08-02-2006, 09:50 AM
Sounds like an awesome game plan. Although risks can be harmful, they're also what make life itself so exciting.
My brother took a firefighting course, but halted his career path after finishing. The reason? He had a brief overview of the dedication you need for taking on this career. If you plan on going into college while you're firefighting, it'd be very rewarding for you, but also VERY grueling. Your spare time would become non-existant because of the many hours you'll be training and working for this career. Here's the two average time-slots that municipal fire-departments usually apply.
-Working a 10hr shift for 3-4 days, then a 14hr nightshift for 3-4 nights, get 3-4 days off, then repeat.
-working a steady 24 hour shift, then receiving 48 hours off, then repeat.
On top of these averages, you'll usually work during holiday hours while finishing your apprenticeship! :shock: When you're a firefighter, you also need to eventually become a Certified Emergency Medical Technician, the same course a paramedic would need to take. All in all, this course takes a slick year to complete, while becoming a firefighter takes several weeks of training. I'm not trying to scare ya! But TEACHING also takes, well, shitloads of dedication in order to get your Bachelors degree, while some states will also require a master's degree in education.
If you do take on both of these careers alone, you'll retire with enough money to buy a place in Heaven. But if you do continue down this road, I'd suggest getting sponsored by Red Bull!!!
My brother took a firefighting course, but halted his career path after finishing. The reason? He had a brief overview of the dedication you need for taking on this career. If you plan on going into college while you're firefighting, it'd be very rewarding for you, but also VERY grueling. Your spare time would become non-existant because of the many hours you'll be training and working for this career. Here's the two average time-slots that municipal fire-departments usually apply.
-Working a 10hr shift for 3-4 days, then a 14hr nightshift for 3-4 nights, get 3-4 days off, then repeat.
-working a steady 24 hour shift, then receiving 48 hours off, then repeat.
On top of these averages, you'll usually work during holiday hours while finishing your apprenticeship! :shock: When you're a firefighter, you also need to eventually become a Certified Emergency Medical Technician, the same course a paramedic would need to take. All in all, this course takes a slick year to complete, while becoming a firefighter takes several weeks of training. I'm not trying to scare ya! But TEACHING also takes, well, shitloads of dedication in order to get your Bachelors degree, while some states will also require a master's degree in education.
If you do take on both of these careers alone, you'll retire with enough money to buy a place in Heaven. But if you do continue down this road, I'd suggest getting sponsored by Red Bull!!!