airronchi 0 #1 August 6, 2005 hi, i'm a 34 year old chef. i intend on following my dream of becoming a skydiver and making a living in the field. i did some static line jumps in the military (ions ago). is it too late to venture off into this path? what's the best way to go about this? and no less important...has anyone heard of the skydiving school in new zealand? is it worth it? thanks for your opinions airronchi Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sparko 0 #2 August 6, 2005 I guess you are talking about the Diploma in Commercial Skydiving in Christchurch? It gets a lot of stick from people, especially on here, but from what i have seen personally it is worth it, particularly if you are a new zealand/australia resident. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cheneyneel 0 #3 August 7, 2005 sell everything..buy a trailer and move to Davis Cali and pay for AFF... Do what ever you can and live at the DZ.. Screw the school.. you will learn the same thing at the DZ.. but to be honest with you.. the best skydivers in the world have real jobs, make good money to travel and jump/tunnel because that is where the cool shit happens...... just work out work schedules to allow for jumping... if you work at the DZ you will never get to jump and it will take you forever to learn the skills that you will really want to learn... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RichardR 0 #4 August 7, 2005 I could get a lot of shit for this post.... There is very little money in skydiving, unless you are savvy enough to open one of the best drop zones in your country, or you feel like $20K (US) a year (at best) is real money. If skydiving is your passion, do it on the weekends. If you wish to be an instructor, great, it might subsidize your passion, or provide extra income for doing what you love. Don't give up your day job. Don't take my word for it. Start asking around to get perspectives from people that actually make money skydiving. I think that you will find they do it because they enjoy it, not because they can make a living off of it. I have tremendous respect for the instructors that have taught me and others to become skydivers. Most of them have day jobs.Richard Rothery Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #5 August 7, 2005 on the plus side, as a chef you're in a better position than most to be a close to full time skydiver and still be able to work the dinner hours. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron 10 #6 August 8, 2005 Quotethe best skydivers in the world have real jobs Where does Airspeed work when not on the DZ?"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Belgian_Skygirl 0 #7 August 8, 2005 Maybe you should first take a course and see if you like it?------------------------------------------------- No dive, like skydive... wanna bet on it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
patairborne 0 #8 August 9, 2005 QuoteQuotethe best skydivers in the world have real jobs Where does Airspeed work when not on the DZ? Most of the Airspeed members do coaching after they are done training. Considering that there are only 8 of them and over 35,000 members of the USPA, chances are slim to none that a lot of people ever make it to the top of the skydive heap. Very few make a whole lot of money in this sport and those who do usually burn out after 4-5 years and venture off to other things. Stick with the day job and try it on weekends. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
someday 0 #9 July 12, 2008 the main reasons i am considering the nzsds is the following.. it is a program where the instructors spend a lot of time with students, it is an organized school, i feel at a dropzone here, you pay for your "coach" jump and they spend 10 minutes with you and you jump and they move onto the next person.. the other reason im considering it is, i dont look at the negatives, i think the positives for me will over run the negatives.. for me, im lost on what to be/do, so i see this school as an oppurtunity to take a really awesome break/trip/adventure and i can do some real soul searching. then maybe if i come back to the states, i can atleast have some respect for the things i know, it might be easier to get a job in the industry. and for me that would be awesome.. i could work in the industry while finishing up college.. see im kind of a loner so i think it would be a great experience for someone like me... im not sure what to expect but im young and my priorities are different then the people i grew up with.. im not the societal norm... i think the one on one instruction and the school environment will produce a good result.. hope some agree with everything i just said Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjosparky 4 #10 July 12, 2008 Quote Quote the best skydivers in the world have real jobs Where does Airspeed work when not on the DZ? And what would you know. Good to see your are still around my friend. SparkyMy idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
