tadonnelly999 Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 Hello everyone! I am looking for some advice. I am in the middle of my gap year and start PA school at the end of May. This gap year has been extremely inconsistent, stressful, and honestly has not been the greatest time of my life. My plan has always been to take April and May completely off for myself. However, now I am at a crossroads. Right now, I am faced with a situation where I am working a job that I absolutely hate. I'm in a temporary position for a medical device company, and I literally could care less about what I am doing day in and day out. I feel apathetic and down on myself all the time, which breaks my heart because for some reason it hasn't hit me that I've gotten into PA school. Where I work doesn't treat me the best because I am temporary, and I feel my confidence struggling. I had all these gap year goals I was excited to pursuit after finishing out undergraduate (exercising, reading, painting), but I haven't made any dignified steps towards them in the last 8 months. I've tried many times, and I believe a lot of things are not sticking because my mental health hasn't been the best. I am so close to just quitting this job that I hate so much because I am realizing more and more that PA school is coming and the time I have left until then is invaluable. I've been working at this company since November, and the only reason why I'm sticking around is it pays $16 an hour. I am being supported by my fiancee right now, so my money is not life or death here. However, I am just feeling so locked because PA school is so much money and at least I can take out a little bit less in loans if I push myself through this job. If I quit my job, I won't have enough time to get rehired elsewhere before school starts. I'm not entirely sure what to do and feel like I need the perspectives of those who have gone through this process before, so I am looking to you for some advice. What should I be prioritizing right now? What are things you did/wish you could have done before starting PA school? Any advice or insight is super appreciated! TLDR: I am at a job I absolutely hate, it's hurting my mental health, and I want to focus on personal goals before PA school starts in May. However, I feel like I cannot quit because PA school loans are so terrifying and any money can help. I need some perspective on my situation and any advice is super helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlaPA Posted February 3, 2020 Share Posted February 3, 2020 Mental state is everything. Everything. Money is not. Take out loans, you will make that money back, eventually. It sounds like your job is causing your more disservice than service. These upcoming months can truly be beautiful for you, if you focus on your health and wellbeing. I think you know what you want to do, but you just need a push to do so. PA school is stressful, and everyone knows this, and your mental state will definitely not bounce back to being positive and confident if you don't work on it now. Build yourself a solid foundation because you're going to jump into a program that most likely (not purposely, but surely) will break you down, therefore you need all the knowledge about self-care you need. Please keep us updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ket131 Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 Quit job and enjoy the free time you will never have in PA school. Sincerely, PA student Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoPA Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 (edited) Hey there, I feel your pain. There isn't an easy answer to this---but as a newer PA graduate, I would say you should quit the job you hate. $16/hour after taxes is a drop in the bucket considering all of the loans you will have to take out--not just for tuition, but for books, living expenses, ALS/BLS classes, gas and wardrobe expenses for rotations, etc. And it doesn't just end there. $500 for the PANCE exam, another $1,500 for classes like ROSH, Hippo, Kaplan to prepare, $450 for DEA licensure, $300 for the PA license in california...it never ends. I had no idea how expensive being a PA would be. With that said--I would say it's probably best to start becoming "comfortable" with the debt . Don't worry, you WILL pay it off. Edited February 6, 2020 by Western_PA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoPA Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 (edited) Regarding "never" having any free time in PA school: some people make the decision not to have any free time while they're in school (and they study 24/7). I wasn't one of those people btw, and I did just fine. PA school is what you make it. No need to create unnecessary stress. I definitely worked hard, but I wasn't killing myself. It was rare that I didn't get my 8 hours of sleep in every night. Again--it came at the cost of not having straight As--and not acing every exam--but to me it was worth it. Edited February 6, 2020 by Western_PA 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roundabout Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 I will begin PA school the last week of August and for what it's worth my plan is to quit my job in July to give myself time to enjoy before beginning. I think it is pretty important to have those 2 stress free months before starting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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