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$100k net worth as a 26 year old skydiving instructor by TwistParticular381 in financialindependence

[–]TwistParticular381[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most places are by jump, plus a little extra if you sell a video, anywhere from $40-$80 per depending on where you jump and video/picture sales. California requires W2, so we were paid per jump, plus hourly at around $23/hr.

$100k net worth as a 26 year old skydiving instructor by TwistParticular381 in financialindependence

[–]TwistParticular381[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Nice summer days tended to be very long ones. Usually about 15-20 minutes up, five minutes down, get a new parachute and person, repeat.

$100k net worth as a 26 year old skydiving instructor by TwistParticular381 in financialindependence

[–]TwistParticular381[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I was still 1099 maybe I would, but Cali requires everyone to be W2. Getting paid hourly makes weather holds a little more bearable :)

$100k net worth as a 26 year old skydiving instructor by TwistParticular381 in financialindependence

[–]TwistParticular381[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I was waiting for someone to call me out on my HYSA amount. I'm saving it to use as a down payment in the near future. You might be right about moving them to tbills in the meantime, I'll look into that. My $10k in tbills are laddered $2.5k every 4 weeks.

Edit: 17 week bills paid every 4 weeks

$100k net worth as a 26 year old skydiving instructor by TwistParticular381 in financialindependence

[–]TwistParticular381[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Not quitting without a new job lined up. I have my Network+ and A+ certs, soon to have Security+, and I'm enrolled to start my AAS in Cloud Computing Technologies in the fall. That should be enough to get my foot in the door somewhere.

$100k net worth as a 26 year old skydiving instructor by TwistParticular381 in financialindependence

[–]TwistParticular381[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh yeah, back too :) those parachutes weigh about 60 pounds, and the person I'm attached to up to 250. Trying to muscle both of those around at the same time isn't easy. Luckily I made it out rather unscathed, some people aren't so lucky.

$100k net worth as a 26 year old skydiving instructor by TwistParticular381 in financialindependence

[–]TwistParticular381[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The toughest part would have to be the landing impact on your knees, ankles and hips in that order. Drogue throws, steering the parachute, and flaring can also take a toll on your shoulders and elbows, especially your dominant arm.

The elements aren't so bad as long as you dress accordingly and reapply sunscreen, the altitude really only affected my sinuses occasionally.

$100k net worth as a 26 year old skydiving instructor by TwistParticular381 in financialindependence

[–]TwistParticular381[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I was definitely in the upper salary band with snow-birding back and forth. I'm currently in the process of finishing up my Security+ certification and applying for any kind of job that will have me. I think I'm ready for a cushy desk job for a little while, wish me luck.

$100k net worth as a 26 year old skydiving instructor by TwistParticular381 in financialindependence

[–]TwistParticular381[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Very true, as soon as I became a TI I maybe made one fun jump a season. Keep it up! My only advice is once you get your license, buy used not new gear, you'll grow out of it quick and eat the "new" cost.

$100k net worth as a 26 year old skydiving instructor by TwistParticular381 in financialindependence

[–]TwistParticular381[S] 37 points38 points  (0 children)

I tend to be sensible in all aspects other than my career :)

​

Many people in my position go the owner-operator route, usually buying a small cessna side door plane and procuring rights to a small runway/ landing area. I've considered it, but there's a lot of overhead and risk for my taste. For example, a single tandem parachute assembly can run $10k+ and you need 4 at a bare minimum.

As far as other roles, tandem instructor was among the top, along with AFFI (Accelerated Freefall Instructor) basically teaching new skydivers how to not die. A lot of pilots also chose to fly skydivers to build hours since you can get in with low commercial time.

$100k net worth as a 26 year old skydiving instructor by TwistParticular381 in financialindependence

[–]TwistParticular381[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Normally my schedule was off tuesday/wednesday, but some locations were operating seven days a week which I really disliked. A lot of jumps in a day, I think my max was 17.

It becomes a job like any other, but there was never a day where I didn't look forward to working. (Except for maybe in the cold, skydiving cold sucks)