u/Basic_Suit_8244

Hi everyone,
I’m a teenager, and becoming a firefighter has been my dream for a long time. My dad is a firefighter, and I’ve spent time around the fire service, watching training and learning about the job. Helping people is what I want to do with my life.
The problem is that I’ve made some mistakes that I deeply regret, and I’ve been worrying that they’ll ruin my chances of ever getting hired.
Here are the things I’m worried about:
I viewed inappropriate content online as a teenager and struggled with it for a while.
I posted some inappropriate pictures online for a period of time but later deleted them.
I also spent money on App Store purchases using one of my grandpa’s cards. He told me one of the cards was okay to use, but I didn’t tell him about all of the purchases at the time. Later, there were other unauthorized charges on his account that he believes came from a company scamming him, not from me. I still feel guilty about my own purchases and wish I had handled the situation better.
I’ve never been arrested, and I haven’t been charged with a crime. I’ve deleted the inappropriate content and accounts, and I’m trying to make better decisions. I genuinely want to grow into someone who can be trusted and serve the community.
My question is:
Based on what I’ve described, would these mistakes likely keep me from being hired as a firefighter, or am I overthinking this?
I’m not looking for people to tell me what I want to hear. I’d really appreciate honest answers, especially from firefighters, fire officers, or anyone involved in hiring. If you think there are things I should do now to improve my chances in the future, I’d appreciate that advice too.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Hi everyone,
I’m a teenager, and becoming a firefighter has been my dream for a long time. My dad is a firefighter, and I’ve spent time around the fire service, watching training and learning about the job. Helping people is what I want to do with my life.
The problem is that I’ve made some mistakes that I deeply regret, and I’ve been worrying that they’ll ruin my chances of ever getting hired.
Here are the things I’m worried about:
I viewed inappropriate content online as a teenager and struggled with it for a while.
I posted some inappropriate pictures online for a period of time but later deleted them.
I also spent money on App Store purchases using one of my grandpa’s cards. He told me one of the cards was okay to use, but I didn’t tell him about all of the purchases at the time. Later, there were other unauthorized charges on his account that he believes came from a company scamming him, not from me. I still feel guilty about my own purchases and wish I had handled the situation better.
I’ve never been arrested, and I haven’t been charged with a crime. I’ve deleted the inappropriate content and accounts, and I’m trying to make better decisions. I genuinely want to grow into someone who can be trusted and serve the community.
My question is:
Based on what I’ve described, would these mistakes likely keep me from being hired as a firefighter, or am I overthinking this?
I’m not looking for people to tell me what I want to hear. I’d really appreciate honest answers, especially from firefighters, fire officers, or anyone involved in hiring. If you think there are things I should do now to improve my chances in the future, I’d appreciate that advice too.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Hi everyone,
I’m a teenager, and becoming a firefighter has been my dream for a long time. My dad is a firefighter, and I’ve spent time around the fire service, watching training and learning about the job. Helping people is what I want to do with my life.
The problem is that I’ve made some mistakes that I deeply regret, and I’ve been worrying that they’ll ruin my chances of ever getting hired.
Here are the things I’m worried about:
I viewed inappropriate content online as a teenager and struggled with it for a while.
I posted some inappropriate pictures online for a period of time but later deleted them.
I also spent money on App Store purchases using one of my grandpa’s cards. He told me one of the cards was okay to use, but I didn’t tell him about all of the purchases at the time. Later, there were other unauthorized charges on his account that he believes came from a company scamming him, not from me. I still feel guilty about my own purchases and wish I had handled the situation better.
I’ve never been arrested, and I haven’t been charged with a crime. I’ve deleted the inappropriate content and accounts, and I’m trying to make better decisions. I genuinely want to grow into someone who can be trusted and serve the community.
My question is:
Based on what I’ve described, would these mistakes likely keep me from being hired as a firefighter, or am I overthinking this?
I’m not looking for people to tell me what I want to hear. I’d really appreciate honest answers, especially from firefighters, fire officers, or anyone involved in hiring. If you think there are things I should do now to improve my chances in the future, I’d appreciate that advice too.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Hi everyone,
I’m a teenager, and my dream is to become a firefighter someday. My dad is a firefighter, and I’ve wanted to do this for as long as I can remember. I love going to training when I can, watching burn drills, learning about the job, and helping people is what I want to do with my life.
The problem is that I’ve made some mistakes as a teenager, and I’ve been stressing constantly that they’ll ruin my chances of getting hired in the future.
Some of the things I worry about include:
Spending money through app purchases using a family member’s card without fully thinking through what I was doing. That situation has caused me a lot of guilt and anxiety.
Looking at inappropriate content online and dealing with that habit, which I’m trying to stop.
Posting things online in the past that I regret and later deleted.
Worrying that anything I’ve ever done online could somehow be used against me years from now.
I haven’t been arrested, and I don’t have a criminal record. But I keep thinking about these mistakes over and over, and it’s gotten to the point where I wonder if I should even keep pursuing my dream.
I’m not looking for people to tell me that what I did was okay. I know I’ve made mistakes, and I want to learn from them. I’m working on making better choices and becoming someone who would be worthy of serving the community.
I’m hoping firefighters or people involved in hiring can answer a few questions:
Have you seen applicants get hired after making mistakes as teenagers?
Is honesty, maturity, and showing you’ve changed more important than having a perfect past?
If you could give one piece of advice to a teenager who wants to become a firefighter, what would it be?
I’d really appreciate honest answers. This career means everything to me, and I’m trying to become the kind of person who deserves the opportunity to serve others.
Thank you for reading.