NorCal Fire Academy Questions

I am a high school senior thinking about fire academy for fall 2026 and have a few questions.

1. I'm considering College of the Redwoods and Shasta College academies (due to proximity to home) and am wondering if anyone has insight into the differences between the two: culture, how rigorous / comprehensive, networking, etc.

2. I understand there are changes to hiring this year so things are up in the air, but if I were to go through an academy fall 2026 and do reasonably well, what would my chances be for getting on say, a hand crew in the Northern Region for the 2027 season?

3. I did well in high school... and absolutely hated it. I'm not opposed to going to a 4 yr college, but I'm looking for an option that's not sitting at a desk, looking at a computer all day. And I'd rather avoid dealing with the shenanigans of college if I don't have to. I'm interested in wildland fire / career fire / medic careers, I'm fairly active and working to get in shape, and I'll already have my EMT. But just a little weary about committing to this path (family is big on university, etc). Any advice on this front for making this decision would be appreciated.

Thanks a lot for the input.