Here's a recent picture of me packing a parachute a Lodi skydive center, I just wanted to share how I got into this sport and how ANYONE can do it too.
I was working at Time Warner Cable installing coax and TV boxes in homes when one day at my friend's house watching YouTube I saw wingsuit basejumping. That was the day my life changed.
I was depressed and tired of working 10 hour days to try to live up to social standards of having a house and nice car and girlfriend. I was also drinking myself to sleep. When I saw wingsuit base jumping I said "I AM going to do that" my friends laughed and said it was too hard to expensive and that I'd never do it, that's where they were wrong.
I woke up the next day and started reading skydiving forums and worked up the courage to ask how to get started with limited funds, I got the response "go call every dropzone in the area and tell them how bad you want to get into the sport, someone will help you out" and sure enough I called a few dropzones and skydive temple told me to come out the next day.
I was nervous and decided to wear a nice button up shirt and jeans, when I arrived I wasn't asked if I wanted to work, mark mark the dropzone owner just asked "can you drive a tractor?" To Wich I responded " well I am from Texas" he smiled and said "we'll get your ass out there let's go, you got any thing to wear? Like some shorts? This ain't no formal Job..... I drops my pants and reviled my swim trunks and he laughed and said " I think you'll fit in here just fine"
I worked mowing the airfield for a few weeks and cleaning the bathrooms and office, it was then I started to learn how to pack parachutes when one of the instructors agreed to teach me, little did I know I was learning a skill that would catapult me through hundreds of skydives and help me become an instructor myself.
Within a month I was making 100 bucks a day and then skydiving it all away, I was finally happy for the first time since childhood, living at the dropzone and packing parachutes and skydiving, quitting my day job to follow my dreams was not only more fun, but paid better too.
Anyone can start packing parachutes even before they have ever left the ground, people are always moving up in the sport and there's almost always a position to pack open within a month or 2, if you want to start skydiving and living the dream you just have to go out and get it!
What dreams have you followed? Did they work out? Have you ever gone against the grain to follow what you love? Comment and tell me!
Blue skies!