Breaking back into the work force has meant some self-examination about what I actually want to do in the future. Do I want to return to my roots and go back to writing and public relations/communications? Or is this my chance to remake myself and start another career? They say anything is possible, right?
I have always been interested in medicine, although I kept far away from science and math courses in college. During my time at home, I decided to volunteer at CT Children's Medical Center and found that I felt very comfortable in the hospital environment. For five years and 600 volunteer hours, I was a cashier in the gift shop and I cuddled premature babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
I enjoyed both experiences for different reasons. I met a wide variety of people in the gift shop and learned how to be discreet (not something that came easily to me!) and kind, since many customers had sick children. I also had a lot of laughs. One man came into the shop looking for the richest chocolate candy that we sold, to give to his wife who was breastfeeding. Apparently, she was having trouble until he gave her chocolate milk. He explained with animated arms how the chocolate "made her flow" and he needed to keep it going. TMI!
Cuddling babies was very special. I felt like I was doing something important every time I stepped onto the dimly lit unit and found a crying baby to hold. Usually the infants were not more than three or four pounds and so fragile, hooked up to all kinds of tubes and equipment. They reminded me of hummingbirds. Early on, I had the honor of holding a dying baby with no family. Thank goodness, she didn't die in my arms, but I was a little freaked out wondering if she would.
What I learned about myself was that I have a high threshold for handling medical situations, which got me thinking about possible medical careers. After a bit of research, I decided I was going to get an associate's degree in respiratory therapy. The salary was respectible and it appeared to be a growing field. I actually shadowed two therapists on duty to find out exactly what the job involved and found it fascinating. (I also got to wear a white lab coat for the first time in my life and it felt great!)
The two-year program had algebra pre-requisites, so I enrolled in Tunxis Community College this past June to get a head start. Math was not something that came easily to me, so I was a little concerned. But I was more than delighted to have a plan. I did all the appropriate paperwork and took a placement test. Then my bubble started to burst. I scored extremely low (hey, could you do algebra after all these years?) and was placed in a pre-algebra level class.
I spent $145 on a text book, sharpened my pencils and went to the first class after being out of college for more than three decades. Within ten minutes, I realized that I had made a critical mistake. There was a reason I had gravitated to the humanities when I was younger. Even the basic math concepts were over my head. Sadly, I approached the instructor and he directed me to a pre-pre algebra class down the hall. Sitting in there also made my head spin. My gut told me this was not the direction to go in.
So my dreams of becoming a respiratory therapist went up in smoke. So did $600 - they wouldn't reimburse me for tuition and I got a measley $45 when I returned the text book.
At least I learned early on that this was not the correct path. It actually made me realize that I am a writer/pr person deep down inside and those are the skills I should be cultivating. Perhaps an ideal job for me would be communications in a medical environment. Time will tell ...
I tracked down my former editor and got some freelance work at a weekly newspaper group. I also began to focus more on what skills need polishing in order for me to snag a public relations/communications job. And I've dipped my toe into networking - tracking down some co-workers from my past and basically getting the word out that I'm back in the job market.
I'm happy to have a plan again. This time, it feels right.
No comments:
Post a Comment