To become a radio ham, you must pass an examination. There are several license classes. The more privileges a class of license conveys, the more difficult is the examination that one must pass to obtain it. Amateur radio operation is fun, and that is one of the main reasons hams do it. But ham radio can provide communication during states of emergency.
Ham radio works when all other services fail.
After Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida in 1992, the utility grid was destroyed over hundreds of square miles. All cellular towers and antennas were blown down. Amateur radio operators are known as technical innovators, and have been responsible for important discoveries. It was not long before ham radio operators discovered the truth, and were communicating on a worldwide scale using low-power transmitters. Thus the shortwave radio era began.