tough career decision

[dispatchgal]

I have been in the employment process for a dispatch position for a local P.D. I have tested, interviewed, polygraphed, and been fingeprinted. They are in the process of conducting my background, and then on to psycological/medical testing. I know that the dept is short handed by 3 people, and that I am one of 3 candidates being considered for one of those slots. They have asked the background investigator to "rush" as they are so short staffed.

I also have a current job offer to do customer service in a high volome call center for a local utilities company. This job wants me to start next Monday, the 11th.

In today's economy I am very leary of turning down a job offer for a chance at a job.. however, i do prefer the dispatcher position.

Any thoughts on how long it might take for the background to be completed and for the med/psych testing? Are these pretty routine or do a number of people fail them? There is nothing in my background to suggest that I would fail.

Any thoughts on why I should choose dispatching and turn down another job offer? The customer service job is straight m- f with weekends and holidays off.

Thanks

[MrJim911]

This is a big decision for you. It all depends on what you really WANT to do. As far as how the economy is, don't worry about it. The economy is doing fine and on the upswing, plus there is a shortage of dispatchers all over, finding a job in that field will not be too difficult. My agency doesn't have a psych test so I cannot comment on the length of that. A physical or medical test should be a 1 day thing. You go see a doctor and they do some quick tests and send the results to your department. All of these will take longer than next Monday though. So how do you decide? You said yourself you would prefer to be in the dispatch profession. You also said that there is nothing wrong with you medically or criminally. That takes care of your remaining background testing. You also said you were 1 of 3 people being looked at for 3 openings. Chances are you'll get the job according to that math and depending on your testing results.

High volume utilities company? So you'll be getting calls about someones gas being shut off? Their power is out? My telephone isn't working? No denying that those are imprtant questions that need to be answered. Compare them to my child is not breathing, what do I do? We've just been robbed. Dispatch I'm in pursuit!

In dispatch you most likely work some kind of rotating schedule. A shift which is not M-F. You will not have weekends off and you will work almost every holiday.

What do you want to do? Not what should you do. Don't make the mistake of getting into a job you do not want and you will not be happy doing on a daily basis. Which one will make you happy? The most important question...

The decision of course is yours. You have a week to think things over. We're here to help if we can. I hope what I've said has helped at least a little. Keep us posted on what you decide and how things work out with your testing.

[dispatchgal]

Mr. Jim,
Thanks for your thoughtful response. I guess my problem is while I think the dispatcher job is the better choice.. I also know that jobs are seldom what we anticipate they will be. Does anyone have any thoughts on why dispatching (other than the nature of calls) is a better job than customer service?

[MrJim911]

Dispatching is customer service, your customers being the citizens who call. If your not sure what dispatching entails then I suggest you go do a sit-a-long to get a feel of what the job is. This will help you decide if it's what you want to do or not. I would also guess you'd get a much bigger feeling of having accomplished something in dispatching instead of receiving utility calls. Plus if like responsibility there will be more of that in 911.

[ladymoonlite]

Why is dispatching a better job than customer service?

First, you have to realize that dispatching is STILL customer service. The customers are a different group than the utility customers, perhaps, but still "customers."

You'll have not only angry, upset and/or hysterical people to deal with on the phone, you'll also have angry, upset and/or hysterical officers and firefighters to deal with on the radio.

You'll have long hours, work weekends and holidays, and get little or no shift differential.

You'll have coworkers who think you do too little, or too much, or who talk too much, or too little.

It's miserable and thankless and unrecognized....

But when you hear the first cry from the baby after the toy pops out of his throat after you just talked his mom through the Heimlich manuever....

:bounce: Well that's when you'll know why dispatching is a better job than... well, anything else in the world!

[KYEMT325]

Well, I'm not going to sit here and fill your head full of things about how "good" it is to be a dispatcher, because as ladymoonlite said it's a VERY thankless job, you won't get any credit for doing good deeds (because everyone thinks it's your job anyways so they could care less if you're recognized for outstanding service). It is also a VERY high pressure job. I don't know the exact statistic, but I am sure that less than half of the people who ever start this profession leave it and don't retire here because the stress is too much for most.

Yes, when you hear that baby crying after talking that lady through the Heimlich, that's a wonderful thing. But when that baby chokes to death and you feel totally helpless, that's the worst feeling in the world. You'll have a lot of mental anguish from this job. You'll be tired a lot more than you thought you would be. Sometimes you'll find yourself not sleeping for days in a row because work gets to you so much. It's those things you have to take into consideration too.

So, you gotta do what's best for yourself. If you have a family, kids, etc...remember you're not going to see them, you'll most likely be night shift, sleep during the day, and work every weekend so your family will be abandoned. If this is something you are willing to risk for the job, then dispatching can be very rewarding. If you don't want to risk all the problems associated with it, and want a M-F job, then I'd go to the power company running!

Good luck on your decision and may God be with you.

[MsKippie]

Hi Dispatchgal!

Ladymoonlite and Mr. Jim have really said it best, but if i might re-iterate the sense of accomplishment you will feel will make all the difference in the world. When you complete training (sometimes after many weeks) you are going to have a great sense of pride! You will also know that there is not a single day that will ever be the same as any you had before. Just knowing that there is the POTENTIAL for it to really hit the fan at any moment makes it fun as well.

With dispatching, you will have a job that is enjoyable (for most), a chance to move up, and something that would not be thought of as so temporary. And of course, you will get yelled at here as well! ;)

You will also have:
-More job security
-More opportunity for pay raises
-More of a chance to really make a difference

Good luck in whatever you decide, but I truly believe that you would find working in a PD communications center much more rewarding and professional than customer service. I know you are a little worried about the time frame, but if you can stall out the utility company for just a bit, you sound like you're in good shape with the PD! And keep us posted!

[dispatchgal]

Wow - you all have given me some great information to think about. The PD that i am being considered for only dispatches police calls.. we do not dispatch medical nor fire. Those are transferrred to another dispatch. I did do a sit along for about an hour, and they had maybe 4 911 calls. It was a Friday evening. They said that days are much busier, and that most people preferred swing as the calls were "in progress". So maybe it won't be as stressful as some places.

other than becoming a supervisor is there any room for advancement or even a lateral transfer to something different in a few years?

[MrJim911]

It all depends on the positions available at each center. Each one will have a different heirarchy. At my center we have diapatchers, the training coordinator, supervisors, Deputy Director and Director. That's it. Someday I will be a supervisor but that's where my advancment will end because becoming Deputy Director or Director removes you completely from the radio and phones. And that's not what I want. Bigger agencies will, of course, have a larger variety of positions esspecially in the techincal aspect of 911. IT guys are a necessity in bigger PSAPS. To answer your question, I would have to say no. There are not many advancement options in this field. Lateral transfers depend on what your going to and what the polices are for that specific department.

[ladymoonlite]

Just out of curiousity I presented your question to some people in my center.. some of the answers I got....

Job security - Once you have this kind of training you can get work almost any where in the country. Turnover is incredible and we always need qualified people.

Professional pride - One of my people said, "I'm always proud to say this is what I do... but when I was in CS at (company x) that just didn't sounds like a "cool" career."

MONEY - two said - if the money is better at the Utility company, jump on it. Not worth the nights and weekends (boy I don't think they'll last long, lol)

BOREDOM - At least one said she liked the fact that it's something different every day.

Hope this helps you decide.

[dispatchgal]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I have decided to hold out for the dispatch position. I'm in the BI process right now, and have heard from several of my references that they were contacted yesterday. Hopefully, it'll work out.

[Ironman2X]

I would like to start my first reply with a thank you to all that have shared themselves in this forum. I have had the opporutinity to read just about every posting on this site since I found this site last week. I don't think you could find a better source of dispathfer information then this site.

Now my situation, a friend shared with me that they are looking to fill a telecomunicator position at the locale PD and I should look into it. So I filled out the paperwork and have had the first interview with the DC. So far so good. I'm now waiting to hear if a second interview with Chief will be extended to me.

My question, I'm looking for more info regarding career thoughts. Is this a long term deal or is this career field prone to high turnover and burnout? As I stated earlier, I have read just about everything posted here and am left uncertain as to whether I should proceed with the interview process. I'm looking for a career not a job. I should add, I have experience dispatching in the USAF and with a security department with a large hotel chain. I have made calls done the paperwork and kept the log. I'm to thin to be a cop, so this is not a short stop on the way to becoming one. I looking for additional insight from anyone regarding this issue.

Thanks

[Noodle]

Hello and good luck with your process. I will try to answer your questions as best as I can , but I am sure you will get more input and hopefully so.
Dispatching is definatly a career for some people, and it is one to be very proud of having. Not many people can be successful dispatchers, but if you are, then you have a lot to be proud of. Stress is high, recognition low. A person must be squared away, intelligent, and a mulitask master. You will be the hub for all the tasks that take place at your department while you are working. You will bee the first responder on an emergancy. You will be the lifeline for your officers on runs. Many people can not take the pressure, the shift work, the responsibility, or the consequences of a bad decision. These people do not last long or burn out real fast. Many other people use the position as a stepping stone to move on in the LE field, so naturally their turn over adds to the total. For these reasons, adn a few more, the average time someone spends as a dispatcher is somewhere around 3.5 years. It also goes the other direction as well. I am sitting next to a dispatcher who just had his 25th anniversary as a dispatcher. Is planning on retiring from this department in 4 years, then getting on as a dispatchere on another department. I think that that would definatly meet the long term catagory of your question.
How other people handle the pressure is one thing, only you will know if you can handle pressure. You said that you have experiences that relate to the field, so you probably have a good idea of what the job entails. Yes turnover and burn out is high. But that does not mean that you will not like your position, or you will not get personal satisfaction from doing your job to the best of your ability. If you want a challenge, one that many attempt to do but only a few can conquer, than this is the job for you.

Noodle

[MrJim911]

Noodle pretty much answered your questions so there's not much I can add other then to reiterate that, yes turnover is generally quite high and that yes, burnout is a problem. But I also am working with 2 people that have been doing this for 26 years and a few others that have been here over 10 years. I've bene doing it for 4 years so I've passed the burnout timeframe. Even though it can truly happen at any time. It all depends on you. What can you handle? Pick a department and do some sit-a-longs where they will let you listen in on the 911 calls and the radio. See what happens to you when you are listening to a hot call of some sort. This will help give you an idea of how you would do in training.

Glad to have you on the board and hope you make posting here a career also! :)

[Ironman2X]

Thanks Noodle and MrJim911.
I followed MrJim911 advice from another post regarding scheduling some side by side time. I have four hours scheduled for Tuesday. Between that and the few hours I've sent listening to the police scanner on the web, I should have enough info to make an educated decision.