I want to increase my chances of being a fire fighter what to do?

In the L.A. area you will need; an AS or BS in Fire Science or Fire Technology to be at least an EMT or better a Paramedic go through a certified Firefighter 1 academy pass written exams with a prefect score and oral exams in the upper ninety percentiles then you have a decent chance at getting hired into a paid department. However don't let that stop you from testing at all the L.A. area departments, there have been guys who were hired with zero training or knowledge, they just met the right people and said the right things.. good luck.

two quick things you can do: 1) Join a CERT (community emergency response team). They work with fire departments across the nation. 2) Get all the red cross training you can get, no matter how BS it may seem. The truth is, spending 3 hours every saturday at your local chapter watching power points can teach you a lot and beef up your resume.

You should probably ask this in another section BUT you'll hear all types of things like all you have to do is have a diploma/GED, pass the firemen exams, pass the physical tests, then go through the probationary period, but that's a dream world. In the real world they'll want you to have a bachelors degree in Fire science or some other kind of technical degree (engineering/science). If you don't do this they're obviously going to take the more qualified person who did. I just wanted to ask, why the hell did you get an AA degree? Didn't your community college tell you that AS degrees are the ones that can continue on to 4 year schools? AA degrees are not compatible with the vast majority of 4 year programs (the courses don't match up) and you would not be able to transfer. So, even your other option of being a cop is going to be hard now because to be a cop you need a BACHELORS in criminal justice.