Career Roadmap
Derek's work combines: Medicine, Education, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
English Language and Literature, General
Florida State University
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be an Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics:
High School
Certification: Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Was adopted, giving me opportunities I likely would not have otherwise had.
2.
Earned an undergraduate degree in English Literature.
3.
Got a job working at a local FOX affiliate TV station.
4.
Played in several bands that lived in vans and toured around the country
5.
Went back to school to become a paramedic.
6.
Played with a successful band and toured around the world.
7.
Continued career as a paramedic and continued to teach EMS classes.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You should not jeopardize a good career to go on tour with your bands.
How I responded:
I try to live a life that is governed by experience, and a desire to have as few regrets as possible when I am one day old and gray. So far, it has been my experience that the things I most regret are not the things that I tried and at which I failed, but rather the things that I did not try at all.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Did not have anyone to help pay for my college. I took out a small student loan, but I also worked hard and paid my own way. It made the satisfaction of achievement taste even sweeter.