Christmas Time - My Reality Check -- love what I do then MT reality sinks in - blessedMT

Posted: Dec 22, 2013

REALITY CHECK ... makes me wanna testify this Holiday Season, let me share. I am now working as an MT/ME at a major MTSO corporation - and then reality slaps me in the face, on a daily basis as I merrily type my little fingers away, almost to the point of feeling aches and pain penetrating into my metacarpal phalanges. Now do not get me wrong, I love what I do and enjoy my work... and I am very good at what I do (top Tier ME/MT and QA, at the top of the pay scale, and always maintain 98% plus accuracy) and, yes, one could say that I am "on top of my game." REALITY CHECK has hit me VERY HARD recently!! Plan for vacation (what is that??) Shop for a new car (budget...budget). Anything beyond the basic costs of living simply does not fit into my budget right now. So I ask myself: Shall I return to school? I know that it would cost multiple thousands of dollars to return to school, for example, in order to become proficient as a Medical Coder or possibly even earn my degree in some arena of Health IT such as Health Informatics -- or whatever it would take to utilize my vast experience as a Medical Language Specialist, MT/ME and to be able to transfer my vast medical knowledge to some other field where I could actually work and pay my bills, and then have a few dollars left over.....instead of struggling to live from "paycheck to paycheck." Obviously, work as an ME/MT is not the most lucrative profession and I am definitely not expecting to become a rich woman doing this type of work. Right now, I remain in this profession to simply pay my bills and the basic costs of living such as rent/mortgage payment, utilities, phone bill, and some food on the table. The basics, right??? So I ask myself, is it worth the effort to go back to school, and possibly get into MORE debt with student loans, etc., and then possibly after graduating I may earn a salary (let's just throw out a ballpark figure) say around $50K per year PLUS the increased debt incurred with the student loans and costs associated with going back to school, just to make a few bucks more per year. Okay, so then I thought about medical school - and for me that would mean taking the MCAT (again), possibly having to complete a Post-Bac Program (since it has been many years since I earned my Baccalaureate degree). Then also incurring even more debt, PLUS the 4 years of medical school, PLUS a residency to include 3 to 7 additional years of training (depending of course on the chosen specialty). Possibly ending up earning a physician's salary of $150K or so, maybe more if I specialize in an area of medicine that actually pays a bit more. OR... I also thought about going to law school, taking the LSAT which could mean investing in a pre-law LSAT preparation course (which could cost as much as $1,000 for the prep courses) and there are absolutely no guarantees that I will get into a "good law school." Furthermore, there are no guarantees to land a job with a descent salary working as an attorney. Frankly, I know a lot of unemployed attorneys....yikes !! So Many Choices ?? REALITY CHECK: For me, there are not so many choices after all, so for right now I have decided to stay put working at a large MTSO. The reality is -- right now (today) ... I MUST pay my rent/mortgage and my basic living expenses. And since I am right now working at home as an MT/ME, I have to pay for internet service, preferably DSL, and I must have a reliable computer system that will NOT CRASH in order to keep up with the minimum requirements, etc. etc. Right now I need to eat nutritious foods each and every day so that I will not get sick, or worse, become dehydrated, or get ill with a compromised immune system, or come down with the FLU. While at the same time my expertise MT/ME services are needed to help out with a "huge backlog" at my current job and the reports that were due yesterday. REALITY CHECK: Personally, I have over 20 years of experience in this industry, and I have previously worked in-house at several large teaching hospitals as an MT and supervisor, then transitioning to own an MT business with several dependable accounts (direct billing, of course, which was many years ago before Speech or VR) and I have also worked as a Medical Coder at a major hospital. So I have truly "Been There, Done That." Now I sit here and ask myself WHAT NEXT????? Yes, indeed I have some peace of mind while working at home and not having to deal with a lot of drama while working from my personal space in the home environment. All the while, I am truly praying for a favorable outcome to this situation working full-time as an MT/ME. THIS IS MY REALITY CHECK ... God is my only salvation. To God Be The Glory. Merry Christmas to you all !! Happy Holidays......