Never Say Never

I'm going back to school.

Wow, I really never thought I'd utter those words again. But here I am, waiting on the arrival of my new Visa Aerogold credit card so I can reap some Aeroplan rewards from this slightly daunting decision. Yes, that's right, I'm actually fronting my own cash for tuition, which is a first for me. And after watching too many episodes of 'Til Debt Do Us Part', I figured I'd best find a way to make the outlay of money work for me. And given that I have a rather extensive list of travel destinations for 2012, collection of aeroplan miles seemed rather fitting.

To cut to the chase, the end goal is to become a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. The program I am enrolling in is through the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and students have the option of doing the program in class or through distance ed. Since there are no classes held on PEI and since I think it's *probably* wise of me not to quit my job again to go back to school, I've opted for the part-time distance ed option. I'll be starting my first course the week following this and I am beyond excited. Indeed, I daresay I'm ecstatic.

I've been thinking about this for awhile now, probably with real seriousness since the past winter. Unlike my other degrees, which I sort of jumped into in Las Vegas wedding-style (let's hope for the best!), I've actually spent time researching this decision and thinking a lot about whether this type of career path is right for me. I visited a career counselor. After our first hour-long meeting, she basically told me that I was not in need of counseling (career-wise anyways), as apparently I'd already done most of the exercises she would have recommended. I told her my Myers-Briggs type was ENFJ, which apparently made me ahead of the game as that's a test they recommend people do. So she looked up my type in one of her many career books. Listed amongst the professions that would be of interest to my personality type was 'holistic health practitioner'. I also spoke with two of the most well-established RHNs here in Charlottetown, as well as one that I used to visit in Kingston and all of them were extremely encouraging. The two who knew me as a client seemed to think it was a great fit (but, of course, what else would they say right?!) Still, I was encouraged, especially when I learned that they all did their program through the same school as me.

I think this is going to be a great adventure, both career-wise and personally. I'm really looking forward to studying the linkages between mind, body and spirit. It will be such a fantastic opportunity to apply what I learn to my own health journey. But what really served as the deciding factor in my decision to pursue this career path is that I now know that in order to be happy in the workplace, I need a job where I am working with people and helping them. I am motivated by a desire to help others reach their full potential. In my every day life I seem to gravitate towards counseling, educating and/or motivating others. It's something I don't even realize I am doing most of the time, but it is definitely where I get my energy and drive from. It only makes sense that I embark on a career where I am able to educate and counsel people who want my help in becoming healthier.

So, there you have it. I'm going to be a student yet again. When I finish this degree, I'll have 9 years of post-secondary education to my name. Hopefully, 9 is the magic number that leads me to a career that I will enjoy and excel at!

Oh, and as a final note, it is also my intention to start posting more regularly here over the coming months. Some posts will serve as reflections on my course and what I am learning, but for the most part I'll aim to continue blogging as per usual, but perhaps with more brevity (is it obvious that I'm attempting to turn over a whole bunch new leaves at once ? if it's not clear, it will soon become abundantly so).