Need Some Advice

[bramon]

So, I haven't been very active on here (still looking for an e30, although in my search for one I've purchased a 1976 BMW 2002, and a 1984 533i) but anyways, what I need advice on is which way I should take my life.

I thought I had a plan set out for me, I was planning on going to D.I.T in Seattle to become a commercial diver. And most of the feedback I've received on it is that it is HARD work, will thrash your body, but you can make some good money. So like everything it has it's pro's and con's, besides the relocation, which is a non-issue for me as I don't mind moving.

But after a family and friends get together for our graduation, one of my cousins (married into the family) became worried because his childhood friend who is in his late 30's and is a commercial diver, has been having health problems related to his career choice. And subsequently has offered to try and get me hired on at his graphic design studio (mostly video game stuff) which I am not unfamiliar with at all, for those of you who do play video games they are actually helping with some portions of Gears of War 3.


So basically, I am just trying to get some more pro's/con's of both career choices. I am open to both of them as well as any other career suggestions, I was never really motivated in school so my grades weren't the greatest, thus community college would be where I'll start (if I don't go to D.I.T)

Thanks guys. :blowup:

[87e30]

Personally, I have no interest in diving and have always had a slight desire to be a graphic design artist. While I don't think the profession is for me (which is why I didn't go into it) I think if you meet and talk with a few graphic designers you can tell if it's for you.

Some of these people are geniuses with simple shapes, graphics, colors, lines, images etc.

your choice! (I'm doing accounting, a stereotypically not graphic major haha)

[bramon]

I guess I can add some more, I took a couple of video production classes my freshman and sophomore year of H.S and primarily worked with animation stuff, so it wouldn't be completely new to me.

But at the same time, I'm SCUBA certified already, and I swam for 10 years competitively so I have a massive amount of respect for the water and have a great feel for how my body moves in it. So either choice wouldn't be too far off of what I already have some experiences of.


Plus I would already be working if I went the graphic design path, but would only be about 8-9 months away from a career with commercial diving. So again they're both fairly even, but I just want some more advice so I don't go into something I'll regret.

[87e30]

You should meet and talk to more commercial divers. To me, it sounds like that is what you really want to do. Figure out average career length, back up career paths in case of injury, retirement plans, etc etc (I don't know anything about this industry so I'm just talking in generals).

You sound like you're a pretty darn healthy person so perhaps you would be alright. (Again, I don't know crap about how often/long/hard commercial diving is - hell, I don't even really know what they do besides dive into the water)

[mrsleeve]

driving OTR sucks ass. and the money in it is not what it was just a few years ago, as fuel costs are killing a ton of owner operators profit margins. And company drivers, are not seeing much in the way of wage increases for much the same reason. UNLESS you are hauling shit in the oil fields of ND TX and PA. guys running DOT max of 70 hours driving and 80 hours a week working doing short haul runs of drilling supplies and OIL in ND. Its a hard life, I know many teamsters.

If your up to moving, look into the energy biz lots of entry level opportunities in the oil/gas fields both up and down stream. But most of these will also be hard on the body, but there is more money in it that driving a truck in most cases.

Or even maybe a since you have plenty of diver certs, keep working towards more and get the industrial diver cert and get paid huge money (up wards of 150 an hour on off shore drilling rigs on shut downs) as a welder or repair guy. Most These guys work rotations of 28 days on and 28 off and much of the time get a retainer on the off month go all over the world and live anywhere they want. You will not start as a diver even with your certs, you will prolly have to be a tender for a number of years before you get regular dive time (how everything works in the oil patch).

Really man energy is where anyone looking for a good job now with long term viability. Just really depends on if you want to sit in the warm/cool dry office every day, or be out in the elements and mud. Sometimes it pays to playing in the mud ;)

[5Toes]

^ Sleeve. Just wondering, since I have a prosthetic leg and can't really run, how physical is what you do?

I can hike, I have summited mountains, like 8 mile hikes, 2500 vertical feet. Thats fine, I guess.

[mrsleeve]

^ Sleeve. Just wondering, since I have a prosthetic leg and can't really run, how physical is what you do?

I can hike, I have summited mountains, like 8 mile hikes, 2500 vertical feet. Thats fine, I guess.

my line of work = lots of hiking and climbing in and outta ditches carrying about 80lbs of gear between 2 guys. Not saying you could not hack it at all, just I think you would have a hard time with some one giving you a shot in most of the physical jobs. That said I know a welder that had polio as kid and walks with a really bad hobble/limp and is normally the lead Mountain crew tie in welder.

But If you can hack college get a degree that the energy industry wants like EE, Mech, Petroleum E, Welding engineer, or even enough classes and certs to become an inspector and you would have much easier time, and do very well for your self. But there is lots of travel involved, you more than likely wont be home much unless you have a rotation work contract.

[z31maniac]

Yeah, if you can afford it. Move to Tulsa, go to TU and get a Petro Engineering degree.