I have been writing about the journey as if it's happening in real time. These events happened three months ago.
I will keep updating this as I am able to inform everyone of how I got to my decision, what that decision was and with the hope that anyone thinking about going back to school for what ever reason can use even a fraction of the information to help them make their decision.
Nothing will be held back, if I cry you will know it, fail same thing.
If I succeed you will know that as well.
You will get the good the bad and the out right ugly truth. Hopefully the readers will enjoy it. If not well I tried.
So where did I leave off?
Ah yes, so I sat down at the computer and started digging out information about all types of careers.
I worked in finance, hate numbers MBA would probably be a waste of my time and money.
I worked in Health care, I liked the job on it's own, but floor politics infuriated me beyond all reason. In my opinion there are only two things that matter when it comes to patient care. 1) that the patient is well cared for and given the attention that they require to recover.
2) that at the end of the day I go home knowing I helped make a difference in someones life.
This was not the case where I worked. We were expected to cover 50 beds alone. Do the Janitors job, do the phlebotomist's jobs, do the RN's jobs, plus my own. It become so bad that at the end of the day I'd go home in tears because I knew the patients care was suffering. I was being over worked by a mile and I quit. Swearing I'd never work like that again. I can not compromise basic human rights to quality care and sleep with myself at night.
Health care is still an option but I will never work on a floor again. At lest not as a tech. They get dumped on, and well ... crap rolls down hill. It does not matter who goofed, it's the lowest guy on the pole that is going to hear about it. No I can't, strike that, I won't go there again!
If I decide to go back to care giving it will be higher up the darn pole.
So what are the options? Nursing-- OK but again we are talking floor work. While 99% of the nurses I worked with did noting but warm a seat all night there were a few that worked hard. I'd probably get pretty pissy about seat warmers. A little too much interaction with a few too many people for someone as vocal as me. Besides the schooling takes years.
I just happen to like health care a lot and long term schooling does not bother me in the least. Paying for it however... well that's a horse of a different color. I decided to explore other areas of interest before investigating that road much further.
What else is there? I need something that will allow me time to work, study and write my novel.
Hmm... Well there is Law. I looked at what it takes to get into law school. My SAT scores were good, but not Harvard good! I talked to some lawyers just out of school. Many of them are 100K in debt and just breaking even with their bills not counting paying down their student loans. After some serious thought and a lot of digging I decided that while I would enjoy fighting for peoples rights etc that it probably won't pay the bills for quite some time. maybe not the best of plans short term plans.
I love science. My plan from the time I was old enough to speak was to become a Marine Research Biologist. Having had heart surgery at age 14 limited my options in the field quite a bit. But, I did not give up taking every AP science class I could get into. Then when I had my son I was told that while I was "safe" as far as my heart was concerned I also was suffering form the damage done by having lived for so long with a heart that was three times the normal size.
I would never be dive, or be middle of the ocean worthy. My dreams had evaporated over night. I got depressed. Life is not fair, nothing new there.
So what can I do in science? Well I could teach. Not really my thing and the pay sucks unless you work in a university but I could work with it.
Law enforcement is another route I wanted to look into. Not foot chasing, guns a blazing with bad guys. But maybe lab work, DNA testing things along those lines. I could get into that. I looked for classes, weighing cost vs job openings as well as time to train.
Long story short the classes were hard to find. The cost was outrageous, and I'd only be able to work in a few places, if we moved it would mean risking being out of work for long periods of time. I'm not so much into that last idea, the rest I could deal with.
So now that brings us back to health care, or teaching. I looked at what it would take to become a teacher as well as paths in health care.
Finally I set down hubby and told him what I was thinking.
With my love of science, and helping people, but my inability to be nice at all times I think teaching might lead to more problems that it would solve in the long run.
OK so that leaves health care. Again I want something with as little interaction with large amounts of people as I can get. Something where I can deal with smaller groups of people at a time, not have to run for 12 hrs straight because of my heart and something that will present me with new and interesting things to solve.
Nursing does most of these, save for the large numbers of people. What other paths are there?
I called up a medical school and talked with an admissions adviser about the field. What can one do with the restraints I have set, things of that nature?
I was informed that they offer Research training at the PHD level, as well as hosting of the top 50 schools for MD training. Sweet. I'm liking this better by the moment.
So now I'm thinking about cost, again, I do not want my husband to foot the bill. So now I need an entry plan.
To be continued.
