Leaving the military.

[bhauhe]

I will be leaving the coast guard in a few years and I am trying to decide what career path to go. I will be going to school next semester for a degree in fire science. i will have 6 years in the military. What training should I get before I get out. Can I get a position as a FireMedic without going to the academy yet. Also will my certifications transfer from one state to another. I would appreciate any help I can get.

[Budslights22]

it depends on where you are getting hired. I got out of the air force in june with just under 4 years. most of my fire certs will cross to missouri but not all of them. most of that depends on your and who they are from. if you went through the DOD fire academy then you have IFSAC certs most states will accept them but maybe not all of them. If its medical certs such as EMT-B then if you do the national registry its alot easier to get your state cert. As far as an academy that depends on the departments. Most of your big cities and bigger counties will require you to go through there own academy. some smaller places that only hire firefighters one at a time may hire you right off the bat. where i'm living in st louis if you get hired with the city you have to go through their academy. right outside of st louis city is a ton of small cities and towns that make up st louis county and they all require that you go through the county fire academy before you can get hired with them, even though the certs a state wide. hope i answered your questions but if you have anymore just post it.
Brad