10 years ago, 5 years, even 3 years ago, I never could have imagined being where I am today. I'm 21 years old, a college student, and a 911 dispatcher. I never could have imagined being able to make a difference in my community, and being in a profession I could see myself in for a lifetime. I literally mean that with all my being. I'm not sure how many, or even if any other dispatchers go through this moment in their career. It's part reward, part pride, part confusion. How? Here's my dilemma..
If I would have known I would be taking 911 calls, sending out cars to domestics and accidents, and rolling out rescue units to structure fires, I don't think I ever would have gone to college. For me, this job doesn't require some kind of advanced degree with knowledge like knowing the year the civil war ended or the process of photosynthesis. However, that doesn't mean that this job doesn't require a lot of knowledge and skill. It takes a special kind of skill, one that few have and fewer can properly use.
Many years ago, I found out I was good at working with computers. Troubleshooting, installing hardware, the stuff that makes people want to throw their monitor clear across the room. So I wanted to go to school to learn to become a computer engineer. Three words: TOO MUCH MATH. I hate numbers, hate algebra, hate working out equations with a passion. Not for me.. Then, I found out I liked hearing people's problems, and trying to help them sort our their (at the time) teenage dramas. Psychology it was! But not really.. I didn't want to learn about chemical structures and hormones that cause this or that reaction that cause us to feel a certain way. How about communication?! I was great at public speaking, had a knack for being good with words, and had even worked at a local radio station as an intern. I decided I wanted to go into the field most dispatchers don't like: MEDIA. Yes, I wanted, and still sort of want, to be in the TV business, either working as a reporter or a producer.
That brings me to the present; I'm working on my bachelors degree in communication with a minor in... criminal justice. Ironic? Nah.. But as I mentioned above, I don't think my degree helps me a whole lot with what I'm doing now. I don't necessarily need to know about how people communicate, but instead be able to communicate things and do it well. Instead of reporting the outcome of an accident to a camera, I have to report it to my supervisor with more detail, knowing exactly who went, when, where, times, units, etc.. It's overwhelming. I'm confused as to what I want to do, and I think part of it is because I really love my job, and I'm only 21. However, I'm in a profession I could see myself in for a long time. Not because of the money, and definitely not because of the fame and publicity (heavy emphasis intended on that last part). Instead, I'm in the job because I feel at peace knowing that I am making a difference doing what I do. I take calls, I dispatch, I save lives. There are few greater feelings in the world.
Dispatchers are called upon daily to go above and beyond the call of duty, saving lives, restoring order, and trying to sort through many facts and rumors about situations as they are made known and reported. They learn as they go, and there is always something to improve on. We have rules, regulations, policies, procedures, all these things that govern how we have to do our jobs. We don't sit in a lab trying to develop a vaccination for the next strain of the flu, nor do we sit in our corporate offices atop a large sky scraper counting $100 bills all day. Few, if any, of us are here against our will. We choose to be the ones to answer the call, dispatch the unit, and hope, pray, and know we made a difference in somebody's life. It's a calling to answer the call of becoming a dispatcher. A calling that carries a heavy burden, but at the same time is so awesomely rewarding.
I know where you are coming from. I have my degree in Journalism with a minor in Psychology. Go ahead and finish your degree in journalism. It will actually help you in your dispatching career. In both careers, you have to know the 5 W's & H. One main difference is in the media you have anywhere from 15 seconds to 2 minutes to tell a story; in dispatching, you have 5-10 seconds to get the whole story (that we can get) out to your audience. Psychology classes will help you also. We have a tendency to have one way of thinking. Those courses will actually help you understand how and why people think the way they do. Do what you think will make you happy when it comes to a career. I do miss being in the media sometimes, but I do love being a dispatcher. I wish you well on which ever path you take.
ReplyDeleteGreetings fellow telecommunicating earthling!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to offer a most likely different point of view here than most people might dare to venture into. But because I am 36 years old now, and I have been where you are, I feel I might could toss in a little insight to your dilemma.
There are two things that I would urge you to consider about your future. One: your faith. Two: politics. This 'world' is going to hell as fast as possible. And I'm not necessarily referring to the big burning hole in the ground that some religions talk about. I'm talking about the extreme decline in morality and conscience and lack of accountability that seems to be rampant in our nation today. I, personally, believe in the Bible. And as the cliche' goes, I have read the 'end of the book.' But I can't help but feel that even those who might choose to have no type of faith at all would agree, if being honest, that things are only going to get worse. Pessimist? No. It's just what's happening. All that to say, I have peace in my heart because I know my Savior is going to be holding me in the palm of his hand when everything goes belly up. I also feel a sense of job security, because when I REALLY consider how it looks like things are going to turn out, I can't imagine there being that many other professions in greater demand in the face of the calamities that are already here and those waiting around the corner for our once greater nation.
Now to say it plainly: (my humble opinion sincerely meant not to offend) A degree is not going to help me one bit when Obama succeeds in turning our world into a third world muslim nation. It will not help me when the lights go out and the internet disappears and cell phones don't work any more. People aren't going to be paying for psychologists and counselors anymore when they lose their jobs and are arrested for refusing to follow the laws and religious teachings of whatever maniac might come to power at that time. I imagine it will all be about medical personnel and law enforcement. These things are what keep me in a dispatcher's chair, outside of the personal rewards you mentioned above.
No, I am not a conspiracy theorist. It's that I've happened to live just long enough to see the world change in such drastic ways, I'm very specific about what/whom I put my faith in these days. Hope this helps to stretch your mind a bit and give you more sense of direction for your life. Good job. Godspeed.
i really love my job. and i really hate my job. lol. i cant seem to find a happy medium. one day i will walk in the door happy to be there, and leave knowing i did something good for my community. and then there are the days where nothing goes right, and i feel as if it would be best if i just quit so as to save my co-workers from having to sort out any mess that i may have caused during the course of the day. im told that i dont cause a mess...but i feel differently sometimes.
ReplyDeletei have two undergraduate degrees in criminal justice and psychology...and sometimes get bitter that im not doing something that requires the knowledge of all that time, education, and money.
for as much as i despise my job at times, i cant imagine leaving. ive been at it for almost two years, and i know that i make some sort of difference each day im behind the console. i hate the stress, the politics, the idiots, the shit rolling down hill, and my crazy sleep schedule / swing shift. but i love picking up the phone and helping a battered woman find resources, or getting that sick person help...and even better when we nail "that" guy and haul him into jail.
i cant imagine leaving, but i feel like i could be doing so much more. *sigh* great post! :)