AboutMike Turoff Expertise expert/master parachutist and an Instructor Examiner in the sport of Skydiving. Mike is a licensed (jump) pilot and parachute rigger, who is an analytical chemist in the "regular working world." As a dedicated instructor, Mike has made over 3,400 jumps since 1977. Mike has contributed to many of the training materials and exams used by USPA and the sport. He has authored numerous articles dealing with safety and training practices that have appeared in both Parachutist and Skydiving magazines. Mike participates as an evaluator at AFF Training Camps and Certification Courses and is a rated to perform Tandem instruction using both the Relative Workshop and Strong Enterprises gear. Mike is co-author of "Parachuting, The Skydiver`s Handbook and the CD-ROM text for "Skydiving, A Multimedia Reference."
Expert: Mike Turoff Date: 5/12/2008 Subject: Career
Question I read your response to a question about skydiving as a career, thanks for the great information. However, if someone was set on making this dream a reality what "path" would you recommend? I see there are schools...are they worth it? Any you'd recommend? If money wasn't a hindrance could you get certified quickly or is there a timeframe for certain certifications (or just jumps logged)? Any other words of wisdom?
Answer First off, I know nothing of the curriculum offered by the "schools" that promise full training up through instructor level credentials. However, there are many competent, full service dropzones that operate year round and have many good staffers that can certainly steer you in the right direction. Before you plunk down any money for such training, understand that for the most part, it is training by peers in the sport that prepare you for the tasks. Usually, that is done just for the cost of a jump and maybe a little bonus for their time such as they would spend working with a student.
The best thing for you to do is to visit a few dropzones and see what they do for their students, then decide if you want to be a part of that organization. Once you've selected one, let the management know of your desires. Don't be surprised if you start out taking care of the trash, sweeping floors, packing parachutes, etc., before you start being trained as a coach and then as an instructor. It is a long process to become well versed in the sport. It can take two to three years to gain proficiency and competence to be a good instructor.
Learn all that is learnable along the way and remember that once you start working with real students, your learning process accelerates.
