Considering going back to school again

[Kari Suttle]

I'm thinking about going back to school again. I'm 25 and I've been out of school for like a year after doing online school for a year or two in pursuit of a psychology degree I gave up on. Didn't feel like it was 'me'. But my brother's only 18 going on 19 and he's a pharmacy tech. I've googled figures and it ranges from 12-16 an hour at your average grocery store type place like Walmart or walgreens or such, more if you can get in a hospital. To get it I would have to go through a career program so I can learn everything I need to pass the certification exam. Ashworth College is all online and its affordable so I could do that. Brother did his through his highschool. He's going to a community college now.

I'd need to talk to him about it to get some solid information but do you guys think its a good idea or am I rushing into it? I want a stable job that makes enough to make ends meet on, that's all. I don't need to be rich. I've just felt so hopeless and like a failure lately, am I being too impulsive? I stopped myself from submitting the online application at 10pm after work a little while ago cause I don't wanna rush. I'll need to talk to brother via text cause he works or does school or hangs with friends all the time for more, better, info but I feel like this is a good idea. I'm good with the UPC codes at work, very good with them, and memorizing information. I like memorizing and learning and knowing a lot about something - and helping customers at my current job is something I already like and can do. And since brother is going to college now I know there's at least some opportunity for advancement, albeit limited I would think based on googling. Lead pharmacy tech and pharmacist are the only other two positions google has told me exist.

What do you all think? Is it okay to rush into it? As a kid I wanted to be a vet but I felt like I couldn't handle doing surgery or anything like that so I didn't pursue it. Ashworth's program as apart of the degree requires 120 hours of 'externship' with their partners CVS or Walgreens, too, so there's that. I always felt leery of online school cause I felt that the lack of any real world experience would make it not good enough. But my driving situation also hurts that. I do not currently have my license and haven't practiced driving in months.

 

[Judge]

Looks like a plan, Kari. I don't see anything impulsive about such a decision. Having direction and goals is a good thing.

Ashworth is certainly legitimate, partnering with major Drug retailers. Even better was to google local job listings for such jobs. Found a number of them right here in town. In general the prognosis for this sort of work is higher than average.

With just two or three years experience from what I see the pay seems to move up around $25 an hour.

And the online factor would seem to work very much in your favor, and the school seems to have all the right things going for it in terms of accreditation.

https://www.ashworthcollege.edu/why-ashworth/accreditation/

 

[Suzanne]

I hope I am not going to cause issues here, but what I noted is that you compare yourself to your younger brother and that is where the "drive" seems to be coming from, which makes me wonder if it is an authentic goal?

At the end of the day, it is only you who can make the decision, but why not wait a couple of week's and if you still have that same zeal, then go for it?

I know what you mean about psychology. I am, to be blunt, fantastic at psychology and like helping people out, but I joined a forum to help people out and it did not take too long for me feeling I needed a psychologist in order to escape from the heavy burden of human misery! So it is a casual thing for me.

 

[Kari Suttle]

I hope I am not going to cause issues here, but what I noted is that you compare yourself to your younger brother and that is where the "drive" seems to be coming from, which makes me wonder if it is an authentic goal?

At the end of the day, it is only you who can make the decision, but why not wait a couple of week's and if you still have that same zeal, then go for it?

I know what you mean about psychology. I am, to be blunt, fantastic at psychology and like helping people out, but I joined a forum to help people out and it did not take too long for me feeling I needed a psychologist in order to escape from the heavy burden of human misery! So it is a casual thing for me.

You hit the nail on the head - this is the essence of why I am asking the question. Just getting the idea, I know this isn't something I'm passionate about. But the thing is, I don't have a passion. I like animals but I could never be a vet cause of the whole blood and guts and maggots factor. Like I said I just want a job that I can get without 4 years of schooling that can feasibily support me. Cause if I move out, I'll just kill myself in a year being all alone working like 60-80 hours a week at two jobs. I need one full time job that pays well enough that I can make it on my own, and from the sound of it if you do your schooling and do your job well I might be able to do that as a pharmacy tech. And I wonder if I go for a bachelors if they would help pay for it, too. So its really not a passion even motivating the goal - its the idea of financial stability and having some sort of 'good' job. I don't want to be at the bottom of the totom pole working at Walmart for the rest of my life, but I can't finance a 4 year education myself and I don't want even more debt and honestly I can't stick at it for 4 years on anything. I change my mind too quick. This is why I made the post. I've always been told to find your passion and make it your job, but I don't have a passion. I just want a job that's financially stable, helps people in some way, and is a 'good' job with some education involved that might help me get any new degrees I pursue upon getting an entry level job.

 

[NothingToSeeHere]

I think it is important to do something you actually want to do, either because it interests you or because you think it is important, not because you might get more money or that it seems convenient. Otherwise you may just lose your motivation and not gain anything from it. Only you can decide if you are doing this for the right reasons and if those reasons will hold up under the pressure of having to study.

You say you like animals but don't want to be a vet, how about a vet nurse? Or doing animal behaviour? Working for an animal shelter?

 

[midlife aspie]

Kari, I think Walgreen's may have its own program for hiring and training pharmacy techs. As for animals, have you considered being a vet-tech? If you go the pharmacy route, you will need an affinity for counting and splitting pills and such as well as developing a detailed knowledge of meds. My wife has me at the local CVS all the time and I can see that one other factor to deal with may be cranky old folks, many of which seem to lack good knowledge of their prescription coverages, resulting in misunderstandings at the counter. Depending on where you work, pharmacy technicians can be just as much retail drudgery as any cashiering gig.

 

[Kari Suttle]

I think it is important to do something you actually want to do, either because it interests you or because you think it is important, not because you might get more money or that it seems convenient. Otherwise you may just lose your motivation and not gain anything from it. Only you can decide if you are doing this for the right reasons and if those reasons will hold up under the pressure of having to study.

You say you like animals but don't want to be a vet, how about a vet nurse? Or doing animal behaviour? Working for an animal shelter?

I've had so many 'I want to do this!' moments that I no longer trust that feeling. First I wanted to go into web design, then I wanted to go into real estate, then I wanted to go into psychology, then I wanted to teach preschool. But getting down to it there's always been something that never felt right about whatever the new passion was. So I feel like going after a passion, for me, is going to be fleeting anyways.

I'm subscribed to a vet's channel on youtube and even the lower level jobs have to do stuff I'm not confident I'd feel comfortable doing. Believe me I was considering it until I watched nearly every video on their channel. Animal behavior is way too much schooling and google says most jobs are in teaching or research anyways. Working for an animal shelter doesn't sound like it would pay much.

 

[Kari Suttle]

Kari, I think Walgreen's may have its own program for hiring and training pharmacy techs. As for animals, have you considered being a vet-tech? If you go the pharmacy route, you will need an affinity for counting and splitting pills and such as well as developing a detailed knowledge of meds. My wife has me at the local CVS all the time and I can see that one other factor to deal with may be cranky old folks, many of which seem to lack good knowledge of their prescription coverages, resulting in misunderstandings at the counter. Depending on where you work, pharmacy technicians can be just as much retail drudgery as any cashiering gig.

Ah yeah google told me about Walgreens' program. I'm wondering if the Ashworth College online program I found is connected to that. I know my brother works there and all he's got is a few highschool level pharmacy classes and his pharmacy tech certificate so they're a good company for newbies. He's going for his bachelors but I don't know if they will be helping him with it at all. I still need to talk to him about the job, get his opinion on it.

Lol I actually like cashiering, one reason I'm considering the pharmacy tech thing. I can do cashiering, I've been doing it for years, and yeah angry customers remind me too much of my mom but I'm getting better about it. The more experience I get the better at scripting I get which means the more confidence I feel in my ability to do my job.

To be honest I feel like being a pharmacist is really just an 'educated' cashier job which I don't mind, cause cashiering is the only thing I can do. And the reason I like my cashier job and don't want to leave it anytime isn't the job itself. The job itself is stressful and burns you out at the end of the week. But I love it for the customers and the coworkers and the environment. I know what I'm doing, I like interacting with the customers even if its superficial, and I feel more accepted and welcome at work than I do at home.

And yes I have considered being a vet tech, but I watch a rather graphic youtube channel made by a vet tech whose a former army veteran and from his and his coworkers videos...even the vet techs do a lot of 'help' stuff I'm not sure if I could do. They'll put plates and screws in to fix a badly broken bone, for instance, or do surgery on a dog that ate something it shouldn't have, and regular spay/neuter procedures.

 

[Judge]

Ah yeah google told me about Walgreens' program. I'm wondering if the Ashworth College online program I found is connected to that. I know my brother works there and all he's got is a few highschool level pharmacy classes and his pharmacy tech certificate so they're a good company for newbies. He's going for his bachelors but I don't know if they will be helping him with it at all. I still need to talk to him about the job, get his opinion on it.

Lol I actually like cashiering, one reason I'm considering the pharmacy tech thing. I can do cashiering, I've been doing it for years, and yeah angry customers remind me too much of my mom but I'm getting better about it. The more experience I get the better at scripting I get which means the more confidence I feel in my ability to do my job.

To be honest I feel like being a pharmacist is really just an 'educated' cashier job which I don't mind, cause cashiering is the only thing I can do. And the reason I like my cashier job and don't want to leave it anytime isn't the job itself. The job itself is stressful and burns you out at the end of the week. But I love it for the customers and the coworkers and the environment. I know what I'm doing, I like interacting with the customers even if its superficial, and I feel more accepted and welcome at work than I do at home.

And yes I have considered being a vet tech, but I watch a rather graphic youtube channel made by a vet tech whose a former army veteran and from his and his coworkers videos...even the vet techs do a lot of 'help' stuff I'm not sure if I could do. They'll put plates and screws in to fix a badly broken bone, for instance, or do surgery on a dog that ate something it shouldn't have, and regular spay/neuter procedures.

There's nothing wrong in being pragmatic about a job or career as opposed to being wildly passionate about it. We can't all do what we love. In fact most of us don't.

I chose insurance underwriting not because I was passionate about it, but rather because I thought it was something I might do well in, and at a time when I desperately needed steady work.

I had a plan when I really needed one. You appear to as well. This is a good thing. As is to develop other plans as well. Don't feel locked into anything. Explore your options.

 

[Mr Allen]

I'll be 41 in April and am half considering going back to College to retake GCSE Maths, which 26 years ago I failed at school, only thing that puts me off is that if it's the same as last year, the part time course it's 6 while 9 on a Wednesday night, which is Pub quiz night!

 

[WittyAspie]

Pharmacy work can be tedious and requires attention to detail, which sounds like the kind of work many Aspies would excel at. As Judge said, many people are in jobs they do not enjoy. While following your passions is great when possible, a lot of people simply need to make a living and do so in whatever way works. Finding a career you can tolerate might be a more realistic goal.

 

[Kari Suttle]

There's nothing wrong in being pragmatic about a job or career as opposed to being wildly passionate about it. We can't all do what we love. In fact most of us don't.

I chose insurance underwriting not because I was passionate about it, but rather because I thought it was something I might do well in, and at a time when I desperately needed steady work.

I had a plan when I really needed one. You appear to as well. This is a good thing. As is to develop other plans as well. Don't feel locked into anything. Explore your options.

Pharmacy work can be tedious and requires attention to detail, which sounds like the kind of work many Aspies would excel at. As Judge said, many people are in jobs they do not enjoy. While following your passions is great when possible, a lot of people simply need to make a living and do so in whatever way works. Finding a career you can tolerate might be a more realistic goal.

Precisely! I don't want to try and go for a pharmacy tech job cause I love it per say, but cause I think it would be a stable job with a modest income and I think I'd be good at it. As a regular grocery store cashier I pay attention to detail. I have very good hearing and I rarely make mistakes. Just today, I was about to take over for a supervisor on the register I was just waiting for her to get done with her customer. I was just watching what she scanned and caught a mistake she made - an easy one, but one inventory would not have been happy about.

 

[Kari Suttle]

Update: I talked to my brother. He said the Ashworth program probably isn't good for pay because, since I'd be interning with a pharmacy, I won't get paid as much. Since I already have a steady job at Walmart as a cashier, one that I don't want to give up for a shaky internship type job, I think I will self-study for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam instead.

Then, I can get into an entry level job ranging 12.50-14$ at a retail pharmacy, and from there work on my bachelors and get other related medical certifications if necessary so that I can move on to work in a hospital. I looked on Indeed and Monster and there are plenty of pharmacy affiliated jobs. It didn't say how much they paid, but I would think it would be more than your standard retail pharmacy that (usually) helps its newbies get their certification, because experience and certifications are usually required or preferred on the job listings.

My brother's already licensed so he would know the requirements, and he said you don't actually need to go through a preparatory program you just need to pass the test, pass the background check, and register with the state to be licensed. What sucks though is from my research, I won't be able to support myself on a pharmacy tech salary at just an entry level retail pharmacy. I ran the numbers - looked up rents for area apartments, guestimated utilities, looked up cell phone and internet providers (and such), etc. Hence why I'm aiming for a bachelors, a few certifications, and a hospital pharmacy job so that I can hopefully be able to move out. Until then, I just hope dad divorces mom. He's already said if he does I can live with him if he does. I don't have anyone I could ask to be my roommate.

 

[midlife aspie]

Just keep an eye on any college loan debt! It's very tempting to use excess loan funds on other things. If you take out college loans, I strongly recommend returning any amount that remains after paying actual college expenses. Given your age, you might be able to qualify as an independent adult and not have to report your parent's income on the FAFSA. I also believe that you have to maintain at least 1/2 time attendance to remain in payment deferral.