Profile on Diving Jobs

First things first: On this Memorial Day, I want to extend a big thank you to all of our readers who have served or are serving in the military.

We appreciate your service to your country.

Now, on to the Monday morning job profile! Are you sick of your 9-to-5 job? Do you want more out of life than a lackluster view of the cubicle next to yours?  SCUBA diving jobs offer you the opportunity to travel, earn good money, and experience adventure… plus you never have to see another cubicle as long as you live! If this sounds like how you’d like to spend a year or a lifetime, check out the JobMonkey’s section on Diving Jobs. Here’s a quick run-down on some of the better opportunities in the field:

Commercial Diving Careers
Commercial diving is one of the most lucrative and adventuresome diving careers. Pay can be as much as $80,000 per year depending upon the hours worked, nature of the diving, plus bonuses and other incentives such as ‘depth pay.’ Offshore commercial divers are typically involved in underwater welding, inspections, salvage, oil exploring or drilling, and testing. There are also commercial diving opportunities onshore, including work in lakes, harbors, streams, and even sewage pipes! To become a commercial diver, you will need to be a master diver with certification from a commercial diving school (the course is typically four months long) plus a high school diploma.

Oil Industry Diving
Technically a form of commercial dining, oil industry diving a very specific subset with extremely demanding work conditions — and even more lucrative financial rewards. Oil industry divers live a largely nomadic life, hired by oil exploration companies to travel the globe and dive on and offshore. Most gigs, which typically include setting up or repairing pipelines and oil rigs, are contract assignments, with several weeks or even months of downtime between them. Entry level divers earn up to $1,500 per week; experienced divers can earn much more.

Scientific Diving Jobs
Are you a scientist first, novice diver second? Do you year to discover the creatures lurking in the depths of the sea or help to convserve underwater ecosystems? For scientific divers, SCUBA diving is how they gather data and study their subjects. Marine biologists or geologists by training, most underwater scientists earn $25,000 – $30,000 per year. While the salaries don’t compare to those of commercial divers, scientific divers are typically rewarded with more lucrative academic careers after their research work is completed.

These three diving professions are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to career options for the master diver. To learn more, check out JobMonkey’s extensive section on Diving Jobs.