Future EMT in need of some Expert advice..HELP!!

[vcfd35s]

For the past two years have been cruising the forum and have found a lot people on here to be very knowledgeable not only EMS related but in life as well. I have come to a stand still with everyone else that I have talked to, and thought that this place would be a good place for advice. Bear with me as it may be a bit long. Thanks in advance.

I am 20 years old and am about ready to jump on a sweet 911 EMT company in Southern California in a matter of three weeks; if my interview goes well. Currently, I work as a retail consultant selling cell phones. I have my own car, have a few bills and live at home with my parents. Problem is this: My parents want me to hold off on working as an EMT for a year or so because they feel that I need to stay with my current job for a bit, save up some money and get bills paid off. Plus, the benefits as a full-time employee arent that bad either. Yes, they are my parents and i understand what they are saying, but I feel as though they are trying to protect me from the world. i want to go out and experience life as I want to experience it. Selling phones is alright, but I want to be on a rig running calls and chuggin away at becoming a Paramedic. i dont really look forward to going to work. i just dont like the whole retail environment of meeting quotas, and selling as much as we can, and all that junk. I just want to be an EMT doing what i can to be the best EMT and eventually Paramedic. :roll: I understand everything that goes along with being an EMT; the work load, the stress, hours, pay cuts. i know that it is only a stepping stone to my career as a FF/Paramedic. Also, my mother is very opinionated and she told me that if i work as EMT now I will have to move out and support myself; because she feels that I am going against her wishes. :roll: I am willing to get rid of a lot of luxuries to work as EMT as soon as I can. My father supports what I want to do, but wants me to make the right decision. I have worked as a beach lifeguard, was a Fire Cadet, and have gone on numerous ride-alongs and know that I will love working as an EMT. Now is the chance, but I feel like my parents are holding me back.

So guys, what do you think? Take a pay-cut, sacrifice a little in the beginning and have a job that I will love, or just keep waiting and listening to my parents. I live for myself, not for them. Dont get me wrong, I appreciate there advice. What would you do? Thanks again.

[WannaBEMT]

Ok 1st let me say this...Dude, you are 20 years old. It is time to get out, pay your own way and make your own decisions. I am well aware of having opinionated parents, my mother was one before she passed away and my dad is now, the difference is this...I make my own decisions, whether or not they are the best or not and learn from the ones that were not the best. You are old enough to set your life plans into action. Your parents are not going to always agree with what you do but they will have to learn to accept the decisions you make and support you as well, in your decisions that is. Think about getting out on your own, being independant, and your own person. If this is what you want to do, go for it full force. Not everyone in life is going to agree with you. Good luck to you and your decisions ahead.

Jenn

[Dustdevil]

This seems like a no-brainer to me.

Keep the fone job and start paramedic school ASAP.

Mom's happy. You're pursuing your pipe dream. Life is good!

When you finish medic school two years from now, you'll have some real education, a college diploma, and you'll be in a position to get a real EMS or fire job, and you [hopefully] won't be in debt.

[BushyFromOz]

Ok 1st let me say this...Dude, you are 20 years old. It is time to get out, pay your own way and make your own decisions. I am well aware of having opinionated parents, my mother was one before she passed away and my dad is now, the difference is this...I make my own decisions, whether or not they are the best or not and learn from the ones that were not the best. You are old enough to set your life plans into action. Your parents are not going to always agree with what you do but they will have to learn to accept the decisions you make and support you as well, in your decisions that is. Think about getting out on your own, being independant, and your own person. If this is what you want to do, go for it full force. Not everyone in life is going to agree with you. Good luck to you and your decisions ahead.

Jenn

I see the gist of my reply has been covered

[becksdad]

I'm with Dustdevil. It sounds like a good plan to start working in the field, get experience, and work on Paramedic education while still doing what you love to do. But the real logistics of that plan very often don't work.

Let's say you do go into EMS now. You're out on your own, increasing your debt, and making a little less money to boot. But you love what you're doing, so it's no big deal to work some overtime shifts for the extra money you need. Now, where I have worked, shifts are 24 hrs, with 48 off between. Each O.T. shift means you work for 48 straight hours, with only 1 day off to catch up on sleep, do your laundry, run errands, anything else you might need to do. Of course, you can't do this pace all the time, but do it enough and it starts to take its toll.

Maybe you'll have a wife and kids, maybe not. We all have family, friends, other obligations - a life. How are you going to schedule school at least 2 days a week, do all the clinicals and ride time required, too? Each ride time is another 24 hour commitment, clinical 12's, and you have to do a lot of them. See where it becomes an extremely difficult task?

Now, let's look at staying with Mom & Dad. You've got a whole lot less debt, you continue to make enough income, your job is a regular 40 hour a week gig, and you've got plenty of leeway to make the commitment necessary to do well in school. In 2 years, you're now a Paramedic with a far more marketable set of skills and education, you will be in more demand than an EMT-B, and you'll make more money. Dust said it much more succintly than me..... a no-brainer.

I'm all for independence, becoming your own person, paying your own way. But if you have the opportunity to set the odds in your favor for success, why not take advantage of that?

[Just Plain Ruff]

Let's look at this the way Dave Ramsey or Clark Howard would look at it.

current situation -

Living with mom and dad

have a good job

going to school

minimal debt

future situation to be

out of the house - RENT payment

Job with low pay - not able to put much in the bank let alone live on

still goin to school - but now you have to pay for school

minimal debt- nope gonna start to increase your debt

Here is what I suggest

1. Stay at home and live off mom and dad

2. build up a emergency fund of $1000 for EMERGENCIES(new clothes or a stereo doesn't count as emergency)

3. Next step is to build a 2nd emergency fund which would be equal to 6 months of living expenses if you are laid off or get fired

4. continue school

5. pay off your debt with what you make.

Those aren't the steps in order but this makes sense if you ask me. Had I have heard Dave Ramsey before I got in to paramedicine I would probably not have been in a bad situation after my first job and needed to move back in with mom and dad

Keep your job at the cell phone company and build up your self and your nest egg. Rent is a whole lot cheaper when it's free. this will also keep your mom happy and will enable you to go get your paramedic cert of god forbid your degree.

Trust me, having an unhappy Mother is not a place I like to be in.

[vcfd35s]

I want to thank everyone that has offered there words of wisdom. I just wanted to clear up a few things. Right out of high school (two years ago) I went straight to college. I was in college for a year studying business. The university I went to didnt offer anything EMS or Fire related in terms of a degree. After a year, I decided to come back home and focus on my Fire/EMT career. Getting certified, taking fire science classes at the community college, and getting experience working as an EMT...on my way to becoming a paramedic. As you might imagine, the parents werent too happy with me returning home but they saw that I wasnt happy. So, my plan is to save up some dough from my current job, pay-off some debt, and move out in about 3-6 months and start working on a rig. Its whats going to make me happy. I'll take the sacrifices now, if it means a great career later on as a professional Fireifghter/Paramedic. Thanks again guys.

[Dustdevil]

professional Fireifghter/Paramedic

When you get to that second year of college, they teach you about oxymorons. :wink:

Anyhow, as expected, it sounds like you are going to totally disregard the advice you asked for. :?

Good luck anyhow!

[becksdad]

Professional Firefighter/Paramedic.... oxymoron....Hahahaha!!

[UMSTUDENT]

I understand a little of what you're speaking of. It is very sad how our culture views our profession, but unfortunately this is slightly our own doing.

When I was a kid I can specifically remember my mother poking fun of the local firefighters as they washed the engines out front. She was specifically referring to the volunteer aspect of the profession and remarked of how "bored" they must be to wash "those damn fire trucks so often." She respected what they did, but her remarks were all but expected. When I joined my local ambulance squad later in life I realized where she got her attitude. It was seldom that they were called upon to working fires and the thick beards and ruff exterior didn't help much for professionalism. They were bored...After all, we expect people who work 8 hour days, 5 days a week to understand getting paid to sleep.

She supported my decision to get involved in the field later life, but some of my friends and colleagues at college have not been so lucky. Many of their parents routinely question their decision to become involved in the field. Many of them see it as a "lowly profession" with little career opportunities. This is true to some degree unfortunately. EMS has a long way to go before the public truly respects them.

Do what you want, but make sure you have a back-up. Education is always a plus!