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44 yr old wannabe seeks advice please.
Wannabe looking for sage advice from those who have their finger on the pulse of the off-shore market:
Hello to all out there. My name is Mike and I am new to the site and am looking at enrolling in a commercial program offered by a school here in British Columbia where I live. I am in very good physical condition, have about 700hrs underwater with most being solo and technical oriented, but in recreational diving. (Having said that, I realise that the dive is only the trip to work….Point being that I am comfortable in all cold water and viz environments)
I have 20 yrs in various construction fields (non industrial), as well as several in business ownership and management. I am also an early-retired member of the RCMP. My age is 44 approaching 45. Some may say I am a workaholic. More likely is that I like the adventure of a challenge and learning new things.
I have been interested in comm. diving from a teen but had no mentoring available to me at the time. Now I am looking for an additional career which is new, challenging and where I am able to contribute with my acquired hands on work and mental skills but in a new environment. .I am aware that tablesaws, nails and plywood are not typically used underwater but I hear that chainsaws, wrenches and dredges are! Being away for weeks or months at a time does not pose a problem nor does seasonal work or slow downs in the industry as I am fully tooled for all aspects of the residential construction market and therefore have an established and proven “Plan B” as well as a “Plan C”.
Would any of you be generous enough to provide some advice for someone who is very self confident but not egotistical, has many years of hands on construction, management, troubleshooting experience, successful problem solving skills, works extremely well under pressure and still has a passion for challenges. As well as learning new things, doing what is required regardless of… Is a very optimistic 44 year old, fully aware of the food chain and respects the value of experience. By the way I don’t smoke and am a modest drinker (boring I know, but I have a healthy sense of humour!)
My questions would include:
Is my age a detriment?
The realities of working offshore, including that of pay.
Does any of my aforementioned experience help me in any way?
While I realise that this is a brief snapshot of me, any feedback would be helpful. Thanks in advance and it has been a trip reading through this forum.
Mike Lasko
Views: 502
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by A.. Parnell on
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Ge Mike nice overview. Well how does this sound you come up with lets say $30.000 take a several year vow of poverty then go to school and start your new set of challenges it will include working with 20yr olds side by side for low wages and having to listen to their limited vocabulary and view of the world day after day after day at the lowest rung on the dive team. Of course you will have to put up with their looking at you funny as their view of the world only includes 20 yr olds and that range of limited world experiences. Ups almost forgot to mention you have to keep up with them physicially working on deck 12 hr shifts on an offshore vessel for weeks and sometimes months at a time and being treated like a dummy for letting yourself be put in this position with the youngsters day after day for what two years or so sounds like good fun challenges right. Well thats pretty much what your in for and to think it only cost you how much ? The required dive equipment is also far from cheap its all spendy heck dive helmets are over $6,000. thats long after your out of school if you chose to stay in the field and get that far.
Yea it can be done but you should ask yourself way down deep is this something I really want to do and can committ to. It is kinda like saying I want to become a Marine it takes alot more than ego and you will be tested every step of the way physically, emotionally and financially this continues even after your a diver. One day several years ago not long after this tender had finished tender/diver school got real disturbed when he asked about the dangers of what we were doing and I explained to him that we were after all expendable. Yep! no question about it it ain't recreational diving. So good luck in what ever your decision is to go to tender/diver school or not your are the only one who can answer that question for yourself. You now have the benefit of a seasoned opinion and experienced diver telling you what your in for. I have loved being a diver but it has never been cheap, easy and at times been just down right dangerou. I thank God above that I am lucky enough to still be here and able to breath the fresh air with all lims in tact. Your life your choice.Good luck pal.
I love being a diver.
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Permalink Reply by James Leach on
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Ace is always right.
I say 44 is too old to start this game. Not that YOU can't do it.
I'm 44 and been in it for going on 19 years now, I'm STILL learning.
If you got a good job, stay with it.
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Permalink Reply by Mike Lasko on
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Thanks fellas.
Ace, I have read many of your posts and was hoping you would be one of the guys who would impart some of their experienced wisdom, I appreciate it. I enjoyed the tone of it, thanks. You too James.
I do have the presence of mind to ask myself, "Self...Are you just trying to satisfy a curiosity or are you really up for this?" I will admit that I have a romantic view of being a commercial off-shore diver but I am aware that it is a view of the inexperienced and uninnitiated. For what it is worth and for those that care and have taken the time to respond to my query, I will let you know what I have decided. Thanks again!
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Permalink Reply by Will on
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well Mike there is only one school here in Good ol BC that teaches Offshore diving, Thats DD in Kelowna. 4 month course 20G.
Thing with offshore life in Canada is its all on the East coast, Hibernia Oil feilds. And although I have never been myself I hear its really seasonal, hit or miss kinda stuff over there. So probably better off to look towards asia or africa or something. Of course if you decide you wanna make a run for the canadian feilds your gonna be jockying with CWD, Holland Collage and Senica grads (did I miss one ?) who are all trying to get in. If I were you I would reccomend staying inshore, they will probably throw you in the water right away and you wont have to do tender thing, or maybe for a couple months. You can toy around with being a diver for a couple of years and your skills might come in handy there. There are quite a few inshore companies all over BC and Western Canada, Im sure you can get a break with one of them. I knew a guy who started comm diving when he was mid 40's he was a millwright/Machinst, so he knew what he was doing and got a job right away, as far as I know hes still at it. ANother guy in his 40's ex army, he was good too in the water, work right away upon grad and hes still going strong but he complains to me that he has a hard time keeping up with the young guys when they dive hard for a couple days. Says it catches up too him. So thats my 2c If you have the 20-30 G floating around and have jobs you can fall back on, then sure call up DD do your 4 motnhs and play around with it for a couple years but like I said I would do inshore work personally if I was in your shoes, I think you will get more out of it. If you wanna go offshore then go for it and good luck on that end. Remember though! If it dosnt work out and it was a 20g flushed down the toilet, dont say we didnt warn you
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Permalink Reply by Fred C. Johnson on
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A 20 year old kid with no work experiance just out of dive school will offer what to an employer?
A 44 year old man with a range of construction experiance and dive school has a lot to sell to the employer and that is what the employer is looking for.
You take your skills and experiance and put it to work to solve underwater problems, blowing bubbles is not what you are being paid for.
Age is not an issue.
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Fred has a good point; your construction experience SHOULD be an asset in the diving world.
Finding an employer who agrees is the hard part.
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Permalink Reply by Jerry Babin on
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It should be, but rookies work for far less, and are willing to take chances expierenced divers won't, just to fill a log book. At 44, Ive been diving since age 14, and professionally since age 22. My resume is packed with diversified construction, salvage, and water skills ( 7 pages) and kids who graduated the dve school I attended this year ( for informational purposes) are working. I'm still remodeling my houose 200 applications and resume submittals later.... Not do sound discouraging. Learn and continue to learn. But Its alot harder to get in (or back in in my case)as you get older, unless you build a business around your skills.
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Thanks again fellas! I should have mentioned that I don't really have much of an interest in the GOM....Ace iced that one for sure! It was nice to hear a local perspective Will, (I lived on the rock for a long time), thanks. What you suggested is right on track with where my interest and direction seemed to be heading. I am well aquainted with Diving Dynamics and yes that is the school that I would be attending should I follow through. They actually bring their PDT students to my place on the coast for their "Coastal ocean dive" portion of their training ...btw, how was fishing this year? Fred and Gerry, thanks to you too....You two have been around the block several times so I appreciate your thoughts. Dave, I spent a bit of time in your neck of the woods on a couple of occasions.... Loved it and I look forward to coming back again sometime. Great people and great times.
I am hoping to hear from a fella from Duncan, who flys ROVs. Thanks again,
Mike
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Hey Mike, just a question mate. Do you happen to have a uncle or something up in Prince George by the name of Garth ?
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Nope.
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Dirty,dank, unappreciated, sweat, blood, leaky boats,........ I love it. WHy? because others can only dream about what we do and without us the oil does not flow. The water we drink becomes infected, the rivers our children play in become cespools and underground junk yards.....
THe cost sucks, expensive schools (unless a real diver teaches you) long hours, missing improtant things in your kids life. But the respect you get when they are older realizing you risk your life everyday for your countrys benifit softens it a little.
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Oh by the way, I went thru a diving school this year, just to see what was being taught to kids and newbes breaking into the business. We taught the same things on deck 20 years ago, it was called on the job training back then. The ADC found a way to make money and started issuing these Cert cards the cost ( 20 grand if you have some of your gear, higher if they talk you into special cla**** ). Good companies train theit own divers, by Coast Guard, OSHA, and US Navy specs and regs.
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