WHAT WAS YOUR BACKGROUND BEFORE ATTENDING TRADE SCHOOL?
Prior to attending Ocean Corp, I was a practicing artist doing tattoos. I was making good money but was looking to change up my career and make an investment in education. I was a scuba diver, called a dive master, which is one of the highest levels of scuba for many years back in South America. That’s when I decided to look back into the industry. I did some quick research into different schools near me and decided to take the jump.
HOW DID THE OCEAN CORPORATION AFFECT YOUR CAREER PATH?
I received a great education and had some instructors that really helped me set my expectations for the field I was getting into. Professional diving has its intricacies and all of the instructors were very knowledgeable.
HOW DID MIA SHARE HELP YOU ON YOUR EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY?
Before attending Ocean Corp, I had tried attending a welding program first, but I didn’t enjoy the work as much as I thought I would. I thought applying welding and scuba diving to do underwater welding would be a good career path. I ended up dropping the welding course and didn’t have much funding left to attend a second trade school program. Luckily, the Ocean corp admin told me about Mia Share and their ISA option that would help me attend and pay later. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have received my diver’s certification.
HOW HAS IT BEEN DIVING PROFESSIONALLY?
I love the industry and working in the field, but the workload has been light, which causes job sites to be further and further away from each other. The pay is good and I get to enjoy what I am doing every day. I’m currently earning $18 for shop jobs and $24 on the days that I dive. I’ve also been considering looking into offshore positions and commercial diving gigs to increase my earning potential!
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR THOSE PURSUING A TRADE SCHOOL EDUCATION?
I would recommend doing your research and figuring out what position you want to work in, what kind of company, and the earning potential in your area. There are lots of opportunities, but it varies a lot from state to state. There is also the demanding nature of professional diving that requires you to be agile and strong. As long as you’ve done your research and concluded this is what you, you will get the most out of trade school!