When choosing a University program at the age of 17, I think it is safe to say that the majority of people do not know exactly what they want to do after graduation. Initially I was a Medical School keener, but after a two week trip to Honduras before I started in the Integrated Science program at McMaster University, I realized that I could incorporate my love for the outdoors with the career I choose. This two week trip was with Operation Wallacea, a conservation biology company that organizes and conducts research in remote areas all over the world. Although I had scuba dived before, this is where I gained my first related certification: PADI Open Water Diver.
Fast forward to fourth year university; my plan was to get my M.Sc. and Ph.D., and then become a University Professor. But after completing my thesis in Indonesia on the feeding ecology of Crown of Thorns Starfish, I realised that what I love about science is problem solving and critical thinking, which is not exclusive to the scientific research field. From this realization and some personal research, a career in Environmental Consulting seemed like the logical next step for me. In this field, you can take already existing problems that affect our environment and help form solutions to combat and remediate them.
“My passion for diving further advances this drive to live sustainably and help protect the natural environments we have left.”
When applying for a job, I thought I would be a pretty undesirable candidate, as I had a five week trip planned to return to Honduras and complete my Divemaster certification. While I no longer needed it for scientific diving at a post-graduate level, as I had previously planned, I wanted to further my diving education. I have always been very passionate about the environment; be it coral reefs in Indonesia or wetlands in Southern Ontario. My passion for diving further advances this drive to live sustainably and help protect the natural environments we have left. I never expected that I could get a job in my desired field and also not have to cancel this trip. I was happily surprised when I started at Watters Environmental in May and was still allowed to travel to Honduras in July.
Becoming a PADI Divemaster helped me to further develop important skills that are transferable to life out of the water. I realized that the base process of working as a Divemaster is not that much different than working in the consulting industry. In the world of diving, you hire a Divemaster to take care of all the behind-the-scenes logistics so you can simply just hop in the water and dive without worrying about equipment set up or dive planning. In consulting, we also concentrate on all the behind the scene details so our clients can get the results they want with minimal disturbance to their regular work day. This realization allowed me to incorporate skills that I have from my hobby of diving and work them into my professional life.
Overall, the experience of completing my Divemaster certification was one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences I have had to date. And while I may not see Octopi, Spotted Eagle Rays, or Hawksbill Sea Turtles living in Ontario, I can apply the skills that being a PADI Professional has honed and focus on helping the environment here in Canada.
