Hi guys! I’m nearly there! This is blog #16, and you can read the previous 15 here. Start at the beginning and follow my journey through the Pharmacy Technology program at the Carrington College Mesa campus.
A Time-Traveling Student
If I could go back to my first day of class, now that I’m almost at the end of my time at Carrington, I’d tell myself to stay positive, be ready to learn A LOT and take in A LOT of information. 
I’d tell myself that there will be a lot of changes to come, maybe some ups and downs in my personal life that I didn’t expect, but never stop going to school, even when it gets hard. I’d remind myself every day why I went back to school, why I even thought about enrolling, and go from there. I’d tell myself how strong and independent you can become with an education. With the education I’ve received at Carrington, I feel that I’ve grown as a person both personally and professionally. I’ve had to change my priorities, I’ve learned to set my personal life aside some times, and refocus.
Short Term Sacrifice – Long Term Gain
If you’re just starting out, or thinking about enrolling at Carrington, do it. But be prepared to put your personal life on hold for a few months, or at least to have it shift in a bit of a different direction for a while. When you want to give up, and there will probably be times when you feel that way, always remind yourself why you began the program. It’s a short term sacrifice for something better in the future. It can be hard when friends are going out and having fun, or going on trips; many times I’ve had to tell myself that I have to ‘finish this first’, whatever that may be, before I can go out. And that’s probably been the hardest challenge for me. But as time evolved, and I explained to them why I was missing out, my family and friends became more supportive and understanding. But once I’m done I’m definitely going to take a vacation with my friends!
Responsibility – I’ve Got This!
Pharmacy is a lot of responsibility, of course everybody in the medical field has certain responsibilities, but as a pharmacy technician you have a responsibility to be 100% accurate. It’s not just a career, you could be saving someone’s life. I just remind myself that the patients I work for now – elderly people – are someone’s grandparents, they could be my grandparents and that makes me focus. Check back in the next week or so for my final thoughts before graduation!
