Education for Working Students

Today is a great day. As a matter of fact everyday is a great day, however, today is exceptional. Why? Do you ask, what makes this day exceptional? Well I am no longer working at the place I was, that's why. I am free of the high school gossip environment, the it's not my job environment and the lets make everything personal environment. Out of all the jobs I have had, this one was just that a job. Although some people were genuine and I will miss them needless to say there are others that I will never care to speak to again. The lack of customer service and professional ethics was just too much to even put up with. I had to dumb myself down to not stick out for going above and beyond. Every time I did go above and beyond they found things to pull me back down. All of that is neither here nor there...I am sure I was just one employee of the many that have rotated through my position because of certain individuals who work that front desk. They are not why I'm writing this blog as they do not occupy my thoughts, never have, never will. 

My reason for this blog is due to the circumstances of how I was terminated from my job. On Monday morning I went into work to discuss with my boss that I have a class that I will have to take on Fridays. I explained that I enrolled for the class weeks ago and had decided to drop once school started but, when I sat down with the registrar I was advised against doing so because it would be the only class I had left and I would have no financial aid. He asked me why didn't I say something sooner and I told him this was an unforeseen turn of events. He was a little upset yet he never said they couldn't work with it. He said "okay I wish you would've told me sooner as I could've worked on it then versus doing something all of a sudden but I think I can pull one of the other girls from one of the other offices to cover it". Mind you it's only on Fridays from 1-4p. I made it understood that I was not pulling out of the class and that I had class this coming Friday from 1-4p and had to leave at 12pm. He said ok and that he would work on it. He never said no you can't go or your fired. He never said no we can't do this. Nothing along those lines were said. I apologized thrice over for bringing such circumstances and left his office happy that I THOUGHT I was keeping my job. I said awesome, they're going to work with me. Friday comes I let the people I work with upfront that I have to leave at 12 for school as our boss is already aware. I clock out at 12p thinking all is great and head to school. Imagine my surprise when at about 2:30 I get a voicemail stating that I left without permission and need to call immediately. At this point I knew that the one of my fellow coworkers decided to text him to verify my leaving. I text him class ends at 4:30 and I'd call him after. I had to see financial aid after class and was going to call at about 5:40 when I see a long text message stating that I didn't call right at 4:30 so I must not want to talk and he is terminating me.

I responded with a few things reminding him how that is not what we discussed and if he hadn't understood what I said he could've asked me questions to get it clear. In any case I was willing to put in my two weeks notice because I was not going to stop going to school. If I endured school when my brother passed away and didn't stop coming, certainly this job was not going to stop me.

This brings me to my point, I think there should be some law or rule implemented for students who are going into fields that the governments needs and are in low supply like nurses. Why not allow a special schedule for nurses and provide a small incentive for those employers who chose to employ these students and work with their schedule? Most of us are single parents or adults who need to make a living while going to school. And these classes are hard! We're constantly stressed out and malnourished because we work and go to school at the same time. The government states how they need nurses. Well, help your future healthcare providers and allow us a break so we don't find ourselves like I find myself right now. At least I say I'm like a cat and I always land on my feet. I know in a short time I'll have something else, someone willing to help me out. Still, why is going to school so frowned upon in employers when this country stresses it so much? Without diplomas we can't get jobs. Without degrees we can't be nurses. Without nurses hospitals wouldn't function. I hope I have given you something to think about and if you own a business and have a nursing student on your hands, be nice to that nursing student because you never know you may end up in her hands one day.