From Struggling in Retail to a Purposeful PSW Career – Ashley’s Story

In celebration of our convocation 2023, and the opportunity for us to finally be together and celebrate in person after three years, we asked our graduates to share their Anderson College experience.

Asking, “How has Anderson College changed your life?” prompted over a hundred submissions … this is one of those extraordinary student stories.

We hope this reflection moves you, as it has our Anderson family, and inspires you to ever embrace the career and life you imagine and, truly, deserve.
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For the last seven years I’ve worked at a minimum-wage retail job, through high school and my first round of postsecondary. For the last two years I’ve been out of school and had to switch to a full-time position at the store. I constantly found myself struggling to make enough money to get ahead even though I was working everyday. My life felt like it was on a loop and that the days were just passing me by. I had nothing to show for how hard I was working and no time to enjoy life.

“I was looking for career advancement and most importantly, a job that would leave me feeling fulfilled. I wanted to make a difference.”

One night I was scrolling through Facebook and saw the advertisement for Anderson College offering the Challenge Fund PSW program. I was looking for career advancement and most importantly, a job that would leave me feeling fulfilled. I wanted to make a difference. I was tired of feeling like my work contributions at my retail job didn’t matter and walking away every day feeling drained.

I was pleasantly surprised when my classes started in September of 2022. The delivery of the education is unlike any other school I’ve attended. For once I didn’t feel like I was set up for failure and had to cram in a bunch of information. The information I was learning made sense and was organized in a way for us to understand, not just memorize.

“Anderson has helped me find my passion; I can honestly say I love the work I do, and I can’t wait to start this new chapter!”

My teacher, Lucy Balkwill, always made sure that we understood what we were learning, and she would take extra time out of the week to schedule a study session prior to the quiz or test. Thanks to Lucy’s dedication to the success of her students I was able to strive for excellent grades and finished at 100%. I felt so proud. The entire staff at the Anderson, Windsor campus cared about my success and helped me get on the right path.

I am now halfway through my student placement at Berkshire Care Centre, and I absolutely love it!The days fly by, the people are amazing, the work I do means something, and I get paid while I learn. I’ve already been asked if I will be applying to Berkshire and my answer is, “Absolutely!”.

Anderson has helped me find my passion; I can honestly say I love the work I do, and I can’t wait to start this new chapter! Thank you, Anderson College!

Ashley M.

If you felt inspired by Ashley’s story and are looking to launch a career focused on helping others, you can click to learn more about our Personal Support Worker program. Or if you have other interests, you can explore one of our other 30+ leading-edge programs.

When you’re ready to train and embrace the next level of your career, we can help you navigate the steps along the way. Book your virtual appointment with one of our supportive admissions advisors today and let’s get you started.