Choosing a Different Destiny

By Gabriel Machuret, www.choosingidc.com

When people find themselves complaining in an office about the boring every day work, the stress, the traffic, the vain conversations, the noise, the faxes and the annoying reminder of Memos, notices, emails, etc... a few people wonder what If I could do something different with my life?

At simple sight, becoming a Diving Instructor is a dream come through. Amazing destinations, great places to visit, beautiful people that admire you, because at the end of the day, you are the guy: You are the Diving Instructor!

The task of becoming a Diving Instructor then it seems not to be such an easy one... many people go ahead with what many call the career path and after finishing their first open water course or even their advanced course, they rapidly realise that the underwater world is always unknown and unpredictable.... . As with a Boeing 747 Pilot... you need hours of experience and training to understand the hazards, the responsibility and the implications of your acts as a Diving Instructor.

Not only the Diving Instructor gets all the attention, the free drinks in the local pub and signs at the end of the day Diving Certifications, the Diving Instructor is responsible for others peoples lives, of their safety and is in charge of making his students as capable as possible to become "divers" in a 4 day period.

Believe me: It is not an easy task.

Diving is not like riding a bike that despite the terrain you know that if you continue riding everything will be just ok. The Diving Experience changes depending of your location, experience, time of the year, depth, equipment, weather, people you are diving with and even your mood during that day, are key factors during your dive. Now, assume all these variables plus the fact that you are dealing with all this, plus a group of nervous students who are going to go underwater for the first time.

As you can imagine many things can go wrong, and at the same time, many things usually go more than right.

Because the satisfaction of seeing your students with the biggest smile ever after their first dive is worth all the sacrifice, hard work and hours and hours of patience !

That's why becoming a Diving Instructor is a serious decision that requires a good choice when you are ready to find who will train you as a future instructor.

In the same way that Luke Skywalker needed Yoda and their sidekicks to fight against the Empire, well you need all the tools and advice you can get.

In the PADI system (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) this group of YODAS or Diving gurus are called Course Directors, and it is these people who are in charge of giving you all the education, tips and little secrets that will make your life easier as an instructor. That's why when you choose to become an instructor you need to understand that the Course Director is your biggest influence, and that's why you have to take your time to analyse and study the best Diving carreer option to choose.

After you become a Divemaster and you are ready to become a Diving Instructor you have to undergo the Instructor Development Course well known as PADI IDC.

The PADI IDC is the most complex course you have ever taken so far. It is a non stop bombing of information regarding standards, safety, students, the PADI system, law, marketing and sales. Yes you read well, you learn also about non direct diving related topics such as marketing, and sales strategy: because at the end of the day, diving is a business like any other! The most amazing thing about the course itself, is that is a challenging course, that gives you the option of opening your eyes in a different way and to see the process of teaching scuba diving as a "science" that requires the how-to and the required experience.

When you surf the net, and you start wondering where to do your PADI IDC, you can find Choosing IDC website ( www.choosingidc.com ) , where you can see quite an interesting variety of different locations, from Egypt to Honduras, from Cyprus to Australia.... from Thailand to California... . So many places! So many Course Directors, so many Dive Centers !
Infact, the amount of places, is one of the exciting reasons for doing your IDc, there are multiple global destinations where you can explore and do your IDC course and with a bit of luck, stay to live there, find a job... and become part of the local diving community in that zone.

Difficult? Not at all. You have to remember that many of the IDC centres are usually located in big diving areas like Utila, Hurghada, Puerto Galeras, Florida, Cairns, Koh Tao, and these unique places in the world attract a huge amount of diving tourist from all around the globe. These tourists in many cases are just like you were before: non divers interested in doing their open water course. And of course, it is in these moments where Dive Centers need Diving Instructors! . That's why the decision of doing your IDC in a popular diving area is not only a smart decision from an educational point of view, but is also a great way to get access to job offers.

During more than 10 months, Choosing IDC ( www.choosingidc.com ) has seen how every day more people understand that a life behind a desk and papers to fill is not a dreamed life. Diving is not only a special and for many of us, spiritual experience, it is also a new and incredible way of been finally free by having the possibility of travelling, diving and working at the same time.

Working as a Diving Instructor once you start doing it is not just a job, it becomes a way of life, a fantastic rewarding experience and a great way to teach people one of the things you love most in life: Diving.

The Precious Cost of Commuting

How much does your commute cost you each month? More importantly, how much of your personal time do you spend commuting each day to and from work?

A few years ago, I lived in the Chicago suburbs and commuted into the city each day for my job. I thoroughly enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the city lifestyle. I couldn’t afford to live downtown and walk to work, so I commuted to work from a suburb about 20 miles southwest of the city.

The commute would start off by driving 5 miles to the train station. If I timed it right, I could accomplish this segment in about 10 minutes. My car averaged about a gallon of gas every two weeks for this commute.
** Cost: With today’s gas prices let’s say $15 per week x 4 weeks = $60 per month

The next part of my commute was walking from my paid parking spot to the train station which took about 5 minutes.
** Cost: Parking ran about $30 per month

All the commuters would be lined up on the platform waiting for the train for an 18 minute express commute downtown. Typically the train was on time but there were some horrible weather days that caused some significant delays
** Cost: Monthly train ticket was $75 per month

Once the train reached Union Station in the heart of downtown Chicago, there was about a 20 minute walk to the office. Some of my fellow commuters needed to catch a bus or taxi since their offices weren’t within walking distance of the train station.
** Cost: Free for walking, roughly $50 per month for the bus or taxi

Total Cost:
• This type of city commute can easily exceed $200 per month not including the cost of car payments, insurance, or maintenance.

• If you live in a smaller city in the U.S., your wallet is probably getting hit hard by the gasoline prices. In a month of commuting by car, you could spend close to $250 per month or more.

What’s often not considered in the cost of commuting is your precious time. If your commute averages 1 hour each direction to and from work, this translates to:

• 2 hours a day

• 10 hours a week

• 40 hours per month (one full work week!)

• 480 hours per year (12 work weeks a year!)

Can you imagine having 20 hours more time per month if you could cut your commute in half? Wow!! What would you do with that time and the savings in money? Spend more time with your family? Take a class? Make time to exercise? Just think of the possibilities!

Consider how you might be able to cut your commute time and costs:

• Can you work from home some of the time?

• Can you find a job closer to your home?

• Can you move closer to your job?

Depending on your circumstances, you may find that getting a job closer to home may be worth taking a slightly lower salary if you’re saving the money and time. Only you know what is best for your unique situation take all of these different ideas into consideration.

It was painful to calculate the cost of not being paid 40 hours per month for a commute to and from work. I would try to read books, listen to books on tape, read the newspaper, and try to convince myself that the time on the train could be productive if I wanted it to be. I rationalized that it was quiet time just for me. Where I lived was of no consequence to my employer; I was just expected to show up on time and do my job. I had a choice to make of whether I wanted to continue this lifestyle or not. I have had to make some tough lifestyle decisions but decided I would never have a commute in excess of 15 minutes each way to the office again.

If you decide to take steps to reduce commute costs you may find that you not only saved money, but you have more of your day to do what you want. You might even discover you do have the time to focus on accomplishing that goal you’ve been putting off because you just couldn’t find the time.

About One Paycheck at a Time, Inc.
One Paycheck at a Time Inc. is the leading source for sensible debt reduction solutions. Its products include the One Paycheck at a Time paperback (ISBN: 1591133327), as well as an ebook format, and the eTools program. The author of the book and president of the company, Kimberly A. Griffiths, has been through the vicious cycle of debt herself and has made it her personal goal to share her experience to help others. More information can be found about the company and its products at www.1PaycheckataTime.com.

The content in this article is intended for educational purposes only and it should not be interpreted as financial advice. For advice that is specific to your circumstances, please consult your tax and financial advisor.