Choosing the best career for you can depend on a number of factors, from which career pays better to which career you will be happier doing.
You also have to take into consideration how long the required training will take, as well as if you have the necessary dedication to see it through to the end.
This guide will lay out the requirements, training, and costs for becoming a firefighter or police officer. We have also summarized which career path is harder and which career pays more.
By the end of reading this, you will have a better idea of which is the best career for you.
How to Become a Police Officer
As representatives of the law who protect and serve the community, you will be right in assuming that there is a lot of preparation, training and studying involved in becoming a police officer.
Not only that, but there is a list of minimum requirements that you have to meet before you can even begin police officer training.
If you are thinking about becoming a police officer, it’s worth asking yourself: Am I passionate about justice? And am I someone who likes to look out for others?
Minimum Requirements to Be a Police Officer
Before you start applying to a police academy or a police department, check whether you meet these minimum requirements.
18 years of age
High school diploma or GED certificate
US citizenship
Driver’s license
Clean background
Physically and medically fit (including good vision and hearing)
A GED, driver’s license, and good physical fitness are requirements you will have to achieve before you can apply.
As for a clean background, this means that you have no criminal record and a clean social media history. A background check is something that you will have to pass.
When applying for a police department, it is not uncommon that you will also have to pass a psychological evaluation.
Police Officer Training
Police officer training, whether it’s done with a police department or police academy, involves classes, exams, and physical training.
In addition to learning how to use a firearm, you will also have to learn and memorize the various laws and statutes pertaining to your state or jurisdiction.
The training itself can last around six months, sometimes longer.
Police officer training is rigorous and will challenge you physically, mentally and academically. Expect long days five days a week, involving classwork and exams, lots of studying and just as much physical training, including daily exercise routines and intense police training drills.
From memorizing traffic laws and Miranda rights to radio communication and search and seizure procedures, police officer training will constantly test whether you have what it takes to become a police officer.
How Long Does It Take to Become a Police Officer?
How long it takes to become a police officer depends - as everyone’s path to becoming a police officer is different.
For example, some aspiring police officers will take longer to reach the minimum requirements. Others might choose to enrol in a police academy to further prepare themselves before applying. And others might choose to apply directly to a police department and hope to be accepted quickly.
Choosing to earn a degree in a police, criminal justice or other law-related program will obviously increase the time it takes for you to become a paid police officer. It will, however, increase the chances of you standing out as an applicant and getting hired.
In short, it can take anything from 2 to 6 years - sometimes longer. That includes earning a degree, getting accepted into a police department, police training and the probationary period.
How Much Does It Cost to Become a Police Officer?
Again, how much it costs to become a police officer depends on the path taken to get there.
If you choose to enrol in a police academy program or earn a degree in a criminal justice or law-related field, you will have to pay for this yourself. This can be several thousands of dollars in total.
Other costs can include earning a GED, earning a driver’s license and any other medical or police-related school or program to include on your resume.
How to Become a Firefighter
Becoming a firefighter involves similar requirements and a similar training process to becoming a police officer. However, being a certified EMT is something you will have to achieve before being able to apply.
Just like becoming a police officer, the process to becoming a firefighter involves meeting a number of minimum requirements, before undergoing rigorous physical training and studying at an academy or with a fire department.
In addition, there are various qualifications that you can choose to earn to increase your chances of getting hired.
Firefighters are also representatives and providers of public service and are therefore required to have the right attitude and level of dedication.
If you are thinking about a career in firefighting, it’s worth asking yourself: Am I someone who puts others first? And can I work together as part of a team?
Minimum Requirements to Be a Firefighter
Before applying to a fire department or enrolling in a fire academy program, these are the minimum requirements that you should meet:
As mentioned above, EMT certification is a requirement if you want to become a firefighter. Being an EMT - Emergency Medical Technician - will give you ground-level knowledge in providing emergency care and medical treatment for patients.
For aspiring firefighters, it makes sense that this is something that is required.
Firefighter Training
Firefighter training can be completed at a fire department after being hired as a recruit, or by enrolling in a fire academy program.
Just like police officer training, firefighter training involves a challenging daily schedule of classwork, written exams, physical tests and manipulative skills training.
Expect to be waking up early, attending various classes and lectures, exercising daily and taking part in a number of drills and evolutions that emulate real-life situations that firefighters encounter. You will also have to find time to study at the end of the day.
Fire academy training itself lasts around six months, sometimes longer.
How Long Does It Take to Become a Firefighter?
How long it takes to become a firefighter depends on the path you take.
Remember: one of the requirements is to be an EMT, which can take up to six months to complete.
As all fire departments require recruits to complete their specific training, those who go through fire academy (Firefighter 1 and Firefighter 2) - which will increase the time it takes - will have to complete the same kind of training twice.
Why do it twice if it will take longer?
The advantages of earning a Firefighter 1 and Firefighter 2 degree will boost your chances of getting hired as a recruit in the first place, where you can expect a lot of competition. It will also mean you will be better equipped and prepared than other recruits.
This is worth mentioning, as applicants that only have the minimum requirements can sometimes wait years before being accepted.
In addition, there are other qualifications to earn if you want to make sure that you stand out when applying for a fire department, such as paramedic training. Any kind of volunteer work will also make your application more attractive.
In short, it can take 3 to 5 years, sometimes longer. This includes EMT training, fire academy training, recruit training and the probationary period.
How Much Does It Cost to Become a Firefighter?
This depends on whether you choose to enrol for a fire academy degree, or any other fire-related class or program, such as fire science or fire technology.
You will have to pay for this yourself, which can cost you several thousands of dollars.
You will also have to pay for EMT training - as well as paramedic training, should you choose to take your training further.
Remember that you can receive fire training with a fire department after being accepted as a recruit. In this case, you won’t have to pay and you will, instead, be getting paid as a hired recruit.
Having a fire academy degree or qualification in a fire-related field will, however, make you stand out from the competition and essentially speed up the process of being hired.
Which Pays More, Firefighter or Police Officer?
The salaries of both firefighters and police officers vary depending on the state and the specific department, so there is no definitive answer.
But, in general, being a police officer pays more than being a professional firefighter.
The average annual salary for a firefighter in the US is around $50,000.
The average annual salary for a police officer in the US is around $67,000.
Of course, this should not be the deciding factor in whether you choose a career as a police officer or firefighter. There are more important factors to consider, such as which career your personality and character are more suited towards and how content you will be in each role.
Which Career Is Harder, Firefighter or Police Officer?
Firefighting and policing are both difficult careers. Both involve self-sacrifice, protecting the public and being ready to face danger and deal with life-threatening emergencies.
There are a lot of special skills and knowledge to be acquired in both career paths, which you will have to learn and apply each day in the job.
And that is after you have completed the training itself, which is physically, mentally and academically challenging.
Both careers are hard - it just depends on which one you are more willing to dedicate yourself to.
Which is the Best Career, Fighter or Police Officer?
This is a question that only you can answer.
While how much you are paid might be a concern for you, it’s worth taking note that police officer and firefighter careers both offer a salary that is higher than average to provide you with a comfortable living.
The answer? The best career is the career that you believe you are most suited for and are most passionate about - whether that’s saving lives or upholding justice.
