Advice Wanted (non bike/quad related.)

[Motocrossguy17]

Hi so i will be starting a education course in like the next 1-3 weeks. not sure when exactly. its a adult based education course. they can help me get qualifications and help me get the job i want to do.

now i am stuck between two minds here of either a Firefighter Or A Mechanic.

i do love quads/bikes and i do like fixing them but all in all i don't know if i want to be working at a garage all my life doing the same things i know its different things to fix but its still a bike or quad.

other job would be a firefighter. yeah it is alot of work plus il need to work really hard to get the stuff i need to apply and i will have to work extremely hard on the actual job.

what i want to know is from people with these jobs are just stuff that will help me make my mind up. i do really want to do firefighting and yes i will be putting my life on the line to help people but that's the sort of thing i would like to do. yeah i could join the military but that is a life i don't want. no disrespect to the people that's in the military but i wouldn't cope being away for months on end id rather stick to a job i can do where i stay.

i have been reading up on firefighting and the only thing it really concerns is if i have the stuff i need to do the job like qualifications etc. i amn't bothered with health issues so that isn't a issue.

i saw the information on the uk website and yeah it helps alot but just wanting some information about people that are in the fire service and know what you all do etc.

yeah the job is rewarding and i know il have to put a lot of hard work in to do the job as well.

but just looking for advice from people. i have really made my mind up on i want to do firefighting as i want to be able to do a job to help people and be rewarding at the end of it which it will be.

i should be starting my course in about 1-3 weeks but it might be sooner. i will be asking them to get stuff to read about firefighting but just want advice from people that have information as they do the job.

i have common sense and i am good in difficult situations. i don't drink and i don't take drugs or smoke.

Thanks Guys

 

[blasterdemon7]

I don't know about being a firefighter but an auto tech has to go threw constant training and invest loads of money in tools.

 

[Myblasterisblue]

There is a growing market for auto techs. There always will be. As long as people have vehicles, someone will have to work on them

 

[Blaaster]

yeah the job is rewarding and i know il have to put a lot of hard work in to do the job as well.

Here is the solution, you apparently have chosen to be a firefighter, and I applaud you for that choice.

You can have the best of both worlds, a job in which you can enjoy your work and get satisfaction, and a hobby of quads to fulfill your mechanical desires.

 

[Longview]

I know there is a guy on the forums that's a fire fighter, can't remember who but i recall him saying it is a tough job, send him a PM if you can find him. He's in the states so it might be a little different then the UK.

I'm personally looking into the automotive industry and tech schools. One of my school choices includes a 2500 Snap-On tool set in your tuition. ( Lincoln Tech ) But there will always be auto jobs. I know i couple people who had to apply 5 + times to be a fire fighter, here in Massachusetts ( States? I only know around me ) They only take the best of the best. And you still have to go to a school.

 

[Longview]

Braaaptor is the fire fighter.

 

[mmajay]

Firefighter hands down. Awsome hours and better pay. Wrench for enjoyment and not a living and you will be happier.

 

[Motocrossguy17]

Firefighter hands down. Awsome hours and better pay. Wrench for enjoyment and not a living and you will be happier.

yeah man i am going for firefighter i haven't got the money to buy tools for doing mechanics. i do like fixing things on bikes and quads but i think il just stick to doing my own and do a firefighter as a job starting my course a week tomorrow so il get information etc on it. will take me a while but i really want to do it so il keep trying if i don't get in

 

[Blaaster]

/\ /\ /\ /\ I just ticked your box with a green crayon.

 

[Motocrossguy17]

/\ /\ /\ /\ I just ticked your box with a green crayon.

thanks man it will take a while but i don't want a job as a mechanic that i can get easier than a firefighter as i know for a fact through time i will get bored of doing mechanics id rather just do it once in a while on my quad instead of everyday. the firefighter job will take me a while to get the qualifications i need and it will take me months/years to get on to do it. but id rather work hard to get a job i want to do and i know it will be hard work but rewarding as well.

but iv made my mind up now to do firefighting

ps can you have a look in suspension section and see if you can answer my question about my upper arms?

Thank You

 

[Braaaptor]

We talked a little in another thread about firefighting, but I reckon I should put more info out there.

First off, the longer I fight fires, the more I am liking it. Im still new to the fire service (only been in for a year and a half), so I have much to learn and a lot of experience to gain. At my department, I am a part-time worker. I get paid per call I run, and for training sessions twice monthly. I can also work fill-in shift for a full-time guy if he has to be off during the month. On average, part time guys here make a couple hundred dollars a month, depending on how many calls you run during the month. It pays my power bill and I have some left over. Lol. If you get on full-time, pay starts at about $ 32,000 a year and can climb if you get promoted. For the area I live in, its decent money. Not really good. Just decent.

IMO, if you get in the fire service for the money, you're doing it for the wrong reasons. I live in a small town, and bigger departments do pay better, but you'll never get rich. I enjoy helping people and get plenty of enjoyment out of just a thank-you, a hug, or a sincere smile. The money comes second.

One thing to remember if you join the FD: Its not all about putting out fires. You also (over here anyways) respond to wrecks. It can be a psychological ordeal cutting a dying person out of a car, not knowing if they will live. Some wrecks are bloody, and you do see things you wish you never had to. Just FYI. I don't like it one bit, but its part of the job.

As mmajay said, Id take firefighting over mechanic work any day. My main job is a small engine tech for a local dealer. I manage the shop, but I also have to perform most of the repair work. I own thousands of dollars of tools, work long hours, tear my hands up, am under constant pressure, and don't recieve fair payment (IMO). I often find myself hating my job and wishing I had left it as a hobby. I fix lawn equipment on the side only when I absolutely have to (to make ends meet.) Sad part is, Im one of the better mechanics out there, and yet I still can't move up in the world working this job.

Ill be a full-time firefighter, at a bigger department, in a few years. Mechanic work isn't worth the headaches of doing it for a living....no matter how much you like it. And even the small engine world is becoming increasingly complex. Government is sticking its nose into our industry with more and more regulations. It is now illegal to, as a service tech, adjust a carburetor on a handheld 2-stroke machine (weedeater, blower, etc) and not reinstall the limiter caps on the adjustment screws so that the customer cannot tamper with their carburetor settings. We have electronic carburetors on some saws. EFI systems are becoming common on commercial mowers, and just this year, Stihl introduced the world's first EFI cutoff saw, the TS500i. With all this innovation appearing on simple lawn equipment, there's no telling how complex other industries will become. I pity auto mechanics. Lol

Bottom line is, I'd rather risk my life and die suddenly doing what I like, than to die slowly (from cancer, etc) wrenching my life away in a grimy workstation.

My.02

 

[Motocrossguy17]

We talked a little in another thread about firefighting, but I reckon I should put more info out there.

First off, the longer I fight fires, the more I am liking it. Im still new to the fire service (only been in for a year and a half), so I have much to learn and a lot of experience to gain. At my department, I am a part-time worker. I get paid per call I run, and for training sessions twice monthly. I can also work fill-in shift for a full-time guy if he has to be off during the month. On average, part time guys here make a couple hundred dollars a month, depending on how many calls you run during the month. It pays my power bill and I have some left over. Lol. If you get on full-time, pay starts at about $ 32,000 a year and can climb if you get promoted. For the area I live in, its decent money. Not really good. Just decent.

IMO, if you get in the fire service for the money, you're doing it for the wrong reasons. I live in a small town, and bigger departments do pay better, but you'll never get rich. I enjoy helping people and get plenty of enjoyment out of just a thank-you, a hug, or a sincere smile. The money comes second.

One thing to remember if you join the FD: Its not all about putting out fires. You also (over here anyways) respond to wrecks. It can be a psychological ordeal cutting a dying person out of a car, not knowing if they will live. Some wrecks are bloody, and you do see things you wish you never had to. Just FYI. I don't like it one bit, but its part of the job.

As mmajay said, Id take firefighting over mechanic work any day. My main job is a small engine tech for a local dealer. I manage the shop, but I also have to perform most of the repair work. I own thousands of dollars of tools, work long hours, tear my hands up, am under constant pressure, and don't recieve fair payment (IMO). I often find myself hating my job and wishing I had left it as a hobby. I fix lawn equipment on the side only when I absolutely have to to make ends meet. Sad part is, Im one of the better mechanics out there, yet I still can't move up in the world working this job.

Ill be a full-time firefighter, at a bigger department, in a few years. Mechanic work isn't worth the headaches of doing it for a living....no matter how much you like it.

My.02

thanks for reply man yeah man i was wanting to do mechanics as living like a few years back but i get frustrated sometimes while fixing stuff on quads and bikes and i don't want to have to it everyday as il end up quitting lol but the firefighter job i really want to do. they also do vehicle rescue (RTC's) over here. i know there is things you don't want to see in a lifetime but id rather do a firefighters job than the army as theres alot of reasons i won't join the military and a couple are the fact of what you would see over there and the time your away. with the firefighter job i thought of it being close to home and you still get to help people. yes the money is good but if firefighters didn't get paid anything for what they do id still do as i just want to do a job that i can come away from when i am retired and be able to say i helped people and there are people alive because of me. firefighters over here deal with alot of things like vehicle rescue,fires,collapsed buildings,chemical spillage etc. when i am applying at a later date i would be applying for full time as id rather work long hours than part time. not just the money part but just the point of getting out there and helping people plus you get to have a whole new experience.

same here man on the part at the end. id rather do a job that puts my life at risk and if i die doing it at least it was something i was happy doing and i died saving peoples lifes. than working away doing mechanics and at the end saying what the hell have i done with my life. there is a few questions when you do a interview in the uk i won't be able to answer as i haven't done some of them. but i am a honest person and although i don't go out much with friends unless its on quads/bikes. but its just me. id rather only go out every weekend with quad and meet up with everyone or going fishing with a mate on his boat. better life than what most of my primary school friends are doing now.

 

[Braaaptor]

That is very true. Sounds like you'll make a good firefighter. Never too early to get in good physical shape (if you're like me and need to build your endurance) or to maintain your good shape if you're already there.

Good luck to ya!

 

[Motocrossguy17]

That is very true. Sounds like you'll make a good firefighter. Never too early to get in good physical shape (if you're like me and need to build your endurance) or to maintain your good shape if you're already there.

Good luck to ya!

thanks man i will need to work on my fitness haha I:I but il be getting out alot more than i am just now as the education course im going to is about 3 times a week. but its a adult based education course but its got a guy my age in it so it will get me use to socaliesing with people my own age lol

 

[Braaaptor]

Well if you get on the fire department, its usually a close-knit community and you shouldn't have any trouble fitting in. I:I

 

[Motocrossguy17]

Well if you get on the fire department, its usually a close-knit community and you shouldn't have any trouble fitting in. I:I

thanks man and thanks for the information!

 

[Motocrossguy17]

well plans have changed. my course i am starting soon isn't actually able to give me the gsce's i need as its access As as i say over here. so the firefighter job is on hold for now. but i have put a ad up on my local advert site to see about getting a farmer job. as i have always wanted to live on a farm in the usa but i know i can't as i can't afford to. so i thought the next best thing would be to get a job on a farm over in the uk. i am not sure if i need anything licences/documents to work the machinery over here as iv heard that if the farmer gives you permission you can. but i have put on the ad i am wanting to do manual labor work as will help me gain experience plus get me out my house for a while lol so hopefully something comes along .

 

[2smoker85]

trust me mechanic work is no for people that want to be rich, as firefighting also, I'm a military diesel mechanic and both my knees are shot I have arthritis and carpel tunnel in my right hand, I do love the job and to be in the military it's a love it or hate it job as being a firefighter and a mechanic u do it because its something u love, money isnt everything but find something u can see urself doing for a long time, after I retire from the navy I will be working on medical equipment, while I'm in the navy pays for my school and I still keep my gi bill, it comes down to doing what u love to do

 

[Motocrossguy17]

trust me mechanic work is no for people that want to be rich, as firefighting also, I'm a military diesel mechanic and both my knees are shot I have arthritis and carpel tunnel in my right hand, I do love the job and to be in the military it's a love it or hate it job as being a firefighter and a mechanic u do it because its something u love, money isnt everything but find something u can see urself doing for a long time, after I retire from the navy I will be working on medical equipment, while I'm in the navy pays for my school and I still keep my gi bill, it comes down to doing what u love to do

yeah man i know what you mean id rather be earning average pay and be happy than doing a job that pays good and be unhappy. i was going for firefighting as its a job i would want to do but i can't get the stuff i need for it. i got offered a weekend job restoring a 7.5T truck doing things like sanding/filling and welding etc but the guy is too far for what it pays. if it paid more i would off went for it as the time i paid my grandad diesel to take me i would only be getting like £15/$30 a day but i want something closer so i don't need to pay for diesel lol but guy said he will ask around for people needing people closer to me iv put a advert up on my local website to find a job on a farm as i want to live in the country with a farm of my own but i know i wont be able to afford it so i thought of working on one instead. but i don't mind what they pay as long as its not far from me and im happy. gives me a extra something to save for my quad build as well I:I

 

[oldguy]

I have a few friends that are firefighters. They do not like that job, they did at first but after seeing ppl burned to beds and dead body's they have pulled out of fires, even though they have saved lives, they are drinking now and are a bit messed up in the head. Home life with there wives is messed up and so forth. So if you chose this keep in mind you will also have to deal with not only the good but the bad as well. Also keep in mind the bigger the town the more fires... You'll have to be on call and or at the station 24- 36 hours or more depending on your stations work scheduled. Sleeping there away from your wife or family. So keep that in mind.