After newly admitted Health Promotion student Jade Kelly started her first day of classes back in January, her oldest son asked her if she鈥檇 met any friends.
鈥淚 laughed and told him I didn't but university is a bit different from elementary school and I'm just there to learn,鈥� she said.鈥�
Jade started in January with classes in Anatomy, Neurology, Psychology and Sociology. Though she came to university with a program in mind, as a mature student she needed to complete a semester of classes before she could apply to a major. After being out of school for 10 years, she was a bit uncertain about how she鈥檇 fit in among her fresh-from-high-school classmates.
鈥淚 put my hair in pigtails and wore a Dal hoodie on the first day,鈥� she says, laughing. 鈥淏ut when I walked into the auditorium 鈥� and fortunately someone did tell me there would be hundreds of people, so I was kind of prepared 鈥� I looked around and saw the students were from all walks of life and I realized I'm not the only one on this journey.鈥澛�
Making adjustments
Of course, trying to blend in was the least of her concerns. In addition to being a mother to two young children, Jade runs her own business. It takes careful scheduling to juggle all of her responsibilities.
鈥淚n January, I sacrificed six hours of my work schedule and I closed my business to new clients to make it work,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚n September, I'll only have to lose about four hours of work. I鈥檒l work three twelve hour days and then I'm off Sunday, Monday and Tuesday so most of my courses are on Monday and Tuesday.鈥�
She鈥檚 also excited for September because both her kids will be in elementary school allowing her more time on campus.
鈥淚t is a lot but I'm doing okay 鈥� I'm passing!鈥� she says with a grin.
A learning experience
As a mature student, Jade feels she鈥檚 far more organized than she would have been at a younger age. She admits, though, that university has taken some getting used to.
鈥淭he amount of work and the pace of it was a bit surprising,鈥� she says. 鈥淎fter the first few days and after the first midterm I realized, okay, there's no procrastination here. You just need to do things and do them well. It was a learning experience to understand what profs want and to figure out what I need to do to succeed.鈥�
Now that she鈥檚 been accepted into Health Promotion, Jade is looking forward to channeling her efforts into a major. Fortunately, she planned carefully so she鈥檒l be able to apply the courses she鈥檚 already taken to her new program.
Healthy goals
Jade鈥檚 decision to enrol in university, after ten years working as an esthetician, comes from her desire to use her skills to help people heal and find comfort. She鈥檚 learned that to do that she needs to go beyond her current credentials. 鈥淲e do go through extensive training to become an esthetician but that鈥檚 not really recognized,鈥� she says.
As an example, Jade points to her experience at a pedicure course she took with nurses in Toronto. 鈥淓veryone else who took that course could bill Blue Cross for pedicures afterward but though I could do all the pedicures and was trained with foot care nurses, I wasn鈥檛 able to because I was 鈥榡ust an esthetician.鈥欌�� 聽
While that course sparked her interest in the health care side of her business, the thing that made her decide to take action was seeing firsthand how she could change someone鈥檚 life.
鈥淚 have a client who has neuroma in her feet, so she has no feeling, and I'm the best thing that's ever happened to her,鈥� Jade says. 鈥淓very time I come in she's so thankful for what I do for her. That's what I want. I don't just want to do a glitter on a nail or a paint on a nail, I really want to make a difference and impact people.鈥�
From someday to now
Initially, Jade had planned to work toward becoming a naturopathic doctor but the limited availability of training (there are only two naturopathic schools in Canada) has made her question whether it鈥檚 a realistic goal. With that in mind, she鈥檚 started looking at Nursing.
鈥淚 thought Nursing might be a better choice because I could work that into the industry I'm already in 鈥� by shifting to clinical foot care, for example.鈥�
Wherever her education takes her, Jade is glad she didn鈥檛 put it off waiting for the perfect time. She says any prospective mature students thinking about what they could do with a degree should just do it.
鈥淵ou can make it work. It's hard. It's not easy. But if it鈥檚 your dream, you don鈥檛 want to wait another 10 years and wish you did it earlier.鈥�