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Returning to School

So, I turn 25 this year... Early quarter-life-crisis?

On and off since high school, I have asked myself: what do I want to do with my life? Answer: give things a try.


When I couldn't decide in my last year of high school what direction I wanted my life to go in, I decided to take a year off. Spending thousands of dollars going to post-secondary not having a clue just seemed like a waste of money to me. Many people told me to 'be careful.' According to these people, I was warned that if I didn't go to University or College right out of high school, chances were unlikely that I would go back. Psssh. 


During my year off I worked, explored some options of what I liked. That can be tough. Ask someone what they want to do with themselves, and they might have no idea. Ask them what they don't want to do, and you can get a list a mile long. So I started there, and looked at what was leftover. I liked the lifeguarding job, the lifeguarding competitions, so there was one avenue. I loved dance (see past blog post here http://missanchor.blogspot.ca/2013/11/you-never-stop-being-dancer.html) and I knew I was more likely to want to get into a college program vs. university, so I worked with that. 

The end result: completing a 1 year certificate program at George Brown College in Toronto. Am I doing anything with that certificate now? No. I was 20 and felt like I had the hips of an 80-year old. Dancing 20+ hours a week was just more than my body could take. But I met lifelong friends and had a great experience. 

So back to square one. This time looking at the Paramedic option, but I was missing a course requirement. I completed the course online, but here is where karma/fate/destiny/call-it-what-you-will stepped in and took over. My marks didn't make it to the college on time for that current years intake of students. They offered to hang onto my information for consideration the following year. I might have considered that, but after already taking a year off high school, I couldn't imagine waiting around. 

After some investigation, I learned that British Columbia had a 'fast-track' version of the paramedic training. A peer from George Brown College was from Langley, BC. about an hour from Vancouver. I suppose you could say her love for the West Coast rubbed off on me. Once the itch was there....
Well I spent the summer saving, applied for multiple jobs, and off I went.

Of course when I got there, the paramedics went on strike for months, resulting in the paramedic schools not running courses...

Plan B: if I live in the mountains, take advantage and work on them! This is where Mount Seymour came into play. After the season ended, I found myself working at Team Aquatic Supplies, which at the time was my dream job. Exactly the type of career I was looking for, and perfect for a transplant from Ontario out to make it on their own.

After 3 fabulous years, and more lifelong friends, I decided I needed more. Working in a niche market can be fun, but comes with its limitations. I wanted to go back to school. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to live in BC and do that at the same time. So, home I came. I gave myself 12 months, just a year till I had to either be back in school, or at least decide what program/field of study I was applying for. 

I went back and forth between continuing with a business related program and getting into a trade. Ultimately, I decided as much as I enjoyed the business side of things, I was tired of riding a desk. The trades are an option I had always kept coming back to, and it was time to just get-er-done.


And so my conclusion: I came, I saw and I will conquer. Tomorrow marks the first day of my next foray into college, this time at Mohawk College in Stoney Creek. I chose their Mechanical Techniques: Electrical Monitoring & Systems program for their value added skills and training that will make me employable in my chosen field as soon as I graduate and walk out their doors. 

It's been a 7 year journey since high school. But I know exactly who I am now, and where I am going. 


And I am going to rock it.


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