I recently overheard a paramedic at work ranting, “I ****ing hate this job, but I’m too ******** old to start something new!” I asked his age and laughed: 28 years old! I was a full decade older than him when I started this career. This conversation eventually led me to tally up the things I’ve done in the last six years, when I decided to chase a dream and enrolled in an EMT class.
The Point
I present the accomplishments of my last six years to you now for several reasons. First, I’m very proud of these accomplishments! This is a fairly long list of things I’ve done. And frankly, sometimes I need to remind myself of what I’ve accomplished. This puts some wind behind the sail when I need an emotional boost.
Second, having written a book about masculine skills, it seems important to put my money where my mouth is. I’m not resting on my laurels, and I’m certainly not recommending you do something I’m unwilling to. Nor am I just talking shit when I talk about being a man among men. I’m out there doing it, learning, challenging myself, and getting better, stronger, and smarter.
Thirdly, I present these accomplishments here as “the art of the possible.” You’re never too old to begin again, be it starting a new career, having an adventure, or pursuing a lifelong dream. My military experience used to be my crowning achievement. it is certainly important. It was a huge part of my life and a significant rite of passage. But now it’s also something I did almost 20 years ago. If you’re that guy resting on one thing you did a long time ago…what have you done lately?
Here is what I’ve been up to for the last six years. Hopefully this inspires you got get out and challenge yourself, make a change, or pursue a goal.As you look this over, ponder what you’ve accomplished in the last six years? If the answer is “not much,” FIX IT! This is your one life to live…so live it to the fullest!
I Wrote a Book!
Because it is, at least partially, the result of the other things on this list, it should probably go last. I don’t want to bury the lede, however, so I’m putting it up top. I wrote a book called Competent & Dangerous: Master the Skills to be a Man Among Men. It will be available on November 1st on Amazon. In the meantime, you can learn more about it here.
I started writing Competent & Dangerous over three years ago, in September of 2022. Sometimes I got critical of myself for taking so long with it. The end-result is a 590-page book with over 325,000 words. The average novel is 80,000 to 100,000 words, which means I wrote the equivalent of a novel a year for the past three years. It is extremely gratifying to be finished with this project, and I look forward to whatever comes next!
EMS: Medical Training & Experience
My second career path started in early 2020. I intended to start down the path toward law enforcement. I had a few months before the academy started, so I decided to jump into an EMT class…not knowing it would seriously derail my LE plans!
EMT School (Second Award). My first time through EMT school was back in 2005 on Uncle Sam’s dime. I never did the first continuing education hour, so I lost it. I wanted to get it back, not realizing I would end up making a career out of it. In early 2020 I jumped back in. This made me realize how interested I was in being a paramedic when I took EMT for the first time. I got a year of experience as a part-time EMT while I attended paramedic school.
Paramedic School: When I went to EMT school I had no plans of working in the field or becoming a paramedic. When I did my clinical rides, however, I was hooked. There was so much to learn in this new world, so I decided to learn it. I completed paramedic school with the Outstanding Student award. Since getting my state certification I’ve also become a National Registry medic, and re-certified with my state which required 48 hours of continuing education.
Experience: In addition to paramedic school, I also got four years of full-time experience as a medic. There is no substitute for experience! I’ve treated diabetic emergencies, cardiac arrests, breathing problems, allergic reactions, broken bones, gunshot wounds, strokes, stabbings, sepsis…you name it. This is been an incredible experience!
EMS Instructor: In the last year I started teaching for my local EMT class and teaching the medical portion of the police academy. I also became both an American Heart Association CPR instructor and National Association of EMTs instructor.
Search & Rescue (SAR)
Search & Rescue is both an extension of EMS, and something completely different. It is all volunteer. It requires a try-out, showing up at a few meetings, and a vote. This was a strong area of interest to me: applying medical and rescue skills in a wilderness environment. Since joining the team I’ve had ample opportunity to hone these skills.
Joined the SAR Team: I started showing up at SAR team meetings in the summer of 2020, and became a full member sometime in early 2020. In 2024 the team’s structure changed and it now falls under our county EMS. Since I can’t volunteer where I work, I am a paid volunteer SAR tech.
SAR Training: After joining the team I quickly became one of the most highly trained members on the team. It helped that my work would pay for my hours while attending some of these courses. I attended:
- Land Search Field Team Member
- Lost Person Behavior
- Mountain Search and Rescue (MSAR) Series
- MSAR Awareness
- MSAR Operations
- MSAR Technician
- Technical Rescue/Wilderness
- Technical Rescue/Water
- Advanced Wilderness Rescue
Experience: In addition to training, I gained a lot of experience. I have participated in searches, rescues, body recoveries, and plenty of wilderness carry-outs. I’ve personally had “finds” in the woods, started IVs along trails, and spent a lot of time carrying a Stokes basket.
Law Enforcement
Police Academy: In late 2024 I finally took the plunge and did something I’d wanted to do for a long time: the police academy. I took a long, seven-month night class while working full-time hours at my day job. I completed the academy with the Outstanding Cadet award.
Hired, Sworn, FTO’d: I was sworn in, hired by my local sheriff’s office, and am well into Field Training. Though I didn’t plan to, I shifted to LE full time and am working my paramedic job part-time now.
LE Instructor School: The first three weeks of my law enforcement career were in instructor school. I know it seemingly makes no sense to send a guy with zero experience to instructor school, but this was in light of my non-LE firearms training and experience and medical skills. Hopefully I can pass some of those lessons on.
SWAT Medic: I was the first and only person to “walk on” to my agency’s SWAT team, again considering my training and experience (which was validated in training with the team). In just a few weeks I’ve gone from attending a few SWAT training days to running full range days as an instructor. I feel really fortunate to have this opportunity!
Personal Firearms Training
My last six years saw a heavy emphasis on firearms training. This was largely due to personal interest, and was often at my own expense and on my own time. Though this list seems long, it only averages 1.5 classes per year. Attending one class per year should be attainable for most people; it just has to be a priority. Note that these classes included a wide array of disciplines including pistol, revolver, rifle, and shotgun. The classes I took included:
Shotgun Skills w/ Tim & Ashton: This was the first formal shotgun training I ever attended, and it was outstanding! I learned a lot, confirmed some things, and began practicing hot and heavy on my own.
Cognitive Conclave: This was one of the first firearms classes I’d taken in several years. I was so glad I did; these three put on an incredibly good class with material rarely seen elsewhere.
Protective Pistolcraft Instructor Development: My first class with Tom Givens was amazing. I highly recommend the 5-day Protective Pistolcraft class to anyone with a desire to do firearms instruction.
Tactical Vision & Surgical Marksmanship with Dustin Salomon: This was an invitation-only event. I had the great good fortune of meeting Simon Golob. I also got to meet John Holschen (RIP). Dusty’s NURO system has the potential to be a game-changer in firearms training.
SymTac Shotgun Skills: My second shotgun class saw leaps and bounds in my skill with the shotgun. I managed to earn SymTac Coin #11.
Simon Golob’s On Demand Performance: Easily one of the best handgun classes I have ever attended. Unlike many classes, Simon actually covered material for advanced-level shooters.
The Worse Firearms Course I Ever Attended. I even learned something from this: how NOT to run a firearms class.
Full Spectrum Shotgun: A continuation of my shotgun training, this class with Adam, Jonathon, and Zach was terrific.
Tactical Pistol I with Greg Ellifritz: I didn’ write a review of this class due to time constraints but it was outstanding. If you have the opportunity to attend this class, do it!
RevolverFest: RevolverFest was a three-day, revolver-centric training event with many top-level instructors.
Personal Firearms Training: I have also done a TON of personal firearms training. I dove headfirst into the KelTec P-32. I reviewed several revolvers and several pistols. I shot a great deal with my shotguns and rifle, and put over 10,000 rounds through my personal, EDC 1911. This is more than I’ve shot in a long, long time.
Survival Training & Gut-Checks
Not all of my training was firearms-related. I also did some wilderness survival training. Additionally, I did some gut-check events including a Go-Ruck Tough.
Randalls’ Adventure Training Field Survival: This class was no joke. Beginning at 5 AM on Friday and running through Sunday afternoon, it consists of no food, no sleep, and constant movement through heavy brush. All the while there is a heavy emphasis on teamwork. Maintaining mental awareness is required due to the constant land navigation and problem-solving challenges. “We can’t put you in a plane crash and then teach you survival, so we have to make you tired, sore, and stressed in other ways,” is the motto of this class. It is certainly a gut-check. On the plus side, you don’t need to pack anything! A YouTuber (Jason Salyer with On3 Survival) was permitted to do a video about our class; you can watch it here.
Pathfinder School Basic Survival: This class was much more skill-oriented. Running three days it covers all the basics including fire building, shelter building, water procurement, and land navigation. This class was taught my expert instructors and certainly has name-recognition. If you’re wondering if one of these class is for you, check out my comparison article.
GoRuck Tough: I did a 12-hour GoRuck event with my friends Neil and Jonathan. This was one of the coolest, most awesome manly weekends I’ve had in a long time. Not only did I complete a difficult physical challenge, I also got to do it with two really good friends. Read my review…most of it is written by my friend Neil, and it is an awesome take on an event like this. Then get out and do some sort of gut-check yourself!
Personal Enrichment
It wasn’t all serious training; I also enjoyed some personal enrichment through reading, travel, etc.
Read 530+ Books (and counting): This is over half the books the average American will read in a lifetime. In 2020 I decided to make reading a habit. This was largely due to Greg Ellifritz’ annual reading lists. I ready 64 books that year. I tried to double it the following year but fell 6 books short, at only 122. Since then I’ve averaged 80-90 books a year. The amount of information I’ve learned is simply amazing. I’ve read books on guns, tactics, body language, deception, fiction, memoirs, how-tos. I’ve read probably a dozen books on drugs, something that seems pretty important for a cop. There is a book out there about everything, and it’s a big world. Learn about it!
Maintaining Friendships: I managed a bit of personal travel, though nothing extreme. I visited my friend Nick in Louisville several times. We toured distilleries, went to a Savannah Bananas game, and even drove to Chicago together for a Cubs game. Nick also visited me a couple of times, and has another visit planned soon! I visited my buddy Nick in Columbus, OH, and he visited me a couple times. Most of our visits revolved around taking classes together, but we always have a great time. I also traveled to Charleston, SC three times to visit my friends Jason & Christina.
Other friends came to visit including my old pal Rich Brown, my very old friend Adam Walker, my good buddy Walt, and my old platoon commander, Dave. My EMS friend Jonathan moved away, but I’ve still managed to see him a couple of times. My friend Nick and his brother Bob visted me from Northern VA. Despite all the serious stuff I did, I made time to maintain friendships. Hanging out with old friends is important, and restorative.
I also made time for an annual camping trip with my brother-in-law for the past three years. The first year was with him and my nephew. The next year my dad joined us. This year we were joined by my other brother-in-law and his two boys. These trips have been very enjoyable!
Wrote 460 Posts on Swift Silent Deadly: This blog is a personal hobby. Writing helps me think through a topic before I publicly post my thoughts on it. I’ve written 430 posts in six years…that’s 71 posts a year. Even though I’ve bee notably absent lately, that’s well over one post a week…in addition to writing a book!
Closing Thoughts
I realize that I have it easier than most when it comes to seeking challenges, attending classes, traveling, and spending time in leisure pursuits. Most people my age have kids and far more responsibility than I do. Being single and childless certainly has its advantages! However, you can still get out and do something. Attend a class! Rekindle a friendship. Travel to somewhere you’ve wanted to go. Accomplish something you’ve wanted to accomplish.
Don’t fall into the sunk-cost trap of thinking you’re too old, or have been in something too long to change. You aren’t! You are never too old to chase the dream. In some ways my life really began at 40. Be unafraid to get out there and do something crazy or extreme.
