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Any graduates of the Diver's Institute of Technology in Seattle out there?
I'd like to hear from folks that have completed/graduated the Diver's Institute of Technology in Seattle.
Specially if you have attended within the last 5 years.
My son has been looking at this school, and we have been trying to find current info about it.
We've been looking at different diving forums, and it seems that not many graduates are actually working in the field--usually about 5 per class. So what happens to the rest of the people that attend DIT and other cdiver schools? Are they working as divers or tenders, or is the career field saturated?
If you have diving jobs, are you able to stay employed for long stretches of time, or do you have to constantly hustle for the next gig?
What do you do about health insurance--get it through an employer, or is it hard to procure due to the inherent danger of the job?
Did the job placement actually help you find employment, or do they just give you a sample resume and point you towards the door?
Are you satisfied with your training, or do you regret forking out the dollars for the school?
Did the school actually teach you work skills that you can use underwater, or did you have to learn more once you got on your job site?
We asked the school if there was a place to interact with graduates but were told they couldn't provide any info due to "privacy issues". We were also told one can expect to earn about 7-8k per month as a graduate. Not sure if this is as a tender since other info suggests about $15 per hour as a tender.
Thanks for any input. I know there are threads that discuss some of these issues, but I couldn't find anything recent.
Linda
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bryce Hagen on
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I'm not on an actual oil rig, rather a boat that goes out to do various jobs. I'm a tender, and even though I have not had the chance yet, there are plenty of tenders who do dive. The work my company does is oil rig maintenance, pipeline inspection and maintenance, laying new pipeline down, plugging old drill sites and various other jobs. these are all ongoing projects that are worked on year round every year and as long as oil is being taken from the gulf these jobs will always be there. usually the only hindering factor that causes work to slow down is weather. I can't speak entirely for my company, but as far as I know they are always open to hiring new people. it gets a lot busier in the summer and that's usually when its easiest to get hired in the Gulf. As far as what causes people to leave, again I can't speak for everyone but usually its things like they want to spend more time with their families or just wanting to change things up do something different. there are a lot of specialties and different paths you can take in the diving industry, and by no means is oil field work the only option.
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Thanks a ton for the info Bryce. I know you don't have a lot of time in the career yet but what's the average "break out" time you're seeing or hearing from guys? Also, how much time are you spending out on the boat and how much time are you getting back on shore between trips?
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No problem! I love to help when I can. From what I'm hearing and seeing with my co-workers, breaking out is usually between 14-24 months on average. there's such a gap in the time amount because there are a lot of variables such as how well your doing and your work ethic, the number of times you've been able to dive, ( you need a certain number to break out, I believe its 40) and general evaluations from the supervisors and lead tenders. also, there has to be a slot open for a tender to move up to diver. but those times seem to be the average. tenders do get to dive however, so you probably won't be waiting that long before you get in the water. as far as being out on the boat, its been pretty consistent for going out 2 to 5 weeks and being back for 1 or 2. it all depends on weather conditions or if things break etc. but there's lots of work going on and my room mate who I graduated with and also works at the same company actually had to ask for a little extra time off cus he was working so much which the company was more than accommodating to. as long as your not calling in sick every other week or trying to get out of work all the time, the schedules are somewhat flexible.
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How much did you have to come out of pocket when using your gi bill?
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My post 9/11 was only at %60, so the other 40 I had to use student loans. But for the guys who had %100 the only thing you have to pay for is your own equipment which is usually about $1500. And even then there are ways of getting reimbursed for that. The financial aid department at DIT is great and they really hammer the VA to stay on the ball when processing everything.
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Are you still receiving any pay while on shore?
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You can work extra in the shop at the office if you want but it's not required. Other than that though no
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What about specialties like the emt and dmt courses that DIT offers? Do you know anyone that took those and helped them land a more lucrative job or get a better position?
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Also, how're most guys paying for their dive hats and how soon are you needing to have one?
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Permalink Reply by Britt Coates on
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Many companies have company hats that guys can use. I bought my first hat after
I had been in the industry for two and a half years. I had about 20 dives under my belt my first year as a tender in the Gulf of Mexico and all of those dives were with company hats.
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Thanks Bryce for your comments. You being fresh out of school and on the job helps out a lot. I also appreciate the comments you said about DIT. We strive to make the best prepared and qualified divers and tenders out there.
Fred is right about having some sort of skilled trade. It's good for guys to know how to work with their hands before they get into diving. You have to know that diving sounds fancy but when the rubber meets the road we are underwater construction workers and grunt laborers.
You also asked about the pay. Offshore diving generally works on a 24 hour work day. Two shifts working 12 hours a piece 7 days a week. That makes 84 hours per week with everything over 40 hours being overtime. Guys stay out on a job for a few days to a few weeks to a few months. Every job is different and unique based upon the resource needs and project duration. At $15/hr you can do the math and see what entry level guys can make.
You also asked about training. We teach all the basics as much as possible but there are some skills you just have to learn on the job. There are some things that working cannot be replaced by. We give the knowledge but the practical application usually shows up on the work site.
Someone was asking about our DMT and EMT course. The DMT course is internationally recognized and is a valid cert. I know that guys will make a couple dollars more and hour and can get on jobs easier with this cert in their pocket but a previous certification as an EMT or military medic training is extremely recommended to make you better rounded. We are working on getting an EMT course up and running but it won't happen within the next few weeks.
Linda, you could also call a few commercial dive companies and ask to speak with one of their operations managers and ask them what dive school they get their best new diver/tenders from. As far as job placement we are currently at an 88.4% job placement. The students who don't get dive jobs when they leave here usually are unemployed for their own choices.
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Thank you Brit. How soon do you think you guys will have a certified emt course up and running? I'm very interested in taking that as well but won't be attending until the February class at the earliest.
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