Because your considerations are time and money, becoming a medic is not a "have to" thing for you, which it is for a lot of us. So I'd say you're on the right track -- really see if you're in to it before you invest a lot.
The truth is, unless you are willing to invest a lot (on more levels than you suspect!) you won't stick it out; time and money are the smallest parts of the equation!
Getting out there for a while before deciding to commit won't be wasted time. Personally, I think the basics are challenge enough for the first year or so. Scene and time management, appropriate priority setting, driving, questioning, communicating, troubleshooting; spending conscious time on these things builds a very strong foundation for you to stand on in your advanced work. The name of the game is to get where you take action automatically. I see it as developing a way of being that supports your advanced work.
Also, you can learn this sooner or later, but you WILL learn it. You are working with human beings. The more quickly you establish connection with them, establish safety for them, inspire confidence in you, and also help them feel they have some control over their own lives, the more easy will your job become. Don't kid yourself, this takes time to develop and it's one of the most powerful tools you'll have in your bag of tricks.
Without the distractions of the bells and whistles, in the absence of procedures and protocols to hide behind, you'll learn to face your patients and enlist them in the healing process. As woo-woo as this sounds, it's still the truth: you are an agent of something bigger; whatever you call the Great Whatever that really does the healing.
Learning the science is easy. Learning the art is hard.
