Commercial Divers

Also Called:

Commercial Diver,

Diver,

Diver Tender,

Tender

What they do: Work below surface of water, using surface-supplied air or scuba equipment to inspect, repair, remove, or install equipment and structures. May use a variety of power and hand tools, such as drills, sledgehammers, torches, and welding equipment. May conduct tests or experiments, rig explosives, or photograph structures or marine life.

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Architecture & Construction

Career Cluster

What do they typically do on the job?

  • Take appropriate safety precautions, such as monitoring dive lengths and depths and registering with authorities before diving expeditions begin.
  • Check and maintain diving equipment, such as helmets, masks, air tanks, harnesses, or gauges.
  • Communicate with workers on the surface while underwater, using signal lines or telephones.

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.

Dependability

Attention to Detail

Stress Tolerance

Persistence

Adaptability/Flexibility

Integrity

Interests

Career interests describe the perspectives and interests of people who enjoy the type of work involved in this career.

Discover what your interests are by taking the Interest Profiler Quiz

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Realistic

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Investigative

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Conventional

Knowledge

People who want to pursue this career have knowledge in these areas.

Engineering and Technology

  • Mechanical

  • Building and construction

Math and Science

  • Physics

  • Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Business

  • Customer service

Safety and Government

  • Public safety and security

Abilities

Whether you have received formal training or not, these types of abilities are helpful in this career.

Hand and Finger Use

  • Keep your arm or hand steady

  • Hold or move items with your hands

Verbal

  • Listen and understand what people say

  • Communicate by speaking

Controlled Movement

  • Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat

  • Use your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down

Ideas and Logic

  • Notice when problems happen

Skills

People who want to pursue this career have skills in these areas.

Basic Skills

  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem

  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions

Problem Solving

  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Social

  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions

  • Teaching people how to do something

Work Values

Work values describe how your core beliefs align with those commonly needed for this career.

Support

Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

Independence

Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Working Conditions

Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.

Does this sound like something you'd like to do?

1. Do some research
  • Identify how your interests, values, and strengths match this occupation
  • Talk to someone who works in this field or spend a day job shadowing
  • Use the colleges and training directory to explore programs related to this career
2. Plan your next move

Data for NSI career cards comes from the following: Idaho Department of Labor, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, MyNextMove, and Career OneStop