Continuing Education

So, lately I've been kind of miffed at the cost of living and how much I make. My mother always said when I was growing up, "If you want to afford nice things, get a $xx/hr job". I have that "$xx/hr" job and I'm living paycheque to paycheque with very little (if any) unnecessary spending. After realizing that it's going to take my almost month-long vacation of staying at my parents through November to get me back on track financially and get my credit cards at least half paid off, I've thrown in the towel and cried defeat. I need a new job.

But how can I get a new job? I'm trained for one thing and that is to type. I'm actually pretty lucky to have this job since I know of companies and outsourcing agents who pay way less with no benefits. That said though, all the other hospitals in our health authority and in Coastal Health pay the same wage I'm getting now so moving to another hospital would be redundant. That means I have to get more education.

For the past year or so I've been thinking about becoming a respiratory therapist. It's something that interests me, it has room for advancement, great pay, and a relatively exciting career with lots of job opportunities. Unfortunately, there's only 2 schools in Canada that offer the program; one in London, Ontario and the other in Kamloops. I would have to quit my job here, move back to Kamloops, park the car (because I wouldn't be able to afford the insurance), live with my parents, and study for 4 years then try to make my way back down here (there's no job opportunities at the hospital in Kamloops for an RT).

The other thing that has been of interest to me is cardiology technology. So I started looking around for job postings and found that they make $1/hr less than RTs. That's not bad! The course is offered through BCIT and is three 12-week terms. It's an online/distance education program. I don't have to quit work while doing it (if I'm disciplined; which I am) and graduates on average find work within a month after completing it. The only thing that I would have to do is upgrade my English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math courses.

So - that's what I did. I've just submitted an application to the VCC (Vancouver Community College) to be accepted in their adult upgrading (including high school courses) self-paced program. Yay me! I've been talking about it and thinking about it for at least a year now, if not more, but I've finally taken a step to bettering myself (again).

I am definitely looking forward to a brighter future and can't wait to get out of this typing gig.