To Uni, or Not to Uni? That is the Question.

I am lacking the motivation to post anything of any great intelligence or thought here at the moment. I have been rummaging around and a few tentative ideas for posts have cropped up but they need more research and all of my energy is currently aimed at finding a job (or 'moping around' as one might call it).

A midst all of this though, I have been tossing about the idea of returning to University next year to just get on with my Paramedic Sciences degree. Fueled by several Paramedic blogs I have recently come across on the internet, my desire to get into this job is just getting stronger and stronger. I really am not sure what is driving me towards this, or if I will even be able to cope with the immense responsibility that stands on the incredibly wide shoulders of emergency care practitioners (I am working on a post that goes into detail on some of the issues that Paramedics and EMT's have to deal with).

This is such a huge decision in my life, I'm really not sure what to do right now. I almost want to just 'wait and see' but things like this don't wait around. The deadline for University applications falls in mid January, meaning that I need to complete an extensive UCAS application before then, including references and a well drafted personal statement. I'm wondering if this effort will be worth it, just to decide come August that I want to put off my (second) degree for X number of years. At the moment I think a main worry is the financial commitment. I will be paying more for this 2 year foundation degree than I paid for my 3 year undergraduate degree!

After believing that it's no longer possible to 'third man' with an Ambulance crew anymore, I had given up on the hope of gaining any experience of what it might be like to carry out a role in pre-hospital care. However, I have been informed by a friend that it is still possible within some Ambulance trusts! I have begun contacting some to see if there is a possibility of doing this. I will wait and see the outcome of this before making a firm decision on the University front. It's just difficult to see a future through the 'fog' at the moment. I think I need to change my perspective and stop trying to long term plan, just get on with it. The danger is though, that I end up stuck. It happens all the time. People apply for an office job to see them through temporarily, ten years and thirty five lbs later they're still sat at the same desk with the same intentions they've always had and no plans to put these into action. I will not be one of these!

This process of becoming a Paramedic is going to take longer than I had ever previously imagined. It's difficult to be proactive, with very little to do in the mean time.

My CRB check has come back clear from St John Ambulance, meaning that I should be able to book myself onto the training sessions required. Unfortunately, I may not be able to attend my weekly group meetings. It all rests on how well my Job Interview went that I'm waiting to hear about. That's the same reason this post is being done so late tonight, so I'm not tempted to imprint my whinging onto the internet tomorrow if I get rejected!

On a final note, I have been watching Kevin McCloud's Man Made Home on Channel 4. Quite inspiring. I've even caught myself looking at land prices...

For another week perhaps, over and out.