Career advice

Hopeful

Forum Ride Along
6
1
1
Hello, i have posted on here before some time back, i can't even remember what the upshot of it was, i promise to pay closer attention this time, so my situation is thus,
im a care worker and have been for the past 15 odd years off and on, im almost 34, approaching middle age i guess and i have several health problems kind of getting sorted including sleep apnea which i didn't know i had until recently and im being treated for it with a breathing aid machine.
so the point is now i have somewhat more energy for life i am feeling more ambitious, however i also have adhd, im raising a 3 year old child, im pretty far from being an organised person, my life is a mess generally and i feel i am quite a slow learner, also my mental health is far from ideal.

but at the same time am i to just stay on the bottom rung dead end with no prospects forever? i want to try and further myself somehow, ive looked into EMT type work, the course is affordable certainly, i think with enough pre preparation i could get through the course and be a qualified emt but i just think once im out there i might be terrible at this job, the thought of me making decisions in the heat of the moment that might decide life or death for someone else certainly is a frightening one.
are there other career options within the healthcare sector that might better suit me but provide better prospects than what im currently doing?
Im so depressed lately, learning about the human body certainly is interesting and im enjoying doing it as a small hobby, im not enrolled on any course currently, im trying to weigh up my options before i commit to anything, taking things in is slow going though and i often despair at my chances of ever amounting to anything. anyway i realise a lot of this post is self pitying and for that i apologise, also for the terrible grammar i apologise.
 

ffemt8978

Forum Vice-Principal
Community Leader
11,025
1,475
113
Have you considered a career in nursing?
 
OP
OP
H

Hopeful

Forum Ride Along
6
1
1
Have you considered a career in nursing?
honestly, i don't know, that will require uni and in my current situation i can't go to uni. i really don't think im mentally stable enough to be an emt, i think i need to talk to a careers advisor.
 

ffemt8978

Forum Vice-Principal
Community Leader
11,025
1,475
113
Props to you for recognizing your limitations, and I hope you find something that works for you.
 

Akulahawk

EMT-P/ED RN
Community Leader
4,926
1,324
113
honestly, i don't know, that will require uni and in my current situation i can't go to uni. i really don't think im mentally stable enough to be an emt, i think i need to talk to a careers advisor.
I definitely agree with this. If you're thinking of a career in healthcare, at least consider doing nursing prerequisites. You don't necessarily need to go to a university, but it will require some kind of post-secondary school education at the college/university level so that you can get the appropriate credit for those courses. You also don't have to do nursing school after doing those prerequisites. What that education will do is give you a significant advantage in any non-physician healthcare career path in terms of understanding the human body.

If you feel you are not mentally stable enough for EMT or other career in nursing/medicine, that's fine! I'm not going to think any less of you for it because you are recognizing your own limitations. I think a career advisor conversation (or a few) would be highly beneficial to you as long as you're 100% honest with yourself and the advisor about what you think you're suited for. If you think you might be good at some kind of trade, that's great! There's nothing wrong with going to a trade school. I guarantee you that there are people that are absolute geniuses in their field that just couldn't do formal university education for whatever reason and they should be absolutely celebrated! While I won't say that my brother is a genius in what he does, he's very good at what he does. He couldn't (and still can't) deal well with university life. In fact, he failed out of a university so completely well that they told him NOT to come back until he's proven he can handle it. Skip ahead about 25 years, he still hasn't attended a full course of study at a college or university, but has taken a class here and there, but mostly attended training seminars and he's now a manger where he works and he makes nearly as much as I do (and I'm a pretty darned well paid ED Nurse in California). If I wasn't a California RN, he'd be better compensated than me! He and I have been working in our respective fields for about the same amount of time. So just because you don't want to do uni, don't think you can't be successful in life without that!!

Best to you!
 

DrParasite

The fire extinguisher is not just for show
6,196
2,052
113
im a care worker and have been for the past 15 odd years off and on, im almost 34, approaching middle age i guess and i have several health problems kind of getting sorted including sleep apnea which i didn't know i had until recently and im being treated for it with a breathing aid machine.
so the point is now i have somewhat more energy for life i am feeling more ambitious, however i also have adhd, im raising a 3 year old child, im pretty far from being an organised person, my life is a mess generally and i feel i am quite a slow learner, also my mental health is far from ideal.
A lot of people have sleep apnea, but at least you are getting treated for it. And there are plenty of people in EMS whose mental health is far from ideal, but it's good that you recognize it... bonus points if you are working on managing it.
are there other career options within the healthcare sector that might better suit me but provide better prospects than what im currently doing?
Im so depressed lately, learning about the human body certainly is interesting and im enjoying doing it as a small hobby, im not enrolled on any course currently, im trying to weigh up my options before i commit to anything, taking things in is slow going though and i often despair at my chances of ever amounting to anything. anyway i realise a lot of this post is self pitying and for that i apologise, also for the terrible grammar i apologise.
first off, that is one really really really long run-on sentence.

more importantly, what do YOU want to do? a career counselor sounds great, but what do you want to do? in 5 years, what do you want to be doing? what about in 10 years? you sound very indecisive, and not sure where you want to go. It doesn't hurt to take any classes at the local community college, or an EMT class, or a CNA class; they are all relatively short time investments (3 to 6 months), where you can experience what you like, and see what you are good at. College isn't for everyone, but you should go into it with an end goal in place, and you don't need to go to college to be successful in life (but it does help with many STEM related fields). chose your own path.
 
OP
OP
H

Hopeful

Forum Ride Along
6
1
1
i know this is a very old post now and i just hope the people who commented are still here to see this. just to say many thanks to everyone who took the time to respond.
i am now on a new medication which to some extent has given me a new lease of life and confidence in myself. i've decided i am going to go for the emt course after all.
BUT, i am going to wait maybe a couple of years until the littleun is sleeping in her own bed and has settled into school before i begin the course.
in the meantime i intend to use my free time to learn as much as possible about the human body and emt work so that when the time comes i will have an advantage and whatever new things i have to learn will be fewer and easier to take in.
any suggestions of what to concentrate on? maybe some of the more difficult aspects so ill have more time to get to grips with it before i start the course, if that makes sense. sorry i know my grammar is probably all over the place still.
 

Akulahawk

EMT-P/ED RN
Community Leader
4,926
1,324
113
Thanks for checking back in! What I would say is that you should still talk to a career counselor or someone at a uni that can advise you as far as coursework you might want to look into. While I suspect you're not in the US (that's absolutely OK!) I would suggest at least looking at typical US type nursing prerequisites in the meantime because those courses will provide you an excellent foundation for EMT work (and beyond) from a science basis. Just be certain those courses will be recognized and are transferrable to your EMT program. Also, along the way, even prior to entry to an EMT program, you may find that you have a calling in a different field and that's OK too! There's a decent breadth of knowledge required prior to entry into a US RN program which covers many different subjects. This breadth is why I suggest you look in to that kind of coursework and exposure to a variety of subjects may be what send you into a career path you may really enjoy!

Best to you!
 

spimx

Forum Crew Member
74
5
8
How do you feel about sleep depravation and how well do you handle stress? EMS work is diverse if you are working in a rural area or a high volume urban area you might experience a different perspective and different appreciation for the work. EMT does not generally pay very well and if you are not highly motivated you may end up at a private ambulance doing mostly taxi rides for nursing homes and dialysis clinics.

Nursing pays extremely well is incredibly diverse and has many benefits.

I don't hate being a paramedic but I wish I chose something different and I can not say I have received any reward the same as the energy I have invested.

Do you have a local volunteer fire department that you can apply at? If anything start jogging and working out because EMS work is very physically demanding.
 

The Possum

Forum Crew Member
41
7
8
With everything that you've said, I really don't think that EMS is something that would be suitable for you. This is a difficult job and it can be very dark.
 
Top