5. GET LICENSED

You've done it! You're still alive! We suggest that you kiss the ground and curl in the fetal position for a couple minutes. But what's next?

Do it again, of course. And again. And again. Forget saving up to pay off your college loans. They say that the adrenaline pumping through your body after you jump lasts for weeks.

It takes about 10 to 15 jumps, each of increased level, until the student is competent enough to jump without instructor supervision. However, if you learn with the AFF method, you can start jumping on your own after seven jumps. Each successive jump costs a little less, and once you're licensed, what was once $350 Saturday afternoon becomes only a $20 one. As long as they bring their own parachutes (and most prefer to), certified skydivers only pay for the space on the airplane.

There are four skydiving licenses: basic, intermediate, advanced, and master. We think that the USPA ripped these levels off from the U.S. Chess Federation. To get a basic license, you need to:

  1. Complete 20 freefall jumps.
  2. At least 3 of these freefall jumps must be controlled freefalls of 40 seconds or longer.
  3. Have had a total of at least 5 minutes of freefall time.
  4. Prove that you know how to 1) pack your own main parachute, 2) know what to do in an emergency, and 3) know other general skydiving information.

Many skydivers get licensed so they can work toward being skydiving instructors, which is really just a way to quench their own skydiving desires without having to pay for every jump.

So have fun, and let us know if you make it.