A 21yr.old with NO MONEY to Skydive

[Jumper4Jesus 0]

Hello everyone! I am in love with skydiving but right now I cannot afford to jump because I am in college. I have made 4 jumps so far, and I absolutely want to keep skydiving for the rest of my life. But, since I can't jump right now, I still want to be a part of the skydiving community. Is there anything that you guys can suggest I do to stay connected until I get a rig and my license? I really do love getting to know skydivers, they're such unique people. I even dated one once, and I still want to get to know skydivers even though I can't jump. What do you suggest?

[cesslon 0]

be a member of this forum

and get a part time job , cut back on blowing money on all the beers at ya uni party's , dont smoke
and put every cent away for ya aff course

[AggieDave 6]

I started jumping while I was in college, and I'm still in college, but since then I've done 800 jumps and got ratings. See, it can be done, you just have to want it bad enough! Start packing at the DZ, that's a good way to make money to jump with.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[skymama 37]

Welcome to the forums!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[skysprite 0]

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I started jumping while I was in college, and I'm still in college, but since then I've done 800 jumps and got ratings. See, it can be done, you just have to want it bad enough! Start packing at the DZ, that's a good way to make money to jump with.

What kind of money can you make packing at the DZ?

~skysprite

[Jayruss 0]

I started in High School, so I feel your pain. It did help that my dad started with me. But the best thing to do hang out around the DZ even when not jumping, you'll get to know everyone. There is the packing idea or working for the DZ. We've had several guys at Perris pay for jumps by cleaning toilets . . .

__________________________________________________
"Beware how you take away hope from another human being."
-Oliver Wendell Holmes

[Dagny 0]

Welcome to skydiving! I'm in school, too, so I'm essentially spending money I don't have to keep jumping...(i.e. credit cards and food money)! I'm looking for a job so I can feed my habit, but my short term suggestion is to start looking in and under couches. Loose change adds up!

Sincerely,
Missy (a 28yr. old with NO MONEY to Skydive, either!)

Take me, I am the drug; take me, I am hallucinogenic.
-Salvador Dali

[AggieDave 6]

It depends on the DZ and how much you pack/how hard you work on how much money you make.

Generally, you get $5 for a packjob, some pay $10 for packing tandems. One boogie weekend over a year ago, I made enough to buy a brand new PD reserve in a weekend from packing.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[shortyred919 0]

I TOTALLY feel your pain. I'm 20 years old with no money. I am starting to work part time to save money so i can keep doing it. Hopefully it'll add up some day so I can go ahead and get everything I need.

You could always get a lemonade stand on the street. Come on, who would pass up a 21 year old in the winter selling lemonade?! They would buy some just cause they feel sorry for you! I say milk what you can get.

Best of luck!

____________________
Stacy the Red

[sdgregory 0]

Yeah, Definitely Check with your DZ about working for them to earn jumps. In know mine does that. Mostly for packing though. I am a college student too and I took a job for a quarter to earn money specifiaclly for this .

[DaGimp 0]

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I started jumping while I was in college, and I'm still in college, but since then I've done 800 jumps and got ratings. See, it can be done, you just have to want it bad enough! Start packing at the DZ, that's a good way to make money to jump with.

What kind of money can you make packing at the DZ?

i have a packer at my DZ that makes about $700 a week packing......but that above average from any DZ. And welcome to the sport......no one in the sport has money unless they are really weathy.

"Professor of Pimpology"~~~Bolas

[swoopboy 0]

dude take it from me i know how it is just keep on saving your money
if it helps go once a month i know that not enough for any skyjunky but a least youll be able to go until u get your linces and a rig stick w it God will work it out

skydiving is a sport you can spend time with your friends or spend time with
God just u and Him. and it helps relieve your stress from the daily grind almost as much as pray does

[skytash 0]

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And welcome to the sport......no one in the sport has money unless they are really weathy.

and then they spend it all on jumps and end up being broke mortals like the rest of us

tash

Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Being alive is a special occasion. Avril Sloe

[ripcords 0]

I started skydiving in college. The way that I helped finance my love of the sport was by bringing first time jumpers to the dropzone. Most skydiving centers will give you some jump credit for bringing first time jumpers to them. I worked through the colleges outing club and did not try to get a skydiving club started for fear that those awful school lawyers would put a nix to the trips. With the outing club I was able to get funding for transportation and the school would put together lunches for a day trip for all of the students that had a meal plan. I also worked at the dz doing manifest, packing, etc. as I worked towards my ratings. Stick with it and best wishes!

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[Dogwap 0]

It’s all about priorities.

Here are some tips.

Cut back on food, clothes, gas, heat in the winter, A/C in the summer, beer, and nights out, etc.

Get another roommate or move to a cheaper place.

Get another job, but not on the weekends.

Plastic (as in credit cards)

Apply for every possible scholarship/loan/grant

Beg mom for more money (threaten to quit school if she won’t pony up)

Keep one step ahead of the bill collectors

Never, ever take classes that will require you to study on the weekend

The above tips are all pretty obvious. But the following tip can net you thousands of dollars.

Start a School Skydiving Club so that you can hold fundraisers. A pal and I hired a band and held a big dance in the student union the week before Easter break in order to fund our first skydiving vacation. Once you have a non-profit, school-affiliated profit center, the potential for financing your skydiving habit are limitless.

A final tip… Do not save money now to skydive sometime in the future. Jump this weekend and every weekend, even if you can only afford one jump a week. This is especially true if you get a job at the airport. Don’t hang around if you aren’t gonna jump.

These tips are time tested and well used standards.

Look, you’re a college student. You have a license to act irresponsibly. So, if you can’t find a way to jump now, you never will.

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To those who say it’s a small world, let me tell you,
I’ve seen the world, and it’s only getting bigger.