HELP........Thinking of going to Commercial diving school....PLE .HELP.........

im thinking of going to CDA school of jacksonville in FL.Im 32 and im  a plant operater,you no the one that sits on my butt all the time looking at computer screens.....i have been doing that for 2 1/2 years....i been in construction befor that..welding,fab work,rigging,Iron worker.pipe,and so on.but i want to be a Commercial diver really bad  more less a under water welder ,,damn that looks so cool...but i hear bad things on how hard it is to get a job and the pay sucks..I don't want a SCHOOL teacher to tell me that it is all good and that i don't have to worry about anything ...lol lmao right ....sure..i live in south carolina and i make about 17 a hour..sitting on my butt..i would like to hear it from the real divers ,how much is the pay for the 1st year..i mean i got bill to.and how much traveling it is.i have a little 6 year old girl,And how hard it is to find a job.ples. tell me befor i try and get a 28k school loan .....BIG step for me ....ty so much..i really want to do this .........but i need to know the facts....ty

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yea i have to save some money 1st so i think i would be going to school in july
steven, the reason you make fa for wages the first years is you are basically an apprentice coming out of dive school. as your skills develop you will eventuaslly break out, but that never happens in the g of mex right away. got to pay your dues, make your bones etc. IMPORTANT-when you finish dive school you ar NOT a an oilfield diver or a salvage diver or an inland diver...........all your certificate says to employers is THIS GUY COMPLETED A DIVING COURSE. not that you have a working understanding of oilfield construction, ndt inspection, demobbing, pipelay, etc. or salvage procedures land/sea of vessels, ships husbandry,etc or piledriviing, bridge inspection, pier and dock construction, caisson work, sheet pile burning etc. A diver with an empty logbook is a tender....
ok ok got it i will start at the bottom just like my oper. job.I started working there for 13.50 a hour not the best money in the world lol.i just hope that 15 a hour or more will pay my bills,i will have to work 80 hours a week or something but i guess i could work top side welding and fab work.ohhhhh ???can i get a grant to pay all the school and my house and truck payments for 20weeks????? but im willing to start at the bottom again for something that is that cool to do ....i just dont want my little girl to grow up without her dad ...you know..
$15.00hr for at least 3 maybe 4 years-truck payments, mortgage, healthcare, etc. Look back on the forum 3 pages topic divorce brothers and sisters-not good for families by and large. Don't depend on grants, etc. save your money and do it right. Now if I haven't managed to discourage you, and you get all the breaks-you break out in 3 years, at new diver rates, get some gas work, in 5 or 6 years you're making wages of an MBA. but never seem to be able to work year round, so you start taking a few gigs internationally, and again get lucky and with more certs ($$$) get the occassional sat job. voila 8-10 years you're making real money sat diving, if you fit in. And it will seem like you never get home. My first diving gig I didn`t get home for over 2 years. Now-do you get seasick? Can you hack choking hose on a pitching deck, wet cold and dirty- Can you work in close proximity/confined spaces with your crew for extended periods. Being offshore for alot of people is just like being in jail. Are you comfortable underwater,I don't mean swimming pool water quality, I mean dirty, dark or no vis, cold moving water? Extended periods away from family. Got good work ethic, doing more than asked, not explosive in personality, cool headed, co-operative, etc.
Yes it is 15 an hour but that is 15 an hour for 12 hours a day 7 days a week while out on a hitch.... That is why the school is saying 65k.
Bottom Line:

"i just dont want my little girl to grow up without her dad ...you know.."

I've been working offshore over 20 years. My busiest (and lowest earning years...as a tender) were over 300 days a year offshore. Average around 200 days a year. I feel fortunate I only have to work about 6 months a year now (only). That is 6 months a year not seeing my wife, 3 sons and my 6 year old daughter. I was a diver before I started a family, but that doesn't stop my wife from busting my balls about being gone 1/2 the year.
Like any job, the pay starts out modest, but really, the sky's the limit. It just takes time and dedication, and a little luck.
I can't comment on inland diving or welding. Not my thing. Also the only international work I've done was for GOM based companies. I chose long ago to make my home and career here, in SW Louisiana.
Diving, like most any job, sounds way more glamorous than it is in reality.
Good luck,
MW
How physical are you I mean how much are you in shape. Sitting on your butt wont get it. I see you have a little girl well forget a good relationship with her when you do this because to make any money you wont be there pal. Look at her and ask yourself that question. Thats your answer and the only answer you really need to know.
Your 32 well I joined the Navy to become a Navy diver after 2 years of the offshore stuff because of the uncertainty of it all and I can tell you that the physical stuff about killed me at that age. Its not pretty tne recent post said "rents due" yea and where are the jobs ? That will be you now take another look at your family the truth will find you.
hey man check out youngs memorial in morgan city louisiana you can go there for about $2000 and come out with all the same certs wish someone would have told me about this
OMG come on some one tell me good things about diving.................i mean if i stay away for 2 year i better be makin 100k a year ?????????so whats the good things about commercial Diving
you can make 100k just not for a while
If you love diving-its the only job in the world. If you don't its really inconvenient.
spoken like a true driver just got to do for the love of it

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