First of all, thank you John for the reply, the first (and as of now only) 
reply I recieved.
 
 DL> Is there a real demand for EMT's, or is the field saturated?
 JM> It's not saturated by any means.  We're getting 
 JM> killed with overtime because
 JM> of all the open slots in the schedule.  Anyone want a job?  :-)
  
   Sounds good. I am not out to make it rich, but I want a career where I 
don't have to worry if I can find employment. Also, I need a change after 
working in a factory for 10 years.
 
 DL> How is the pay?
 JM> Ah, there's the rub.  We aren't making rocket 
 JM> scientist pay.  Okay, not
 JM> nursing pay either.  Here in Austin, TX the EMT-I 
 JM> folks are making about
 JM> 27,000 a year and the Paramedics are making around 
 JM> 32,000 (we're dues 20%
 JM> worth of raises in the next two years though).  
 JM> Certainly some cities will pay
 JM> more but we have a decent cost of living.
  
  I need to find out what paramedics make in my area, as it is hard to relate 
wages to different areas. Me and my fiance have a two-bedroom apartment, 
about 900 square feet, for $475/month. Most smaller houses here cost about 
$80,000. How does that compare to Austin?
   
   It really sounds like my kind of job from your reply (which I have printed 
out to save it) and I think I am going to go for it. I do have this concern, 
though: I am thirty, and I have never done anything like this before. I have 
no experience in even first-aid.
   In my favor, I think, is the fact that I have always been good at science 
and math, and I don't freak out at the sight of blood like many people. It 
sounds like it's about a billion times more rewarding than what I'm doing 
w.
--- Maximus/2 3.01
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