For those individuals who haven’t quite found the right career, here are four easy steps to a new career! Emergency Management and disaster preparedness are some of the fastest growing fields today. In the wake of Katrina, Sandy, and Ferguson, many organizations and businesses are realizing the need for Emergency Management professionals. In this career field you must like talking to people A LOT. You also must want to serve your workplace, community, and country. There are days where you could find yourself foisted into a high-stress situation forced to work creatively to find solutions in the face of crippling adversity. You would also have to be adept at navigating difficult situations with Type A personalities, also those with Types B-Z. The good news is that it’s rarely boring!

OK, that all sounds great, so now what?

Here comes the slightly more involved criteria for becoming an Emergency Management Professional. These are insider secrets that those in the industry don’t want you to know — so SSSHHH!

First Step: Get some training on how to actually DO Emergency Management. There are plenty of free, yes I did say free, ways to get this training. You can go to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) website. On this website there are literally hundreds of courses that you can take for free. The best part is that they give you certificates commemorating your achievement, and these certificates NEVER EXPIRE. How many other professions offer such value? Once you get the basic gist of how FEMA operates, then try your hand in your community’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). This team will give you hands on training from professionals in Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Service, Fire Fighting, and Police. In this program you also have the possibility of becoming certified, and when you do, you can officially be deployed to an emergency if one happens in your community. This is a great try-it-before-you-buy-it program.

Second Step: Once you have some experience and connections in the field, start bringing the lessons back. Many employers would love someone to take preparedness on in their organization. Show your employer that you are dedicated to preparedness and the business. If you’re lucky, once the program is up and running your employer will make a full-time Emergency Management or Emergency Preparedness job for you. If that doesn’t work, or if your are currently between jobs skip to Step Three.

Step Three: Take the career .gov and .org websites by storm. At the national level, you can start with FEMA, and FEMA Corps. (Please note that some, but not all, of these positions require a college degree — if you don’t have a college degree and want to get one online check out this list from FEMA.) If none of these jobs suit your fancy, try your state, county, and city websites. Each of those levels of government must have someone in an Emergency Management or Emergency Preparedness role. Keywords to search would be Emergency Management, Emergency Preparedness, Emergency Management Coordinator, Preparedness Coordinator, and Project Manager (then look in the description for Emergency Management or Preparedness). If you are having a hard time with this step, reach out to one of your Emergency Management mentors. You should have a plethora after CERT training!

Emergency Management Institute, Courtesy of FEMA.gov

Step Four: Once you have landed your ideal Emergency Management job, repeat Step One. You MUST continue to learn on the job or you will become obsolete. One of the best kept secrets in Emergency Management for continuing education is the Emergency Management Institute. Once you are established in an Emergency Management role, FEMA grants will pay for you to fly to Maryland and attend one- to two-week-long trainings to better develop your skills. Dinosaurs don’t do well in Emergency Management, and their communities suffer for it. Remember, most training in this field is FREE!

Looking for other career ideas? Check out our jobs for veterans article!