Thank you all for the replies! I've finally talked to a couple companies who say they hire at 18, so I suppose I will at least fill out the application and see what happens. I am currently in school for nursing, which is my long term goal. If I can't find a job directly in EMS, I am considering teaching CPR while I am still in school, and am hoping that having the EMT cert will at least give me an edge against competition. Thanks for the replies, I truly appreciate it!