Why I do what I do

I’ve been asked more times than I can count why I put myself through EMT school if I have absolutely no desire to change careers.  The answer is simple: “Family Tradition”.  You see, TraumaPoppa was a career EMT for a little over 40 years (right?! I’m not even 40 years old and I can’t imagine being at the SAME employer for a literal lifetime).  He was also a volunteer firefighter before retirement.  Because of this, your humble Pig started going on medical calls around 6 years old.  Since TP (that’s TraumaPoppa, in this post) also taught CPR and first aid, I also went to those classes with him, and started helping him teach them when I was around 12.  Me and TP first tag-teamed a code when I was around 14, and since then it’s been a regular part of my life.  TraumaMama was an EMS dispatcher for his service (thus how they met and had a little Piglet) so you could say I was born with a medical side.  I have always had an interest in emergency medicine, but never really enough interest to do it full time.

A comment I left over at MotorCop gives a little more of the story:

I became a cop because I had a chance encounter one day (WAY too long ago) at 8 years old with a Police Officer. I had rode (my bike) to the neighborhood store, and when I came out, my chariot had been pilfered. I called my dad, and he called the local PD. This cop was the biggest, NICEST person I had ever met (besides Dad, of course). He made me feel instantly comfortable and safe. He asked me some questions, wrote some stuff down and then took me home in his patrol car. He even let me play with the lights and siren on the way home! That one moment solidified my career path in life. Fortunately I had the opportunity to work with this man for a few years before he retired; I’ll never forget “Head”.

As for becoming an EMT, I had a few events in my life when people VERY close to me, some Law Enforcement Officers, some family members, died in my arms and I was helpless to do anything about it. I decided I never wanted to feel that again, and went through EMT school. Will it bring them back? Hell no, nothing can. But that feeling might enable me to keep another Officer for family member around for a little longer.

What I would like to know, is why do YOU do what you do.  Everyone has some motivation for their career choices.  What’s yours?