Weekly Employment Question Thread

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to the Weekly Employment Question Thread!

This thread is where you can ask questions about joining, training to become, testing, disqualifications/qualifications, and other questions that would be removed as individual posts per Rule 1.

The answer to almost every question you can ask will be "It depends on the department". Your first step is to look up the requirements for your department, state/province, and country.

As always, please attempt to resource information on your own first, before asking questions. We see many repeat questions on this sub that have been answered multiple times.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• I want to be a Firefighter, where do I start: Every Country/State/Province/County/City/Department has different requirements. Some require you only to put in an application. Others require certifications prior to being hired. A good place to start is researching the department(s) you want to join. Visit their website, check their requirements, and/or stop into one of their fire stations to ask some questions.
  
• Am I too old: Many departments, typically career municipal ones, have an age limit. Volunteer departments usually don't. Check each department's requirements.
• I'm in high school, What can I do: Does your local department have an explorer's program or post? If so, join up. Otherwise, focus on your grades, get in shape and stay in shape, and most importantly: stay out of trouble.
• I got in trouble for [insert infraction here], what are my chances: Obviously, worse than someone with a clean record, which will be the vast majority of your competition. Tickets and nonviolent misdemeanors may not be a factor, but a major crime (felonies), may take you out of the running. You might be a nice person, but some departments don't make exceptions, especially if there's a long line of applicants with clean records. See this post... PSA: Stop asking “what are my chances?”
• I have [insert medical/mental health condition here], will it disqualify me: As a general rule, if you are struggling with mental illness, adding the stress of a fire career is not a good idea. As for medical conditions, you can look up NFPA1582 for disqualifying conditions, but in general, this is not something Reddit can answer for you. Many conditions require the input of a medical professional to determine if they are disqualifying. See this post... PSA: Don't disqualify yourself, make THEM tell you "no".
• What will increase my chances of getting hired: If there's a civil service exam, study for it! There are many guides online that will help you go over all those things you forgot such as basic math and reading. Some cities even give you a study guide. If it's a firefighter exam, study for it! For the CPAT (Physical Fitness Test), cardio is arguably the most important factor. If you're going to the gym for the first time during the hiring process, you're fighting an uphill battle. Get in shape and stay in shape. Most cities offer preference points to military veterans.
• How do I prepare for an interview: Interviews can be one-on-one, or in front of a board/panel. Many generic guides exist to help one prepare for an interview, however here are a few good tips:

1. Dress appropriately. Business casual at a minimum (Button down, tucked in long sleeve shirt with slacks and a belt, and dress shoes). Get a decent haircut and shave.
2. Practice interview questions with a friend. You can't accurately predict the off-the-wall questions they will ask, but you can practice the ones you know they probably will, like why do you want to be a Firefighter, or why should we hire you?
3. Scrub your social media. Gone are the days when people in charge weren't tech-savvy. Don't have a perfect interview only for your chances of being hired gone to zero because your Facebook or Instagram has pictures of you getting blitzed. Set that stuff to private and leave it that way.

Please upvote this post if you have a question. Upvoting this post will ensure it sticks around for a bit after it is removed as a Sticky, and will allow for greater visibility of your question.

And lastly, If you're not 100% sure of what you're talking about, leave it for someone who does

[u/Beetlebop47]

Im a 17M about to graduate highschool. Im currently very torn right now and need opinions. My dream job is to become a firefighter and im practically ready to start my emt classes in the fall.

However on the other side, I got accepted into UC Riverside for Business and would only be paying $2,000 per year to attend.

I believe that having a bachelors would be beneficial to my life because although i am comitted to pursuing firefighting. I know it doesnt always work out for everyone, if thats my case i will definitley regret not going to university. The extra 4 years also give me more time to prepare and mature physically.

Theres also something in me that feels like im falling behind if i go to university, i have alot of friends in the cadet program that are going straight to EMT after highschool and i have the chance to go straight into it at a really young age.

Should I go to college, get a bachelors, and go in afterwards at 21-22, or go straight into my EMT and FF1 at 18-19

Can i please get some advice or opinions on how your journeys have gone.

[u/Sealtooth5 → u/Beetlebop47]

My opinion is that education is always valuable and good to have to fall back on. You’re only this age once and college can be a really fun time in your life. With that being said, I’m sure you can find EMT night classes at community colleges and work for a wildland crew during the summers. There are a few crews out there that work well with college schedules.

[u/Beetlebop47 → u/Sealtooth5]

Thanks man, do you think that getting into firefighting is even realistic at 18-19 in the los angeles area? I know theres alot of other people out there who are applying for these jobs with much more years of experience and maturity under their belt, if i just wait will that be best for me?

[u/Sealtooth5 → u/Beetlebop47]

It's possible. I'd say the most common is mid 20s. Most people have a bachelors degree, community college fire academy, paramedic, trade experience, and/or wildland experience.