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In our GO AFTER IT blog series, you'll meet fellow students and grads who committed themselves to chasing their dreams and proving it pays to GO AHEAD toward better opportunities -- no matter the obstacles to be overcome.
Pharmacy Technician student Julie Mustin is a renaissance woman. She has worked as a trucker for a decade, raised a special needs child as a single mother, and earned a teaching assistant diploma through Ashworth College – all at the same time and without giving up her job or her social life.
“After I earned my teaching assistant diploma several years ago, I discovered the local job market wasn’t what I thought it would be,” Julie said. “So I took some time to think about what else I might want to do, and I decided on pharm tech.”
Julie has always had a passion for helping people, and she believes in the need for pharmacy technicians to serve as advocates and educators for anyone who takes medication. “Think about medication management for the elderly,” Julie says. “So often people take medications and have no idea of the side effects or whether they interact with each other. As a pharm tech, I can help make people aware of their medication options so they stay safe.”
To Julie, taking courses at Ashworth College is a no-brainer. She says the flexibility of an online education makes it so simple, anyone can find the time to do it.
“I tell people, look, this is so easy,” Julie said. “It’s kind of like reading your Facebook or Twitter or Instagram every day. If you can commit an hour to that, you can do this [pharm tech program]. Commit to at least one hour or one lesson per day, and you’ll be done in no time.”
She also cites the program’s flexibility as a key benefit of online learning. “You can take your schoolwork anywhere – to the beach, anywhere,” Julie said. “What I liked about Ashworth College is you can get an education and still have time for a social life, home life, and everything else.”
Julie acknowledges that while the online method of learning is easy and flexible, the coursework itself is rigorous. She says you need these three traits to be successful:
“You have to want to do it,” Julie said. “Although you can take as long as you want to complete the program, actually getting it done is on you. Then again, I have done all my coursework while driving 48 states, working 70 hours a week. If I can do it in a semi-truck anybody could do it.”
For Julie, attitude is everything when taking online courses. “It definitely requires focus,” she said. “It’s fun, and the people are awesome, but some days are hard. The coursework can be hard. But anything worth having is not easy to get. Keep an optimistic attitude and stay focused, and you can get through in no time.”
To succeed in the pharmacy technician program, Julie relies on the support of friends and faculty. “The faculty support has been great,” she said. “There’s phone support available, it’s very simple to access, and when I needed it, I got great information and help.”
For Julie, “education on your terms” has been so important, and she believes in both the value of education, in general, and the unique value of an Ashworth College education.
“The more education we give people, the better they can live,” Julie said. “And with Ashworth College, you can have a certificate or degree in your hands that you can take anywhere, and it didn’t cost you $20,000 like a university education. I mean, what would I do if someone gave me 20 grand? I would sign up for as many courses as possible at Ashworth College!”
Learn more about the pharmacy technician program – or any of the many degree programs available at Ashworth College! Talk to an admissions advisor today!
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