If this is in the wrong spot feel free to move. Just not to GD

I'm just looking for a little advice on career change. Ive been a FF/Paramedic for 14 years and am over it. I'm starting school next month and have been leaning towards a business management degree. I have always wanted to do HR but I'm an early 30s white male so Ive been told that path wouldn't be very realistic for jobs. My question is whether I should go more towards a finance degree or business. I realize they are two different animals but it seems as if my age and "lack of experience" may hinder my opportunities with the business degree. If it makes any difference I live within an hour of Atlanta. Thanks in advance

The advice I wished I had gotten when I was making career decisions is talk to people who have the type of jobs you want.

Full stop.

I was lucky that I made education/career decisions that worked out for me, but life would have been a lot easier if I just connected with folks (lots of people respond on linkedin to a nice email OR just ask around if folks can connect you) and asked them:(1) what is your job like day-to-day and (2) what's the best way to get your job?  What education do hiring managers look for?  What kind of work experience?

Once I started doing that I learned a shit ton and realized that I could have taken a much more direct path to the job I have today.

RF

I changed careers a few years ago from IT to Nursing w/ the end goal of CRNA. First you need to have a real "self discovery" session to see what you truly want. Then, talk to individuals in that field and research that field. Then, plot the most direct path that you can to that field.

 

I'm completely ignorant to the market of those options that you listed, but I would think an education in Finance might be a better "bet". That might open several doors in the Banking, Finance, Loan business sector more so then HR or "BM". Just my $0.02


Good luck. I hope you find what you're looking for.

Talk to people who graduated with the degree you are considering.

The main thing you have to realize is that the degree isn't going to get you a job, unless it comes with some kind of special certification.

IE, Accounting, Nursing, etc.  

You might be better off getting a job first, with the right company, and then getting your degree.  

In the shadow of the global economic reset, I don't expect finance degrees to be very useful.  Stay as a firefighter/EMT as it is secure.  Climb up the ladder figuratively and get promotions to a management position within your department.

Thanks for the input. I'm gonna do a little more research but I may go towards accounting. I will probably speak to hr at the city i work for and see what they can do in regards to transferring departments in the future. My FD is fairly small so management there is difficult to get to.

There is a book I see recommended for people like you, I have not personally read it but I see it recommended a lot by some very smart people..  The title is "What Color is your parachute?" and it is available on Amazon.
That being said, if you would like to go the business route then I would suggest being a municipal employee already that you take full advantage to any tuition reimbursement they offer.  Get a degree in Management, Accounting or any other related field.  If you want to go further than a bachelor's then consider a Masters in Public Administration.  That would fast track you to either a leadership role in your current department or leave open the possibility of moves to another department within your city.  

It is very rare to find someone with the business skill set to run/administer a department well and have the experience and knowledge of what the guys under you are actually doing.  I took advantage of this right after college and had a position managing an automotive service shop briefly while positions in my degree field fleshed out.  My degree is in Accounting and I work in government.

Accounting
can
be
outsourced

Book is on order. I'll give it a read.

If you're into reading, go to the library and get Peter Schiff's CrashProof 2.0.  There are better books (I concur with Schiff on why we the dollar is doomed, but don't care for his investment advice), but most folks here aren't ready for them.

I went back to school in my mid-30's from construction to healthcare admin. This is a field where a white male is rare, 80% leadership are crazy nurses, but high level positions are still heavily held by men. I had initially gone back to school for nursing, but I was just shy of making it into the BS program two semesters in a row. I could have waited it out if I didnt have a family so I moved on.

With a paramedic background, you can emphasize with the caregiver side of things. The  nurses/doctors will appreciate it and trust you more than the operations people with no medical knowledge. You can position yourself very well with either a solid medical background and minor business knowledge, or solid business knowledge and minimal medical knowledge.

Final note, Why the F do you listen  to someone who tells you being white male means you dont get a job.

Are you an entrepreneurial type?

Starting my own business was the best career move I ever made.

Healthcare admin is another avenue I have recently looked at. I"ts looking more and more like I'm going try and use the fire/ems to stay in that field or remain with the city I work for. As far as the hr deal, I'm trying to make sure I don't try to get an a field with a poor job outlook. I have good critical thinking and solve problems with ease. I would try and climb the ladder at my department but most admin are very young. Unfortunately, fire departments are set up to where if you change departments, you typically start at the bottom. The other problems I run into is time and pay. I make decent money where I'm at and am the sole breadwinner for a family of 4 so starting salary above 60k is a must. (It's cheap to live here in the south). In turn, I can't take a lot of work off to go to school so a primarily online program is needed.

Have a lawn business that I do pretty well with. Unfortunately it's seasonal work, so I have been riding the boo boo wagon this year. Next year I'll pick it back up though. I'm 7 months from being completely debt free (except mortgage) so I'll have more time next year.

IM a healthcare management major (currently a Junior).  Something Ive been seeing more and more of is that coming into it from the non-medical side, you will have a lot of problems climbing the ladder.  MDs and RNs dont want to be told what to do by us, and to be honest I can understand why.  A lot of the Healthcare Mgmt students I see graduating are going to work in billing departments at local hospitals or providers which is good entry level work but I dont think it translated well to actually moving to the healthcare management side AND (much more alarmingly) it is stuff that can easily be outsourced.  

Im very strongly considering dropping out of school and apprenticing in a trade (HVAC, electrician or plumbing) but entry level options for those are limited in California.  If I didnt have kids and debt Id move to a state with lots of entry level openings and not look back but being a single dad with no money, full custody of my kids and no connections in any unions (for the real comfy jobs), I just don't feel comfortable taking the leap to a free state.  Im working on finding entry level jobs in CA but thanks to this idiotic states anti-business policies, it is REALLY hard to get your foot in the door.

Id advise against Healthcare Management.  

Edit:  Thought Id add, Im 26 and I don't have any medical experience beside basic CLS classes from the Army.  However, your FF background might be way more useful when working with actual medical professionals since you guys do a lot of paramedic/EMT type training on top of just fighting fires.  I still would worry about the possibility of outsourcing or automation though.

EMT is coming in from the medical  side. I  wasted some time trying to get into nursing school, but just that gave me a connection with the care management side of the business. It will give you an edge over some candidates having a background.

FWIW, I had a job offer before I graduated that met your minimum salary requirement. Keep in mind the degree can also get you in the healthcare insurance field.

Just a little update. As of right now I'm going towards the hr route. After doing some research it seems easier to "branch out" from there. Thanks for all the input. Maybe by the time I'm done my hr manager will be leaving!