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THE TRUTH ABOUT JOB AVAILABILITY
I'm thinking about going to CDA in Jacksonville Fl. Is there work out there for guys right out of school or not? Especially in or around Fl. since i live here. Lay it on me people, the good or bad, positive or negative, just please give me the truth before i drop 20+ grand on a school.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by PAISTE on
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Oh yeah, you'll find work, but not much pay. The market is flooded with NFGs, so that drives down the pay scale. You'll make more $ as a HVAC tech. or Welder. It takes years of experience 'till you can start expecting good pay (10 or more). It's very rare for anyone to make a life long career as a commercial diver. I hate to piss on your parade, but it's the truth. If you are having any doubts, don't go through with it.
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Permalink Reply by JMayo on
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Pay right out of school at most companies I've seen lately is 14$ an hour. Like paiste said.. become a pipe welder it's something I've thought about if the industry keeps getting worse. Don't go to CDA for any welding certs either it's a rip-off.
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Permalink Reply by Chuck Bonner on
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10/15 yrs ago maybe 5/10 students graduate a month out of all the major schools in the U.S. now 20/30 permonth out of each school per month do the math As Paiste said the market is FLOODED with newbeis!! Good luck!!
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Permalink Reply by C. Ashford on
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Out of curiosity, how many of those 20 or so that grad each month are good hands that actually stick with it? I heard somethin like on average two thirds that graduate will suck once on the job or will quit, normally from missin home.
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I would say about 2% of all last But for the most part a lot of them should have never given up flipping burgers at Mc Ds But I will say one thing though I have several grads from CDA as well as other schools working under me and the CDA kids seem to have thier act together more than most
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Permalink Reply by Will on
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Like they said you might get a job, the work is out there but its having the pay go with it that is key.
It helps if you have any other skills that you can fall back on in hard times cause there are lots. If your good with your money then you might be able to make it, the first couple years though as your getting your name out there are gonna be make or break, if you start working around a bit and get a rep as a good hand either tending standby or diving you might be able to keep busy and keep the bills paid. If your lucky you might be able to even put a bit away for slow times...My first year I remeber spending 4 weeks working in a restaurant dropping fries just to pay the bills, then a 2 week job came up and I never showed up for my next shift, just as I was loading my car to go to the dive job I got the call and it got cancelled... Thats the nature of the beast. Lucky for me another one came up a couple days later if it hadnt though I would have needed to go get a loan to make rent. After a couple years it was smooth sailing and a real good life.
Mind you I was working inshore though, offshore might have been a diffrent story. I belive if your good at what you do you will always get by ok and the money will come eventually.
If your just in it for the money then I would suggest maybe looking into something else, any feild you get into there are people who have struck it rich, for cooks to trades to garbage guys. yes even divers. They are smart and good at what they do.
For example Im Welding full time now and the welder I work with has his own rig (welding truck) and he charges himself out at 100 a hour, we work 11 hour days... 8 days on 6 days off, so monthly hes doing quite alright for himself. I am a company man so I make quite a bit less than that lol.
Diving is something you really gotta enjoy doing to ever think of making a career out of it. Personally Im really getting the itch to get back in it and I think I will starting the new year.
I can lay beads as good as anyone and if someone wants to have me a go then Ill gladly burn some rods with them. I know if I keep at it I can run my own rig out too and make that 1000 a day as well, but its just not what I wanna do I will dry up if Im topside much longer.
If you take the diving route there are gonna be trials ahead my friend but if you feel like its something your really meant to do then by all means throw your name into the hat and jockey with the rest of them. Who knows you might make it, lots of the new guys are s*** and dont know their ass from their elbows, they go from paper routes and working at mcdonalds too trying to run come alongs while being narc'ed, if your one of those guys just get into something else :)
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Permalink Reply by Ross on
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Glad to see this post, was in the same boat. Finishing up my civil engineering degree and was thinking about doing bridge and dam inspections since I have the structural background. Don't particularly want to drop 25k ontop of my current student loans to fight to make 14 an hour
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For Ross. I worked with a couple CEs that the company sent to Minnesota Commercial Diver Training. It's a good program for Engineers since it focuses on Inland diving techniques. Only 8 weeks and 10 grand. You might want to look at that. A CE that can dive is required on some jobs, I believe 10% of the bottom time.
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Permalink Reply by Jeffrey Wilson on
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Heard through the grapevine that they are making it 4 weeks next year for Engineer Divers. Made a new program that will Get you all the certs you will need through ADCI.. Which I don't really understand how they can get an ADCI Cert with only 4 weeks of training. There is a couple of Engineers from my office that are going next March. Like Paiste said.. Might want to check that out if your going in the Engineering field
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