To begin a career, you often need some sort of experience in the field you wish to enter. Therefore, having a teacher or guide furthers your knowledge in that career choice. Having an instructor who is an expert in their field watching and guiding your every move is called an apprenticeship. Apprenticeships are ideal for learning life skills and professional work ethics. They sharpen skills needed in any certain career and will give an individual higher standards to work towards. However, in order to have an apprenticeship, you must have a flexible schedule. Home schooling helps with that "tight schedule".

I have been in two apprenticeships: one with a NASCAR driver and one with the Seattle Fire Department. Both have taught me how to work efficiently, with others, and how to accomplish a large amount of work in a small amount of time. Working with a NASCAR pit crew team and actually having some hands on experience gave me a taste of what real hard work is like in the world. You can't sit around and expect the work to get done all by itself. Being an apprentice, I realized how much effort it takes to be a professional. It shines the light on the reality that if you want something like a good job or a profession, then you will definitely have to work for it.

In the fire department there is absolutely no slacking, and if you do, then they work you twice as hard. Thankfully during my last apprenticeship I learned how to work hard and give 100% . However, the Seattle Fire Department has taught me even more about hard work. Working under my lieutenant, I have seen the work ethics that I would like to live up to, in him

Being homeschooled helps a lot with the schedule too. Training for firefighting not only happens on the weekend, but sometimes during the week when there is a special event coming up. Homeschooling allows me to have a flexible schedule and allows me to attend week events and training.

I believe that firefighter training has made me the person I am today. I have more respect for people in general and for authority. I have learned a great amount about the profession I want to enter, and my apprenticeship has given me a great advantage in an extremely competitive career.