Attitudes like this are part of what is holding EMS back compared to other healthcare professions in the US. The value of education extends beyond the minimum you need to perform a job.
Also it seems a bit short sighted to say that spending four of the best years were essentially wasted. This is a time when the adolescent mind is still developing, you haven't really become an adult neurologically, and your ability to learn is still so plastic. What makes four years of your adolescence any better that the joy of childhood, developing a independent life as an adolescent, building a career and romantic relationships in a real way as a young adult, exploring the world, raising your kids, watching your grandkids grow, and so on.
