What’s In It For Me?

All too often these days people ask, or sometimes just think, ‘What’s in it for me?’ before they commit to doing something, or helping someone. It’s an unfortunate symptom of our society in the 21st century. But at Carrington College California we encourage our students to rally against that way of thinking. We advocate a ‘Giving’ mentality. Some call it karma, others use phrases like ‘what goes around comes around’ or ‘you reap what you sow’. For us, it’s a state of mind. Simply a way of ‘being’. Health care is a people business; no matter what program you choose, once your career begins you will be in the business of helping people. Admittedly some of you will help more directly than others. Graduates of programs such as Dental Assisting or Vocational Nursing will deliver direct, hands-on care, while graduates of programs such as Medical Billing & Coding will help people in less obvious ways, behind the scenes. But to be a successful health care professional…no, scratch that….to be a successful human-being you can’t base your decisions on ‘What’s in it for me?’  That’s a very short-term view of the world, and one that will ultimately be unsatisfying. It’s also not the Carrington way… The fact that our graduates are recognized as knowledgeable, skilled health care professionals is a source of immense pride for us. Yes, we provide you with the professional skills to make a seamless transition into the working world, but our goal is to help you grow as an individual, not just prepare you for a fulfilling health care career. Many of our students come to Carrington because they’ve always enjoyed helping people in one way or another; they are looking for a rewarding career that will enable them to continue to help people. It’s something we hear time and again in enrollment interviews, and something I hear regularly when interviewing students and graduates for our Spotlight features. People like that already have a ‘Giving’ mentality. They are not joining the health care industry to see what they can get out of it. They are choosing to join because of what they intend to put into it. But bizarrely, as the world turns, the more you put in to something, the more you generally get out of it. Be more open to helping people, and people will be more open to helping you. As we push you for excellence in all that you do at Carrington, we hope that you’ll develop a philosophy that values not only professionalism, but also contribution and commitment to your community. Anne Frank wrote in her famed WWII diary – “No-one has ever become poor by giving.”  So next time someone asks you to do something for them, either personally or professionally, if you find yourself thinking ‘What’s in it for me?’, stop. Make your decision not on what you’ll get out of it, but what it will mean to them. You don’t always have to say ‘yes’, but base your reasoning on something more than what you’ll get in return. You’ll discover that in the long run, life will be more rewarding.