Career Change Leads To Student Thriving in New Environment
By: Chaturika J., NAIT Optical Program Student
It was a couple of years ago when the thoughts of NAIT Optical School started blooming in my mind. My initial thoughts of going back to school sounded exciting but difficult as I have not been in school for approximately 10 years. I studied microbiology in university over a decade ago and have been working in the field of laboratory sciences ever since.
I knew I wanted to change my career and I knew I wanted to study optical sciences. I decided to jump in and apply to start for January of 2023 and I am delighted with my decision. I am currently in my second semester of the Optical Sciences - Eyeglasses program. The opportunities that I have come across since I started this program have been astounding.
“As the mom of a young son, this program allows me to create and schedule day-to-day events around my school/work life.”
I feel that I’m thriving in my new environment and motivated to learn as I get to apply what I learn online at my job site as a student optician. The valuable experience and skills learned at work, or in other words the clinical aspect, go hand in hand with online learning. This change in career has allowed me to practice what I am passionate about and I look forward to the daily interactions with my patients and customers. From working in a laboratory setting and having no such communication with clients to being able to help customers daily is one of the features I love about this industry.
The program is set up to provide a relaxed and flexible learning environment for the students as it is solely online. This fosters greater time management and responsibility as a whole and as the mom of a young son, this program ultimately allows me to create and schedule day-to-day events around my school/work life. The professor and everyone involved are very approachable and eager to help with any questions or problems. When you dedicate a certain number of hours a week to studying and reading through the provided online work you are sure to be successful. I am thrilled to continue my program and excited about all the possibilities of my new career.
