Perhaps I shouldn't be.
Back in 2013 I gave a run at EMS as an EMT in a small town. I did very well in the class, but class is class and the emergency scene is the emergency scene. Sometimes I did well, followed my training, and got the job done. Other times I froze up. One time I was asked to get a blood sugar level on an older gentleman very visibly on his last day alive. My hands were shaking so bad I couldn't do it. The calls that did not go well led my lead EMT to tell me point blank that I was below average and I wasn't going to make it. I listened to him and quit. Sometimes it was just hard to operate in an emergency situation. I don't know if that's because I was ultra-green or because I'm just not cut out for the work.
Now a few years later I'm trying to figure out my educational/occupational path. I worked as a construction painter for a few summers. If I went back I could make 16/hr out of the gate and top out around 25, more if I'm working for myself. I'm considering doing that as a full time gig. Painting is fun and rewarding in it's own right but a lot of it is busy work. Or I can continue my education, though I'm not sure which direction.
My grandmother, bless her heart, brought up EMS, and how excited about it I used to be. She asked if I enjoyed it. Yes, as insane as emergencies are, it certainly was rewarding. Best job I ever had bar none. She told me to think about trying it again.
So this is me thinking about it; appealing to the experts and throwing myself at the mercy of your feedback. I know that if I go back, I'm going to have to re-do school and spend about two to three times extra time searing each individual skill and piece of knowledge into my memory. I do have some experience, and I know what it takes to be successful, I just don't know if I have it. Don't get me wrong, there were some things I was good at and other things I wasn't. Perhaps I could stay in the medical field, but go for something less emergencyish.
Oh, and I have a DUI from 2014, so frankly, I don't even know if I'm insurable.
So what say you, internet? Cut my losses or try again?
Back in 2013 I gave a run at EMS as an EMT in a small town. I did very well in the class, but class is class and the emergency scene is the emergency scene. Sometimes I did well, followed my training, and got the job done. Other times I froze up. One time I was asked to get a blood sugar level on an older gentleman very visibly on his last day alive. My hands were shaking so bad I couldn't do it. The calls that did not go well led my lead EMT to tell me point blank that I was below average and I wasn't going to make it. I listened to him and quit. Sometimes it was just hard to operate in an emergency situation. I don't know if that's because I was ultra-green or because I'm just not cut out for the work.
Now a few years later I'm trying to figure out my educational/occupational path. I worked as a construction painter for a few summers. If I went back I could make 16/hr out of the gate and top out around 25, more if I'm working for myself. I'm considering doing that as a full time gig. Painting is fun and rewarding in it's own right but a lot of it is busy work. Or I can continue my education, though I'm not sure which direction.
My grandmother, bless her heart, brought up EMS, and how excited about it I used to be. She asked if I enjoyed it. Yes, as insane as emergencies are, it certainly was rewarding. Best job I ever had bar none. She told me to think about trying it again.
So this is me thinking about it; appealing to the experts and throwing myself at the mercy of your feedback. I know that if I go back, I'm going to have to re-do school and spend about two to three times extra time searing each individual skill and piece of knowledge into my memory. I do have some experience, and I know what it takes to be successful, I just don't know if I have it. Don't get me wrong, there were some things I was good at and other things I wasn't. Perhaps I could stay in the medical field, but go for something less emergencyish.
Oh, and I have a DUI from 2014, so frankly, I don't even know if I'm insurable.
So what say you, internet? Cut my losses or try again?