WOFT:

I have had the same problem for 24 years or so now. I have known several family members and friends who just “look down their nose” when they have found out that I volunteer with a ambulance service. First I was a police officer and later learned to be an EMT. Now I am an intermediate trained EMT and a part-time or reserve police officer.

Today, I work in real estate full time and while I enjoy this work, I still have some people think I could have done better. It has never been about the money, but rather about personal satisfaction. I have sure you probably have the heard the saying that “If you work at a job you truly love—you never really work.” I can assure you that this is true. Yes, I wear many hats and although real estate allows for more personal freedom the job satisfaction is definitely not the same. It did however help pay for my pilot lessons as a private pilot.

Sadly many people of our society put emphasis on success with the amount of material possessions you can acquire. This is really how people have been raised and they really believe this. I would much rather be happy then to be wealthy and miserable. I say follow your heart and find out what you want not what anybody else expects you to do. I have known several paramedics and EMT’s to move on and finish their education to become Doctor’s, Nurses, Lawyers and other professional occupations. There is also the burnout factor, which contributes to job dissatisfaction. Most cite the money issue, some the demand of the job, some the lack of training. Those who experience this eventually leave the job.

I read a statistic, which stated the “average” paramedic has just 8 years experience and rare is the case of a permanent career. This was an actual quote from the US Dept. of Labor. Nurses averaged about the same. In each case job burnout was cited as the primary reason for leaving the occupation. Not mentioned however are the costs of training (initial) and the cost of retraining. All is not gloom and doom though. I know several people with the same amount of time-in-service, some who have made it 30 years and some that retire from the occupation. I even have considered moving to full time EMS and doing real estate part-time.

Take care,
Stargazer

ASAP= Always Suspicious, Always Prepared