Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Intro to my journey....Part 1


Welcome to my little space on the internet. This blog will be about the highs and lows (I hope few) of my entrance into nursing school and beyond.

Let me introduce myself. I am currently (end of 2015) a single, childless woman. I am neither young nor old. I am for sure going through a major career change. My late teens saw me moving away from my hometown in the greater Toronto area to Ottawa for university. I did not particularly enjoy or hate my time away from home. I was glad to be out of the house but university was just something I had to get through. My program was unexciting but let me attain a degree. After my four years, I dutifully found employment at a call center in the same city. Although the job was horrible, I really enjoyed my colleagues. This was my foray into adulthood and it was shocking and inspiring. I shared an apartment with an old roommate from school for a year and then moved on.

After the call center was bought out, I decided to move back home. In a frenzy, I looked for and found a job in an industry that I have been working in since my early 20’s. Over the years I have worked hard and long to climb the elusive corporate ladder. Little did I know that in an industry dominated by European men, someone like me would never get up there. It was not all horrible mind you. I just could not get what I wanted, which was career progression. 

Somewhere along the time from my 20’s to early 30’s, life happened. Family dynamics adjusted and my role at home changed. At this point, I was still living with my parents and was fine with that. Dating was something I never did but wanted. I am introverted and being social, outside of my circle of friends, is very hard for me. Meeting men was just not something I could and can do with ease. So, I spent a lot of time watching my friends marry or date with abandon, from the sidelines. To curb my increasing boredom with the monotony of life, I decided to do something different.

I signed up for a program at the local community college that would take 2 years part time to complete. Knowing I had the time and resources, I poured myself into my classes taking one course per semester. This was a certificate program to become a personal support worker. In my warped mind, I thought I would work part time to save money for trips I wanted to take. You see, I had just taken a trip with a friend to New York and was enthralled. I loved every breathtaking moment of it. I needed more of travel. Once my course was over, through a relative and friend, I was able to secure a part time job within two weeks. Thus, began my years of working for a popular health care agency as a PSW.

If you know or are a PSW, you know this job has a lot of ups and downs. Patients can either make or break your day. Politics can do the same. Unlike a lot of other PSW’s that I have run into, I had the experience of being around office politics for years. I knew how to navigate those landmines like a pro. Unafraid, I waded and wade through the murky waters of ADL a few evenings a week and on weekends. Although exhausting, I enjoy (for the most part) my part time job.

Change came in the form of an ‘Ah ha” moment. While at a retirement home one morning, helping to bring a patient down to the meal room, I was listening to the banter of the other residents and felt warm. I almost started to laugh. It was then and there that I felt right. I was contemplating making a change in my career but didn’t know what to do. I felt stalled and craved more but didn’t know where or how to proceed. It was at that moment, in that elevator, that I knew helping others was something I had to do. That day I took pen to paper and wrote out a list of pros and con’s of leaving my job and pursuing a career in healthcare. I pondered and wrestled in my mind – should I move on and become a full time personal support worker? Although I enjoyed it, I didn’t love it. I grow to love my clients very quickly but the pay was also not very good. I wanted more for myself. I knew for a fact that unless I met someone romantically, I would not be able to live comfortably with one job as a PSW. Nothing wrong with that but I also dreaded the long days and nights to make ends meet. As a caveat, I am speaking for myself here and not generalizing. I decided to bring my problem to my creator and ask for guidance.

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