It is a great profession to be in that is a truth. I finished my EMT when I was 18 just old enough to take the test and have not looked back since. The con where I live in a rural setting I know most of my pt's I come across, and sometimes that is very hard to deal with, but like some others have said it is that screwball attitude that get you by to the next call and knowing what you do truly does make a difference to that person and to the families. The hours sometimes are corky, you meet some of the most interesting people in the world, and you really get your eyes opened to what happens in the world.
My advise, like others see if you can get some ride-a-longs. There are programs out there that take on trainees too though I don't know about your area. There are a few areas in which I live that we have what we call explorers. It is almost like an after school type program you are trained at first as a first responder and can move up in the ranks. This works well with our area having such a small population, and it sparks that interest for a lot of kids to go into some area of the healthcare provider field.