First time poster here >What should I do for a career?
I'm 22, blue collar, and live in Seattle now.
I moved here for commercial dive school. I have $10k saved up, and will need to take $20k out in loans for school. I have started second-guessing my decision for dive school. For the last 6 months now, I've been working as a grunt for a diving company. I work with a couple dive school graduates who can't land any actual dive work. On call 24/7, $16-65/hr, working at least 50+ hours a week.
Anyway, I'm just fretting about long-term investment and career goals. >Here I am Veeky Forums, looking for outside opinions.
None of my friends or family talk to me or give me much advice since I moved here 8 months ago. Can't exactly get good input from drunks at bars or coworkers.
Daniel Perry
> do research on how people in the diving business got rich > do something similar > outsmart the plebs
Kayden Cook
Depends on what you want out of a job 2bh.
Take it from someone who made a lot of money doing something he hated, your personal satisfaction is worth more than your wage since you're basically going to be trading money to improve your quality of life anyway, if that makes sense.
Jeremiah Phillips
Ever thought of becoming an underwater welder? Make use of the skills you already have.
Asher Bennett
Dive jobs pay good.... you just have to get on the dive side.
It's a good 'ol boy system. Pretty much just putting in the work and suckin' dick for literally years. At least for the company I work at.
Jackson Rodriguez
true enough, I really do enjoy maritime work. I just don't enjoy having to work 60 hours a week, just to afford the cost of living.
Underwater welding is taught in dive school. It's just hit-or-miss with getting on the big buck jobs.
I learned welding in college, I just need to get my AWS certs. I've partially considered applying or trying to get into ironwork. It's more stable, the unions make for a comfortable livin'
Levi Watson
I've avoided a lot of mistakes by talking to people who made them. Sounds like dive school would be one.
The pay tends to suck and is dangerous. Yeah joining the union is the obvious best decision. They pay incredible, and easy job, but who the hell would pay a union worker wbne you can pay Mexican wages
Chase Flores
It's just hard to get one's foot in the door, when competing with old timers.
That don't look bad at all. But I need real skills.
The pay ranges from$18 for shop work, then $50-120+ for dive work. When they got the bids for saturation dives, they're making $1.2k+ a day. Also they're in the diver's union. >Salvage job I was on a few weeks ago.
But hell, if I could get an ironworker apprenticeship, it's $25/hr just as an apprentice, then making almost $50/hr after becoming a journeyman.
Jeremiah Jones
Avoid well-trodden paths my friend.
Under-water Wielding is the male equivalent of Marine Biology for women.
Don't focus on industry or job title. Don't focus on money or doing what you love. Find what you're good at.
>> do research on how people in the diving business got rich This. Look at people's linkedin pages, figure out where the scuba business is going. Sales is always a good side of the business to be in btw.
The most important part of any industry is avoiding the well-trodden path
Colton Rodriguez
>Find what you're good at. I've previously only worked as a back breaking wage slave, in factories, construction, and agricultural work.
I couldn't start up my own farm, without money saved up to get it started.
Noah Bennett
Can't stop thinkin about th;ode beans
Nathan Phillips
Would a few years of ironwork set you apart from the newcomers who are fresh out of school?
Lucas Clark
This. Are you going to go to DIT? I am about to finish here and I'm kinda bummed out about it. Kind of wished I would've have just stuck with welding
Parker Anderson
A bit since a lot of dive work has to do with construction.
Ironwork is just more stable employment. A reason why I'm considering it.
Yeah, I'll be going to DIT. >Kind of wished I would've have just stuck with welding Why are you bummed?
I decided for DIT over Tulsa welding school, simply because welding catches up to your body quick.
Ayden Cruz
...
Adam Baker
If you are blue collar, buy the blue collar crytocurrency
>I just don't enjoy having to work 60 hours a week, just to afford the cost of living.
I'm confused. Are you saying you want to be a diver, but on an easy schedule of less than 40 hours a week? And add to that, guaranteed work, no holes?
I work in the power gen industry, contract. When you get work, you work your ass off. No family, no friends, no fun. You save up $20k, and bail for a month. Then you go back.
If you want a regular 9-5 wageslave job with free hours in the evening and weekends off, consider another line of work.
Ian Walker
I don't mind long and hard hours. I just want be getting ahead, not just getting by, if I'm living to work.
I've worked with 4 dive school graduates within the last 6 months, working simply as deckhands in my current position. I just don't want to be doing what I'm doing right now, for 2+ years, while $20k in debt, is all. Hence a reason why I'm curious as to what else might be a more plausiblecareer choice.
