From Burn Out to a Brilliant, Medical-Lab-Technician, Future – Carleigh’s Story

At Anderson College, we are constantly amazed by the courage of our students, faculty, and staff. In December 2021 we ran a “My Courageous Moment” story-gathering campaign to celebrate our students, their strength, the moments that have defined their lives and the people who have motivated them to overcome and succeed.

In sharing our stories, we realize we are not alone and are often inspired to recognize, or to find, our own extraordinary courage. We hope the following story moves you, as it has our Anderson family.

Everyone’s definition of what courage means can differ. Some may say jumping out of an airplane is courageous, for some colouring your hair bright blue or being in the line of duty working as a police officer. However, for me, my courageous moment sparked both fear and excitement all at once.

A little back story … I was a personal support worker for roughly seven and a half years taking care of people’s loved ones through holidays, birthdays and family gatherings. Because I was a dedicated employee and lived for my employer, I missed out on all those special events and memories in my own life. There comes a point in your life where you take a step back and reflect on all the life choices you’ve made; right in the moment when I realized all the opportunities I had missed, I knew I needed change.

“I had two options; give up the job I loved and keep my mental health or fall deeper into the blackhole I was heading into.”
Constantly working short-staffed, not feeling appreciated while putting forth everything I had and, to top it off, being face-to-face with COVID-19 daily, led to a spiraling mental state for me. You know that saying ‘stuck between a rock and a hard place?’, that was my life. I had two options; give up the job I loved and keep my mental health or fall deeper into the blackhole I was heading into. Words of advice: Always choose you!

“But it was time for me to put my big girl pants on and start my new journey into the wonderful world of Medical Laboratory Technician.”

I took two months off work to enjoy much needed family time, took a part-time job working at a dairy company to contemplate where I wanted to go in life. Because at 29 years-of-age you should already have that figured out, right? At this point, my mind was running like a rollercoaster, full throttle, where you start to get that nauseous feeling in the pit of your stomach, then suddenly, the ride comes to a stop, the safety bar lifts, and you hear a person over the speaker telling you to “Go back to school”. That little voice scared me because of the times we were living in with COVID-19 and classes being taught online. I knew not everyone could learn from classes being taught that way.

“I’m extremely proud of myself for being courageous, to know when enough was enough, and for taking this leap of faith.”

But it was time for me to put my big girl pants on and start my new journey into the wonderful world of “Medical Laboratory Technician”. It wasn’t an easy decision to put my financial responsibilities aside and to throw myself into the wild world of being a student. But, while my pockets may be empty, my knowledge is growing. And I’m thrilled to think of all the endless possibilities of where my future may lead next – and it’s all in the palm of my very own hand.

So, flash forward to this moment right now. I’m extremely proud of myself for being courageous, to know when enough was enough, and for taking this leap of faith. Sometimes you must risk it for the biscuit; I’m going for the whole box.

Always choose your happiness at all costs, you only get one chance at life.
Make it a happy one!

Carleigh W.

Interested in healthcare but still considering which career could take you to new heights? Take the “Anderson College Medical Professional Career Training Quiz”

To learn more about our Medical Laboratory Technician program or our other 30+ leading-edge programs to help you take life to the next level of success, book a virtual appointment with our Admissions Team today!