We all started out as O/W students

[gcbryan]

The bottom line is that working in retail will expose you to some great people and a few of the other kind as well

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Also, just remember that when someone resorts to criticizing your lack of diver experience it frequently means that you beat that person intellectually, and they are now resorting to an appeal to authority.

I can think of two legitimate reasons to bring up someone's lack of experience in a conversation ...

1. They are giving advice that goes beyond what they've actually experienced ... and it's either out of context or just downright wrong. While we're all equally entitled to an opinion, there's a huge difference between what seems "logical" based on what you've read or been told vs what you actually experience.

2. Someone is diving beyond their skill and training level. And, frankly, this is legitimate only in terms of expressing your concern for their safety ... we're all adults, and if someone wants to take risks without regard to the potential pitfalls, it's their decision to make. All anyone can really do is caution them that perhaps they should reconsider their course of action.

Beyond that, I really don't see why someone's experience level should have any bearing on what they have to say, or how they get treated as a diver or a dive op employee. You may or may not agree with them ... you may have reservations about the depth of their knowledge ... but as long as they're acting in a friendly and sincere manner, they deserve to be treated with respect.

Frankly, I've learned a great deal from new divers over the years. There's a tendency as you gain experience to focus your perspective within the limits of what you've learned and done ... and over time that perspective can become increasingly rigid. Someone looking at diving through fresh eyes can ask a question or bring up a perspective that can cause you to look at the topic a different way ... and sometimes bring about an "aha" moment that you otherwise would not have had. I treasure those moments.

And diving with a new diver will very much remind you of why you got into diving in the first place ... it's refreshing to see things you've come to take for granted through the eyes of someone who's never experienced them before. For me, as someone who dives a lot, it keeps a sense of excitement in my diving that I otherwise wouldn't have. For that, I gain a great deal from the experience.

Someone who writes off new divers as not worth talking to or diving with really is missing out on something that many of us consider very important ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DevonDiver]

As NWGratefulDiver says; Experience is only relative, when it has an impact on another issue.

It is relative when it impacts upon a person's stated viewpoint, opinion and/or advice that they may give. This is especially true when their relative experience is insufficient to enable them to clearly or completely understand a specific issue.

It is relative to their decision making, risk assessment and capability to undertake specific tasks. Again, this is especially true when their relative experience is insufficient to enable them to complete certain tasks in a safe or competant manner.

Where an individual's relative experience is brought into question, it is typically illustrated by the 'you don't know what you don't know' rationale.

When that rationale is presented to the individual in question, it is not rare for them to percieve this as a [FONT=&quot]condescending or patronising attitude.
[/FONT]

 

[Hank49]

And I'm with Jim -- if every other word is "dude", "like", or worse, I'm going to assume the IQ is probably lower than the decibel level, and behave accordingly

I've seen doctors use the word "dude" or similar type language (my father was good at it) in a very positive way. A young person walking into a doctor's, or worse, a dentist's office is already a bit intimidated by the smell, the prospect of pain, incredibly annoying music, and an all too serious doctor using words that only confuse the person and give no comfort at all.

So, if I come into your office, all busted up and needing a clamp (I had to have one once) in my head, go ahead and say, "dude, you're really messed up...." with a warm smile. It'll work.

 

[Blackwood]

Here's the thing. As non-PC as it is, everyone profiles. It's a natural, instinctual thing. It could be we see a shady looking character walking towards us and elect to cross the street, or it could be we see a young surgeon and question his/her breadth of experience.

It's just life. In fact, things get a little kooky when we try to stifle profiling (like making everyone landing in America remove their shoes before boarding an airplane).

If you're losing commission because people don't take you seriously, think of what you could do to change their opinions. Could be as easy as diving more and getting your face out there. I know that I personally take LDS employees whom I've never seen at the beach or on a boat with a grain (or two) of salt.

 

[The Chairman]

The bottom line is that working in retail will expose you to some great people and a few of the other kind as well

Which is just true posting on a forum.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I've seen doctors use the word "dude" or similar type language (my father was good at it) in a very positive way. A young person walking into a doctor's, or worse, a dentist's office is already a bit intimidated by the smell, the prospect of pain, incredibly annoying music, and an all too serious doctor using words that only confuse the person and give no comfort at all.

So, if I come into your office, all busted up and needing a clamp (I had to have one once) in my head, go ahead and say, "dude, you're really messed up...." with a warm smile. It'll work.

... "dude" has been an active part of my vocabulary since about 1965 ... along with its variants, "dewd", "dood", and "duuuuuuuuude" ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[tyesai]

What's wrong with Peavey basses? (Nothing unless you're hanging out at TalkBass.com) One of my favourites is my very affordable Carvin.

Peavey Mileston I think. I bought it in a pawnshop 10 years ago for less than a hundred bucks, it looked new, it plays, I like it.

 

[cocoajoe]

I don't know how old you are but after a certain amount of years on the planet, you won't care what people think.

So, enjoy being young and not worry so much what people think, you only go around once.

 

[xjeslesx]

I sit back and listen to what other divers have to say. It is odd that the more people 'know' the less they acutally know. Some people claim to be great and have a pocket full of cards and it some how makes them a superior diver to everyone else.
I just nod and smile, then I tow them back to the boat when they run out of air or make some other mindless error.
Keep your chin up! Only you know if you are a good diver and that is all that matters.