I have been a barista for the past 3 years. I started out working at Starbucks during one of the most challenging times of my life. I was in a difficult living situation struggling with my mental health, and going to work at Starbucks each day was lifesaving for me. My coworkers were such beautiful people that I valued working with, and the fast paced nature of the job helped give me a rush of adrenaline that made a huge difference during a depressive episode. Things fortunately improved later that year when I moved into a much better living situation. That move also came with a new job, this time at a local coffee shop. They needed someone with experience from a chain like Starbucks and I was happy to be a fresh face in addition to a useful asset. I loved working at that little shop in a small mountain town. We had a great team of people and it was a great job, but recently it’s been time for me to move on. 

I have always wanted to work in healthcare, but I didn’t think it was a possibility for me since I am immunocompromised. Growing up in hospitals and spending all my time with my doctors left a surprisingly positive glow around the world of healthcare. I hear many stories of people having a lot of trauma surrounding doctors, and I completely understand that. Hospitals can be scary, especially when you’re fighting sickness that you might not understand. I’ve certainly had my fair share of scary hospital stays, and I find it very intriguing that I feel drawn to work in healthcare. Watching the doctors and nurses care for me alongside other patients made me want to help others feel safe and protected too. Seeing the difference that these people made in my life made me want to impact others lives in that way too. I’ve been very lucky to always have a fantastic team at my CF clinic, and that is a great privilege that I don’t take for granted. These experiences have given me a drive to be a part of other people’s stories within their healthcare, so what should I do about that? That is the question I’ve been asking myself the past several years. 

Recently I began doing research on what kinds of jobs one can get in healthcare without a college degree. I graduated high school early so I could focus on working fulltime and saving up money, and while I still might go to college one day I know that’s not what I’m ready to spend my time on right now. Much to my surprise, there are several options for jobs in healthcare that only require a high school degree. Many companies will provide the additional training needed for the job which only takes a few weeks. After several conversations with my family and some more research, I settled on my next step in life. I wanted to become a pharmacy technician. This felt like the perfect starting point for my journey in this new industry. For this job I don’t need to interact with patients, so the likelihood of getting sick is relatively low. It helps me become familiar with the world of pharmacy and what it is like communicating with doctors and insurance companies. It also involves lots of organization and repetition, which I love. 

I applied for a pharmacy technician program at Ingles Pharmacy. Ingles is a Southeastern grocery chain known for being more upscale, and they have a very nice pharmacy in most of their stores. I was thrilled to find out I got accepted into the program and that my training would be free! The training was mostly virtual and took a few weeks. I learned a lot about pharmacy and I was ready to jump into the job. I’ve only been working there for a few weeks now, but I have been loving it. It feels great to be in an environment where everybody respects and understands those with health issues who need to take medications. My coworkers are fantastic, I fit into the team so well and I’m very grateful. I find the work we do fascinating and it's a great privilege to provide assistance to the patients who need help with their medications. I have gotten to help people through situations that I’ve been in myself many times and it’s beautiful to be on the other side of the process. I also love counting out the pills and labeling the bottles, it’s quite satisfying for my “neat freak” mind.

I can’t wait to learn even more as I continue this job! I’m curious to see if anyone else has had a similar experience. When was the last time you started a new job and why did you choose to pursue it? Have you ever felt a draw towards healthcare? Do you have a dream job? Please share!