occupational therapy 1.B

This OT has nothing to do with my finger. My career needs some therapy this time.

I went to college in Oregon on a whim at the behest of a good friend. After 5 years I had a BS degree in Radiologic Science/Nuclear Medicine option. With that I started a career in nuc med.

Prior to that I had worked in a grocery store in the produce department for 7 years. Those years I never made more than $30K a year. My first year doing nuc med I made $60. The last nine months of full time nuc med career I made $110K in that nine months.

I worked at least 50 hours a week and still seemed to have a social life and stay in great shape. I had the money to do whatever I wanted.

Now I barely make $1,000 in a month and I still have $36K in student loans. I tried switching to doing Health Physics/Radiation Safety. Crohns disease screwed me out of my job at UCSD. My ineptitude at x-ray machines and an extremely poor training period ended my job at the County of San Diego. I even tried work in Iraq to straighten it out, but aemobic dysentery and relationship issues ended that adventure.

In hopes of correcting this I applied to Physicians Assistant school. A MS degree, still in healthcare and more money. The PA I talked to here makes $60 a hour. That is $120K a year in just base pay. Finally, back to what I am used to. Possibly.

I still don't know if I am getting in. And with that there is no guarantee I will pass and make it through.

The loss of making my own money, really good money, the freedom and security that provided me, the strength it obviously gave to my sense of self has been missing for years now. The past three nights in a row I dreamed of working back in Iraq. That is how deeply this has effected me.