Keep your fingers crossed for me......

Ah blogging. Something I don't do nearly enough of. The reason for todays blog is I am taking the Mass Civil Service exam tomorrow. I am normally someone who doesn't get worried, or nervous, but this test is scaring the hell out of me. I am lucky in the fact that I learn rapidly. I brushed up on all the different aspects of the testing (even those damn manipulatives aka choose the best answer) and concentrated the hardest on the Math portion of the exam. Wow it is evident I have been out of high school a while.

For those of you fresh to reading my blogs, and or forum posts, I am a father of 3 great children, and I have a loving fiance whom I am marrying in October of this year. :) I am a full-time roofer by profession, but I also do pretty much all phases of construction aside from roofing. The economy being the way it is getting, work is at times difficult. (No one has money so they can't get the improvements they want or need.)

On my birthday last year I made a startling revolation about my life. I realized that I wasn't getting any younger, and it was time to work on getting myself a career. I absolutely love firefighting and helping anyone, so becoming a firefighter is my first-line choice for a career. Through some help from a wonderful woman in Cambridge Mass, I started to realize how close I could be to making this a reality. (of course this is all make believe, I still have to pass the test, than the physical test, than the oral boards, and let alone the other 3,000+ applicants going for the same jobs)

So here we are, the day before the written exam. I have been thinking about it all day, and I am sure by tomorrow morning when I drive 2 and a half hours north to the test site, I will have a head full of thoughts turning at 100mph.

I passed the FF1 test with a score of 89. I passed the FF2 with a score of 85. I passed the NFPA Fire Inspector test with a 100. All great scores, but in Mass against all of these other people, will it be enough?

I guess in the long run, it is what it is. I studied. I refreshed myself in subjects I had honestly thought I would never use or see again.

What if I pass the test, and than I have the new worries with the demanding physical test? What about if I make it past the physical portion, will I come off as a good candidate?

All these things are a mystery. Time will deal me a hand, and if it is meant to be, it will be.

Being a low-income family, I want this job more than I have wanted anything aside from having 3 healthy children. I don't want to be low income. I don't want to worry about my job being weather-related anymore. I don't want to worry about where my next check is coming from, and if theres no check this week, what do I do to make money to make sure my family eats well, and has a home to stay in? This test is the key.

Ok, enough whining, someone pass me a stress ball. :)

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Comment by FireCat on April 28, 2008 at 11:43am: Good luck!

Comment by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on April 28, 2008 at 11:37am: So, I guess that I won't need to come out there and take the test for you?
I mean; look at my picture. We could be twins.
I have never been intimidated with test taking. The hard part has always been waiting for the results. It seems like forever until results come back.
I admire your determination to make a better way.
Just remember; the more you make; the more they take.
Put it into pre-tax benefits and group health. You won't regret it.
You have some very good reasons to move up.
Grab it and go.
TCSS.
Art

Comment by Engineco913 on April 27, 2008 at 5:29pm: Hey folks. I studied my butt off, and worried myself sick for a foolish reason. The test was much much much easier than I imagined. Kind of felt like a moron after I started to go through the test to see what each section entailed.
The results are something I have to be patient and wait for. I am not sure how they grade a portion of the test (strongly disagree through agree) seeing that a majority of it is repetative, and I assume they are looking for mistakes in like questions.
Now I wait. I was amazed to find out the sheer number of people who took the test was in the thousands.
It was a real nice day out for a drive (135 miles from my home to the test site) and at the least I can say I have been to New Hampshire this year.
Apparently (from what my test proctor said from a written statement) everything is self explanitory don't bother to ask questions, and this includes the length of wait, and who was hiring. (complete guessing game since I went to every respective paid fire department that tests homepage and only Lexington Mass was "hiring" at the time of the test officially) Accourding to the written statement read to us, "if" we pass the test and we selected a department that is hiring, we will be called to take the Physical part of the exam. (another $100) from there I am in the dark, and just don't know.

Thanks to all of you for the well wishes, it is greatly appreciated. :)