Blog 6: Business Major to Firefighter

             Over the course of the past couple years I have been asked two questions.  What is your major?  And what do you hope to do with that major?  To answer these questions straightforward, I am a business major who wants to be a career firefighter.

Many are baffled at the fact that I would spend the money on college to get a degree that I potentially will never use after college.  I find this thought to be false.  For one firefighter jobs are hard to come by and if I get injured I will need a degree to fallback on.  Secondly firefighting can be a business and can utilize certain business skills.  One such skill is communication.  As a fire officer you need to be able to get through to your fellow firefighters whether that is during training or during an emergency communication skills are a must.  The presentations we do in marketing allow me to work on these communication skills and essentially “train” the class on my ad or Ted Talk.  Another aspect of firefighting is not found in marketing but in another form of business concentration, that being management.  Fire officers especially need to have good managerial skills in leading their fellow firefighters into emergencies and ultimately have a goal/plan and achieve said goal whether it is putting the fire out or saving a victim.  This goal/plan of firefighters is essentially no different than the five-step marketing research approach it is just made at a much faster pace.  A firefighter once on scene must define the problem at hand, quickly size-up the scene and create a plan based off of that size-up, and take the required actions to successfully complete that plan. 

These connections are not just seen on the fire scene; in fact it may be argued that the business aspect of firefighting is all in upper management with department chiefs and advisors.  These are the men who handle the budgets for the fire department, look at what products to purchase and what not to purchase and make sure every firefighter gets paid for his normal shift and overtime if needed.  Another aspect that would include business/marketing factors would be organizing fundraisers for the department.  Whether is marketing the fundraiser or actually being the brains behind it, many fire department related fundraisers are put together by the firefighters themselves and used to raise money for different things such as muscular dystrophy or cancer.

Lastly it is known that firefighters salaries are not very high.  By having a second degree it will allow me to have a second job.  This job would most likely be within the business field as I could start my own business or help run another.  Either way my degree will help in doing this

As you can see firefighting incorporates many aspects of business.  By obtaining a degree in business I will not only have a degree to fall back on in case I get injured but I will also gain certain skills that will make me a better firefighter.  These skills will most likely consist of leadership, management, and decision-making and will come from an array of courses from marketing to finance.  Overall I view my major in business as an asset both outside and within my aspiring career of becoming a firefighter.