JLam77
05-02-2007, 01:24 PM
First of all, sorry about the test post there...I've been having some issues. Anyway, settle in, I've got a story. :p
I'm 29 years old. I'm married, with a son on the way. I've been working in the television news business since 1995...basically right out of high school. I put myself through college working part time, spent a few years living and working in Boston after college and then moved to Los Angeles in 2002 to "make it" in the tv biz out here. Long story short, I've "made it", but with a catch. I have a great job, I make good money for what amounts to very little work, and I enjoy the respect and admiration of my peers and superiors.
Problem is, I freaking hate it. I'm not doing anything important. I work on shows that are forgotten 30 seconds after the viewer turns off the TV. In short, though I'm successful at my job, it makes me feel cheap.
So why firefighting? Well, it's in my family's blood. Grandfather, stepfather, 2 uncles and a few cousins as well. I grew up in fire stations, and up until I was about 17, I was sure I wanted to be a firefighter. I remember being 8 or 9 years old, sitting in my Grandpa's house, reading Firehouse magazine and listening on his scanner to my uncles working a fire. I couldn't wait for that to be me.
Well, life took a different path. A TV career basically fell into my lap when I was 17 and I ran with it. And it HAS been good to me financially, but that's not what's important in life. 2 or 3 times a week, I have a dream that I'm a firefighter. I get little twinges of jealousy every time I drive by a fire station or hear a siren in the distance. It's gnawing at my brain. I want to do something that contributes to society. I want to make a difference. For example, even though my stepfather is sometimes kind of a jerk, there are literally dozens of people alive today who would not have been had he not saved them. That's the most noble thing I can think of.
It just occurred to me that though I'm not a religious person, I now understand what priests and nuns mean when they say they felt a calling to their vocation. I'm feeling a calling now. I have to make this change or I won't be able to live with myself.
Soooooo, now that I've spilled my guts, I need to know a few things.
What are my chances of getting hired by one of the big LA departments? Am I too old? I have no idea. I do know that I have to get into a bit better shape, so a workout program is in the cards. Do I have a shot at a job even though I'm not a medic or EMT? I know there's a lot of stuff that I don't know...so what don't I know?
Thanks for reading my little stream-of-consciousness rambling here. Any tips or pointers would be appreciated.
I'm 29 years old. I'm married, with a son on the way. I've been working in the television news business since 1995...basically right out of high school. I put myself through college working part time, spent a few years living and working in Boston after college and then moved to Los Angeles in 2002 to "make it" in the tv biz out here. Long story short, I've "made it", but with a catch. I have a great job, I make good money for what amounts to very little work, and I enjoy the respect and admiration of my peers and superiors.
Problem is, I freaking hate it. I'm not doing anything important. I work on shows that are forgotten 30 seconds after the viewer turns off the TV. In short, though I'm successful at my job, it makes me feel cheap.
So why firefighting? Well, it's in my family's blood. Grandfather, stepfather, 2 uncles and a few cousins as well. I grew up in fire stations, and up until I was about 17, I was sure I wanted to be a firefighter. I remember being 8 or 9 years old, sitting in my Grandpa's house, reading Firehouse magazine and listening on his scanner to my uncles working a fire. I couldn't wait for that to be me.
Well, life took a different path. A TV career basically fell into my lap when I was 17 and I ran with it. And it HAS been good to me financially, but that's not what's important in life. 2 or 3 times a week, I have a dream that I'm a firefighter. I get little twinges of jealousy every time I drive by a fire station or hear a siren in the distance. It's gnawing at my brain. I want to do something that contributes to society. I want to make a difference. For example, even though my stepfather is sometimes kind of a jerk, there are literally dozens of people alive today who would not have been had he not saved them. That's the most noble thing I can think of.
It just occurred to me that though I'm not a religious person, I now understand what priests and nuns mean when they say they felt a calling to their vocation. I'm feeling a calling now. I have to make this change or I won't be able to live with myself.
Soooooo, now that I've spilled my guts, I need to know a few things.
What are my chances of getting hired by one of the big LA departments? Am I too old? I have no idea. I do know that I have to get into a bit better shape, so a workout program is in the cards. Do I have a shot at a job even though I'm not a medic or EMT? I know there's a lot of stuff that I don't know...so what don't I know?
Thanks for reading my little stream-of-consciousness rambling here. Any tips or pointers would be appreciated.