WEEK     JOB: FIREFIGHTER

LOCATION: FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA

EMPLOYER: FORT WALTON BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT

WAGE: $42,370 YEAR

INDUSTRY IQ:

• If the tone rings, the firefighters on duty must be ready, on the truck, and leaving the station within one minute. If there’s a call at night while they’re asleep at the station, they have two minutes.

• There are three shifts at the Fort Walton Beach Fire Department, A, B, and C. Each firefighter works twenty-four hours (7:00 A.M.–7:00 A.M.) and then has forty-eight hours off. There can be a lot of downtime, so many of them hold a second job.

• To be a firefighter requires completion of a rigorous training program that includes fire sciences, first aid and emergency medicine, and an annual physical endurance test.

WHAT I LEARNED: Life requires effort.

Exhausted from being on the road, I said to Ian, “Dude, life requires effort.”

I realized that my experience wouldn’t be possible if I weren’t willing to leave my comfort zone, try new things, meet different people, and take risks—it requires effort. A conscious decision to make it happen. Most of the time, it was as simple as being open to the experience—saying “yes,” embracing the uncertainty, and seeing where it took me. After the fact, I was always glad I did.