Making the transition from volly to career

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mcdonl

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At 45... what am I crazy? No... I'm a victim of my own success is what I am.

I am the IT Program Manager for the Oncology Department of my local health system. For the past 20 years I have been chasing money. At 40-60K a year my quality of life improved. At 60-80K a year it worstened. At 90+ it seems dismal. I am the middle class, and it is not pretty.

Well... thankfully, because of my success I have good intel that tomorrow I will be getting laid off. My wife and I both work for the same hospital, her job pays roughly 1/3 of what I make, but she takes home 1/2 of what I make. I am also a per diem FF/AEMT and I make roughly 1/4 in a 12 hour shift I make at my "day job" but I take home roughly 2/3's of what I take home at my day job for a single shift. See where this is going... unless you can make over $150K a year for a family of four you are peeing in the wind my friends. Peeing in the wind.

So... I have been applying for per diem jobs in my neighboring towns as well as a couple of teaching opportunities and by this time tomorrow, I may be 100% career Fire and EMS albeit with mostly per diem and part time shift work.

Part of my severance would allow me to pay off most of my debt except my mortgage and will give me 16 weeks of pay to "transition" into my new life.

Is it common for career guys to just do per diem work?
 
mcdonl said:
At 45... what am I crazy? No... I'm a victim of my own success is what I am.

I am the IT Program Manager for the Oncology Department of my local health system. For the past 20 years I have been chasing money. At 40-60K a year my quality of life improved. At 60-80K a year it worstened. At 90+ it seems dismal. I am the middle class, and it is not pretty.

Well... thankfully, because of my success I have good intel that tomorrow I will be getting laid off. My wife and I both work for the same hospital, her job pays roughly 1/3 of what I make, but she takes home 1/2 of what I make. I am also a per diem FF/AEMT and I make roughly 1/4 in a 12 hour shift I make at my "day job" but I take home roughly 2/3's of what I take home at my day job for a single shift. See where this is going... unless you can make over $150K a year for a family of four you are peeing in the wind my friends. Peeing in the wind.

So... I have been applying for per diem jobs in my neighboring towns as well as a couple of teaching opportunities and by this time tomorrow, I may be 100% career Fire and EMS albeit with mostly per diem and part time shift work.

Part of my severance would allow me to pay off most of my debt except my mortgage and will give me 16 weeks of pay to "transition" into my new life.

Is it common for career guys to just do per diem work?
Click to expand...

No. Go full-time EMS.
 
That is my goal. I am hoping at 45 I can get in somewhere.
 
mcdonl said:
At 45... what am I crazy? No... I'm a victim of my own success is what I am.

I am the IT Program Manager for the Oncology Department of my local health system. For the past 20 years I have been chasing money. At 40-60K a year my quality of life improved. At 60-80K a year it worstened. At 90+ it seems dismal. I am the middle class, and it is not pretty.

Well... thankfully, because of my success I have good intel that tomorrow I will be getting laid off. My wife and I both work for the same hospital, her job pays roughly 1/3 of what I make, but she takes home 1/2 of what I make. I am also a per diem FF/AEMT and I make roughly 1/4 in a 12 hour shift I make at my "day job" but I take home roughly 2/3's of what I take home at my day job for a single shift. See where this is going... unless you can make over $150K a year for a family of four you are peeing in the wind my friends. Peeing in the wind.

So... I have been applying for per diem jobs in my neighboring towns as well as a couple of teaching opportunities and by this time tomorrow, I may be 100% career Fire and EMS albeit with mostly per diem and part time shift work.

Part of my severance would allow me to pay off most of my debt except my mortgage and will give me 16 weeks of pay to "transition" into my new life.

Is it common for career guys to just do per diem work?
Click to expand...

I'm almost 50. I work part-time in EMS and have my own insurance agency for my main career. At 47 I became an EMT-B, at 48 I became and EMT-I/99, and after this upcoming Saturday I will be a Paramedic.

I work approx. 50 hours in my insurance career, 24 hours a week in EMS, and study the remainder. I also volunteer 12 hours a month with another quad.

BUT, I am now waking up in the morning and living life the way I CHOOSE to live it, not how I HAVE to live it.

You can do it too. Good luck to you!!
 
mcdonl said:
That is my goal. I am hoping at 45 I can get in somewhere.
Click to expand...

Don't worry about your age I know plenty of medics that are 50 and older, but if you have to do physical training for the firefighter spot and IF your out of shape it might be harder to get on as a firefighter, but don't stop at something that you want, just work harder for it. I am sorry to hear about you getting laid off, it's a common thing happening now a days, I hope you figure every thing out.
 
Thanks guys and gals... I am a FF as well... I have the State certification, and most FFII modules. There are a couple of opennings in my area. I also have a screen printing shop collecting dust in my basement.

I am sitting at my desk right now, waiting for the Gustapo to come and take me away :)
 
Done!!

And, I got a GREAT job in EMS education and picked up more shifts as a FF/AEMT.... I made the transition.
 
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