“I'm going to pay for your school” is the phrase that changed my entire outlook on life. I will be honest, I am a cynical person. It was safe to say that I assumed the universe hated me. I was stuck in a dead-end job working minimum wage with no place to go and no one to help me out of the ditch I was in until that day. After I graduated high school, I had a plan to take a year off and work to earn enough money for college. I was employed quickly, however, my wage was abysmal and the hours were undesirable. I sunk into a rut. At this point in my life, I felt like I became another lifetime retail employee. The dream I had of being in the medical field was overshadowed by the feeling of disappointment and hopelessness. I expected to be out
While most acquaintences my age were out partying and having a ball, I was working 12am to 8am on a dementia unit at the VA Hospital, as you may know working nights can make you extremely lazy, when all you do is sleep all day, the pay was great and that also makes you not want to start school or do something with your life, but I saw the bigger picture in a career. I saw what none of my friends have seen yet, and It felt great. Anyways back to my story, I had really enjoyed the job and helping the elderly, but sadly due to a schedule conflict I had to resign to start college. As of right now I am working as a Pharmacy Tech at CVS pharmacy, its not much but its something. Something that's gonna help me in the long run when it comes to pharmacology,
My decision to go back to school in the fall of 2012 was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. I’m a stay at home mom of 4 boys with 2 of them being special needs. My oldest was born with a rare genetic condition called hereditary spastic paraplegia and my youngest son was born with a rare condition called Dravet Syndrome that requires 24/7 care. I was at a point in my life where I had lost my identity of who I was and I wanted to be me again. I made that important decision to go back to school for myself with the fear of how I was going to do it, but I knew that it was right. It took me 3 years to complete my AS but with the support of my husband and kids I was able to receive my degree. I worked hard and was able to juggle being
Reggie is a not-for-profit school located in a suburb just outside Chicago called Evanston. Evanston is the home community for Northwestern University. So much of the town is considered college town however the remainder of the town is diverse in cultures and socio-economics. As you walked down the streets of Evanston many different colors of people walk along with you. Evanston shares a strong interest in the Arts. You may find small art galleries with local artist’s work being displayed for sale. You will also find many small shops with very unique and one of a kind merchandise being sold.
I used to think the only road to happiness was having a fancy degree from a private school which would lead to a life of luxury and ease. I thought that if I became a doctor, I could be happy because my work could be my family. I never wanted a family when I was younger, so I thought a doctor’s schedule could fill my days. Also, I never thought about the reality of going to school for twelve years and the debt that endeavor would eventually accumulate. Over the course of four years I have spent in high school, my plans have changed into a realistic career
When I failed to realize how competitive the actual field was I started to lose my passion for it. I applied for a job that was fulltime and was exactly what I dreamed of, but they turned me down because of my school hours. Eventually, I found a job at an assistant living facility working as a concierge. The position was exactly what I needed because I could do my job and on my downtime, I could work on my school work. I have always been a caring person and willing to help anyway
find my niche. I went from wanting to be a doctor to a nurse and eventually landed on an
“I began the study of medicine, impelled by a desire for knowledge of facts and of man. The resolution to do disciplined work tied me to both laboratory and clinic for a long time to come” (Jaspers , n.d.). In the past week or so, I changed the career that I wanted to pursue from being a Pediatric Anesthesiologist to being a Medical Technologist. When I first decided to become a Pediatric Anesthesiologist, I was in my junior year of high school and I was simply browsing the world wide web for a good paying job that was also helping others that are in need. Two years later and taking the college course Strategies for Success in College, I have realized that money alone cannot sustain an individual in reaching their ‘dream goal’. I needed something
I took a total detour to become a physician. Finishing my undergraduate as finance major at Stern business school, before starting my classes as a medical student, I worked as an intern at a Wall Street multimillion dollar firm. Soon I got picked up by a leading Wall Street financial bank with six figure salary just before my graduation. Despite all this success at the early stage of my life, I was not satisfied mentally with the direction my life had been headed. I had pursued a profession that was emotionally fulfilling and intellectually challenging, whose reward was different than bonuses and huge sales commissions; a profession that require my full abilities to use my intellect solving complex human problems with a rewarding meaningful
I have been working in the medical profession for over 20 years. I started out as a certified medical assistant working for temporary services and filling in different clinics. At that time in my life, I was very stressed out. Single mom, raising kids, working full time, going to school part time to get my associates degree in Medical billing and coding. I found out that I really did like the temporary jobs better than having a permanent job in one location. I learned more about my likes and dislikes in the field of medicine. I learned that I never wanted to be in pediatrics due to the way parents acted, but I did love working at the children’s hospital with sick children. As time went on, I went back to school to obtain my LPN and worked in multiple clinics as a float. The
My life is a bit of a rollercoaster. I knew what I wanted to do since a young age; however, different paths and decisions brought me to my goal in a roundabout way. After high school I decided to take time off before going to college because I was fortunate enough to have a successful career in retail management. Around the nine year mark I decided that I wanted to return to my goal of entering the medical field, which I was already in the process of doing by attending Northeastern and working towards my BS in Biological Sciences. My ultimate goal being to achieve an MS as a physician assistant. When moving into health care I started in the Urgent Care Department which was closely related to one of the fields I am interested in when practicing
The general culture of this company is very, very lax. At least, that’s what I got. I’m sure higher up is more professional. They attire that Anna wore made me feel like I could wear anything and get away with it. I started out very professional and turned into just look nice (ish). Its collaborative within departments, but there some communication problems. Apparently someone took Kailin and Anna’s ideas a couple of times. I’m not sure about that but I smile and nod. Really that’s how I get by smile and nod.
Way back when I first started college, my priorities were not clear. I knew I wanted to do something that I can be proud of, it was only a matter of what do I really want that will fill my life and complete me as a person. I was in the manufacturing field since I was 19 years old and yet, I felt a hole in my heart. I got to a point where I stop growing as an individual and it became apparent that I wanted to do something more significant. That void became the fuel to pursue something bigger and life changing. I tried to dig deep and really tried to figure out what I want in life and at the same time I started taking classes that can go towards any degree in the medical field. Taking care of people has always been a part of me. I took care of
All of my life growing up I dreamt of being a physician. I wanted to be able to help individuals who like myself had never had access to health care because although my family was on the federal poverty level never received Medicare benefits. Purchasing health insurance was out of the question, because the odds of getting sick were way lower than not being able to pay the rent. To achieve this dream I took baby steps, I attended a technical vocational high school (MLEC) in which I received a vocational degree in Firefighting and
Growing up I never envisioned myself to become a part of the medical field. To this day I am still in disbelief this is the direction my life has taken. I remember the first time an at risk teen outreach counselor showed up at an afterschool summer program right before I entered high school and asked what I wanted to be growing up. It was the first time I was legitimately forced to face my future head on. My father left when my mother became ill and was put on disability so I never had any real guidance or previously discussed the issue with anyone prior to that day. I naively replied "CEO of Microsoft"! It was the only thing I could muster up jovially on the spot. His reply has always stuck with me and now has become a motivating force in
Many people are already thinking about what they want their life to be like in the future. My future begins in college. I’ve been waiting to go to college since middle school. I’m interested in taking anything in the medical field such as nursing, pharmacist, medical technician, etc. I believe this will benefit me, my family, and other people because I want to take care of my family, other patients, and also myself by learning more about health science. To me, successful is happiness, and happiness is not necessarily being wealthy. My happiness is having to help people and also having a family who cares and supports me.