More to Life than Money
A job on an ambulance is a great stepping stone for a career in almost any other field. Emergency medical service is probably the most education-friendly job on the market. EMS doesn't just stand for "emergency medical services" it could also stand for "earn money studying." The hours are flexible and most schedules provide lots of time off for taking classes. I completed my bachelor degree over the internet while sitting in an ambulance between emergency calls. Fire departments across the country are often involved in emergency medical services in addition to responding to fires. Some fire departments have ambulances to transport patients; others provide first response and leave medical transportation to another agency. In departments like these, firefighters must be licensed as emergency medical technicians or paramedics.
Ambulance jobs aren't the highest paying careers in the world. The nationwide median income for paramedics and emergency medical technicians is $27,000 per year. That doesn't really tell the whole story, however. Most people who do this job don't do it for the money. They do it for the feelings that come with saving lives and truly making a difference.
That doesn't mean there aren't some EMS jobs in the country that pay well. I've been on an ambulance in northern California since the late 1980's, and I've always lived comfortably. Besides, ambulances will be around forever. Diseases may be cured, but until someone finds a cure for stupid, I'm always going to have a job.
