BS in Emergency Management

DrankTheKoolaid said:
Education is and never will be a waste of money. Regardless of the BS you receive each will prepare you to move into different positions in and out of your company when you are ready to move out of the box. Remember each one if us is 1 call away from a career ending Injury, it is very wise to have a backup plan.
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I would agree that education always has value, but that is very different than saying that a college degree is always worth what it costs.

The world is full of people who went to a private school to get a 4-year liberal arts degree (because they were brainwashed into believe that "educations is always worth it"), graduated with $80-$100k or more in student loan debt, and are now fighting with other English and psychology majors over the few good jobs that they are qualified for that pays well enough for them to comfortably live on with their large student loan payment. That isn't an extreme example, either.....we all know people in a similar situation. Contrast that situation to someone who goes to a community college and then a state school and only borrows $50-$60k or so in total, earns a 4 year engineering degree, and graduates to multiple job offers for $80k and the very real potential to double that salary in 10 years. In one case, the cost of the education was clearly worth it. In the other case......probably not so much.

I'm just saying it's important to make smart, disciplined choices about what you go to school for and how much you spend, because it will have a very real impact on you for the rest of your life. It should be objectively analyzed the same way you would analyze any other really large investment of time and money.
 
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That is true.
 
Figure out first what you want to do before shelling money out for a degeee is the best advice can give you. College can give you a leg up in hiring and promote you, but can only be promoted if hired. I went for a degee in Justice and Law Administration. The degree sufficed as it open door's for me while I figure my life out. However, research your career and go from there. Example if want to be a firefighter and already a medic go for fire technology. Best of luck.
 
I was going to go to school for public safety telecommunications.
Just so I could be more comfortable with dispatching. Even if it's not the exact same as dispatch used between base and units in private companies I may work for, I can draw parallels and understand.

I don't plan on ever retiring though. I plan on, as Lt. Provenza said in The Closer: "dying with a stapler in my hand."
So I've been looking into degrees in fire science technology, emergency management, public safety telecommunications, and anything else I can get my hands on. Yes, it will be a lot of money spent. But the doors it will open in my career? WHOO!

So, I say go for it. As DrankTheKoolaid said, "Education is and never will be a waste of money."
 
DrankTheKoolaid said:
Education is and never will be a waste of money. Regardless of the BS you receive each will prepare you to move into different positions in and out of your company when you are ready to move out of the box. Remember each one if us is 1 call away from a career ending Injury, it is very wise to have a backup plan.
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This is sound advice. I normally hear about education being a waste of money from people who either have no real formal education, or those whose attitude has impeded their career progress despite having a college education. Emergency Management as a field is a relatively new field having been populated since 2001 with fire chiefs and police chiefs and the like. You would do well to pursue a brick and mortar program if at all possible, or at least accredited at a minimum. DO not do for profit schools. I can tell you from personal experience that having the street medic experience and the academic credentials is a good start. Look for mid to large size locales for any real EM experience. It is going to take a while but its a good field. I give talks and mentor all kinds of people from many different walks of life. THe critical thinking skills you hone, regardless of the degree, will assist you when you least expect it.
 
Like others have said, education is always a good thing. Paying 100k for a degree that wont get you a job is not. Lets be realistic and not be hippies about it.

If you want to learn something just cause, then shadow people in that field or sit in on classes.

Like it or not, 4 year degrees in EM forces you into a small corner of the job market that do not hire much. Just like a 4 year biology degree barely gets you anything unless you use it to further pursue something higher ie PA, MD. Sure you expanded your knowledge substantially if you put the work in, but that does not equal $$ signs in todays work force. Do not jump into a degree, research every aspect of what you will get out of it. My friends that graduate with marketing degrees etc are shocked when they cannot find a job when they graduate so they end up working jobs they did before and during college.
 
I won't directly refute the perspectives shown here. Each, with its own value, shows a broad range of perspectives based on a lot of factors. I will say that your physical location in the U.S has some bearing on the decisions you make in terms of schooling. Does your area provide an opportunity to make full use of your education? Are you in the middle of nowhere and intend to stay there? An A.A from the local CC might be a great Idea. 80K for a school only to return to your town that lacks the infrastructure for you to advance is ...well.... less of a good idea.

As for the points brought up by folks making references to their friends, or the current state of the market; we need to try and not be so short sited. Markets fluctuate. There are people who can ride the ebbs and flows and those who cannot. Be someone with a balance of both practical and academic credentials. Diversify like you would a financial portfolio. YOU are a business. A lifelong one that YOU are the president of. Look ahead. You may want to die with the stapler now, but what if you can't 10 years on. Or what if you do not want to anymore? Ask yourself if the degree will diversify your portfolio, or merely beef you up in one area. What is your plan B when plan B goes to hell.

Overall I think the advice here has been pretty solid. Aggregate the advice and pick what you like. Then make a small move in the direction you want to go. Ask a lot of questions and don't just trust someone because they are titled "counselor" or "advisor". They won't pay your bills.
 
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