As a teenager, will my past mistakes keep me from becoming a firefighter?
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.