Going through high school, I didn't really care much about it except getting through it and just move on with what I wanted to do in my life. At this point I was contemplating between soldier and a paramedic, and at times I thought I could do both. I needed to put my survival mentality to good use somewhere right? It got to the point where people came to me for first aid in high school. They somehow knew I was the "right person" to go to. Yeah, instead of going to the school First Aid Attendants (we didn't have a nurse), they came straight to me. Why? Because I was prepared for everything. Anyways, so I was made Team Medic for the rugby team(s), curling team and even the Metal Technology and Automotive Technology Shop Classes. Kids I didn't know would come up to me and I would treat things from a bump on the head to where someone got a pretty nasty gash from running into a locker.
Now away from my high school life, I got certified in Emergency First Aid - Industry (I was LifeSaver certified before) and I went to work for a contracting company for two to three months--being posted at the same construction site twice. No one really got hurt, but the guys there accepted me as "Mr. Safety Guy" since I ran to a call without my hard-hat on and a Safety Supervisor present (whoops). But it was fine--the Safety Supervisor was rather understanding and found it amusing yet noble for me to not think of my own safety.
After that, I went to work at the second-largest mall in Canada as a customer service skater--yes, on rollerblades for eight hours a day I skated around a large mall and assisted customers with anything they needed. My first aid reputation spread there too somehow and even my co-workers would ask me for a bandaid and such and at one point, a woman began to have convulsions and started vomiting everywhere and rolling around in it with her airway clogged.
A few months later, I figured "I have to continue becoming a paramedic".
I left that great job for EMR training, or Emergency Medical Responder, which is an entry-level position that I took at the Justice Institute's Paramedic Academy. I needed to have that in order to get into the Primary Care Paramedic program and to become employed as a paramedic. It turns out that to be a paramedic here you need to be licensed--not just certified. I was fine with that, but for the mean time I was going to use the EMR knowledge and apply it to industrial medic jobs. No, I needed to be licensed to do that job too.
Dammit.
So in the mean time I decided to go into volunteering with my qualifications. I went back to my old high school as a medic for the rugby and football teams. From there on, I got a lot more experience and paramedics that I worked with (who would take away the injured players) said I was pretty much one of them already.
I decided to get licensed. You're probably wondering why I never did. It came to around $465.00 and a five-six month waiting period and I figured I could just continue on to the PCP program. So I said "Fuck it, going on to the Primary Care Paramedic program". It hit me, the PCP program had a year-waiting list, the paramedics here went on strike due to lack of pay and horrible hours and it caused courses to become cancelled and since I waited too long, I couldn't get licensed for my EMR certification.
So now I'm stuck again being that "masked-man paramedic" person that would do the job on the streets and a volunteer medic for sports teams (getting reimbursed for using supplies got me some money) and even friends asked me to be a first aid guy for their huge-ass parties with like sixty people (where I actually came in handy). Volunteering or getting reimbersed won't get me anywhere in life. Yes I live with my parents still. I'm only 20.
Then it occurred me. Go join the army. I enlisted a few times before--once when I was 16 for the Army Reserves but parental consent was taken away (even though I told them that Reservists aren't sent to war unless they volunteer...in Canada anyways) because some soldiers got killed in Afghanistan. When I was 18 I applied a second time but a girl came into my life and I said no when they asked me if I was still interested. Then she left me a few months later. Now, my not-really-cousin used to work for the military as a civilian worker for families and this Saturday she's giving me another application and recruitment package. On Tuesday we're going there to give it in.
Finally, my life is going somewhere. But for some odd reason, I can't help but feel..odd about it. It's time to do something though with my life.
Embrace The Suck.
By the way, my friend bought this patch for me and sewed it onto my jacket. I think it suits me. (Got a discount on it at the military surplus store for stating paramedic training!)
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