be much more costly going SSI to PADI than just going straight to PADI. If you want to do as you say then do up to rescue with SSI then go for DM with PADI

How do you feel about those all inclusive deals where they train you from OW to DM and beyond? Are they legitimate? Could I start with a SSI OW and work towards a PADI DM?
 
First of all do some diving and find out how you like it over the longer term. The newness wears off of everything, go diving a while and see if you still like it even if you are just diving in some old mudhole. I always love it.

If you don't like the office, start a job search in an area more conducive to diving. It's a lot easier to afford diving when you have a good paying job, negotiate for more vacation rather than a bigger check.

As far as the transition to PADI, it should be easy but you pay good money to do the training all over again, they don't just sell you a different DM card and call it good.

You are 30, you have a he** of a lot of diving in front of you so you don't have to make an uninformed decision, unless you want to. Search ScubaBoard for " Want to be a DM/Instructor" threads' there is a lot of information, good and bad, to give you help with your plan.

Good Luck



Bob
----------------------------------
All my life I've wanted an excuse to wear a knife, and here I have found a sport where it is actually encouraged~ Dave Barry
 
Marry a rich one------get her money--& buy an island , somewhere where it's warm.......GUARANTEED to get you outta the office.......
 
Cant beleive it. Here is the answer to everything. Join the Navy and become a diver right out of bootcamp. Collage degree, officer material. Free travel anywhere you want. Pay while learning. Ideal for a single guy your age.
 
Cant beleive it. Here is the answer to everything. Join the Navy and become a diver right out of bootcamp. Collage degree, officer material. Free travel anywhere you want. Pay while learning. Ideal for a single guy your age.

30 isn't too old?

I contacted the Navy in 2010 but they scared me off by showing up to my house without me telling them where I lived. They just showed waaaay too much enthusiasm. I've heard horror stories about them lying about perks during recruitment as well. I have an uncle who's been in the Navy most of his life so it is an institution I look up to but I don't know.
 

Back
Top Bottom