A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry
Stay at home mom to Coder..... - RR
Posted: Apr 20, 2012
I've been a stay at home mom for 7 years. My youngest daughter was born with a heart defect so we decided that it would be great for me to stay home and focus on being a mom. Well 7 years later I decided to get back to work. Since I've been at home for that long I also decided to go back to school to get an education and gain experience to be able to get a job above minimum wage!!! I tried to go to school for coding about 6 years ago but because of health circumstances with her I had to stop. I am going to start a Medical coding program program this Summer. My issue is (sorry) Im soooo worried about going back to school and starting a new career!!!!! I feel like I am going to be way out place....Im 35..not old but older and I just wanted to hear from others who may have started later.... Thanks
Starting later - On my 4th
[ In Reply To ..]OK, I think I understand what you are asking and I am guessing that you are asking it because ... umm ... well, maybe I am not sure why. Hmm. Let's see ... you might be worried about going to college at your incredibly advanced age because ... umm ... those young whippersnappers will laugh at your turquoise eye shadow and love beads? Or the Big Hair? (Please tell us it is not a mullet!)
Not to worry! A trip to your friendly fashion consultants ... an Aveda salon and the Lancome counter ... will take care of that. Love beads are back in style now, anyway.
Feeling out of place is a superficial issue. It is perhaps something we fear because we do not know what the environment will be like. We may think ... mistakenly, as it turns out ... that the "right time" to go to college is directly after high school. While a lot of people do that, not ALL people do that. Some do it later and some do it more than once. They do it to change careers and even just for fun.
This is not always the case in fields like math and chemistry, but it is definitely the case in health information fields where you can begin with one thing like coding or HIT, go back for HIT or tumor registry or an RHIA, go back for informatics or data analysis, go back for a master's and go back for a PhD ... and even branch off into computer programming and even law. People do this their whole careers.
The only situation in which you might be much older is at a "career college" or "tech college," one of those for-profit affairs that sprout up to rake in loan money They prey on people who can't get into regular colleges or who do not know what a degree mill is. That isn't something I would ever recommend because you would not just be older, but you would feel out of place socially and intellectually, and your chances of finding a decent job would be worse.
Do you need to worry that you can no longer learn at your age? Not at all. You might find it easier becaue of your life experience. Your experience with your daughter's healthcare will actually give you a valuable frame of reference to build on.
Do you need to worry that you might not know how to study? YES! That is going to be the big factor in your success or lack of it. Not because of your age, but because it is for everyone. There is a nice book on Amazon called "Build Like an Ant" by DJ Chung, a Duke University graduate who explains the advice his wise mother gave to help him become high school valedictorian. Every word will help you. The Kindle version is only .99 (at least it is today). If you have no Kindle, download Amazon's free Kindle reader software to your computer so you can read that book.
There is other advice on the net about studying. Students at major universities often have websites with that kind of information. Just Google for it.
I know I started off kind of silly, but I tried to answer your concerns. Or what I thought your concerns might be. Was I even close? If not, tell us more so we can understand what you are looking for.
Stay at home mom to Coder - Jan
[ In Reply To ..]I just wanted to say that I know how you feel. I was 47 when I decided to go to school for Medical Billing and Coding. I wanted to work at home on the pc and this is what I chose. My children all supported me and chipped in to help with quizzing me before various tests. I was nervous when I started in January of 2011. I will be 49 next month and currently doing my externship. I graduate in July 2012. So my advice to you is to hold your head up, concentrate and try not to be nervous. After the first week everything will just flow.
Thank You - RR
[ In Reply To ..]Thank you for responding!!! Yes Im worrying about the studying already!! My daughter is excited that she'll be able to help me study. Everything in both of your posts is what I feel. Training, studying, passing tests, job search when training is over and YES the young ones LOL !!! I wanted to hear from others who may have felt the same. Thank you again... I know the fear will pass!!!
Suggestion - Coder
[ In Reply To ..]The easiest way to study is to teach someone else. Turn your lessons into learning for your daughter. You will both have fun.
Great Idea - RR
[ In Reply To ..]Thats a great idea Coder!! That would help me with learning the material and she would love that. It would also include her in what I am doing so she wont feel left out. Thank you..
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