ashaw
Cathlete
I'm very happy to report that I got my first good news on my job search! On Monday afternoon, I received a call from Memorial Assistance Ministries that I was accepted into their free Certified Nursing Assistant training program!!!!!! This is a huge blessing for me because not only is this around $800-$1800 worth of free tuition, I will be able to utilize the employment services at MAM to help once I'm finished with training and there is also a graduation ceremony and a lot of nursing homes, rehab hospitals, etc have reps at the graduation and some graduates get job offers right on the spot.
I've done a lot of my own research and there is no lack of employment in Houston for CNA's. A really good thing is there are quite a few nursing homes and assisted living centers very close to where I live that have openings. Traffic in Houston is horrendous and working close to home has its pluses. Less gas and less wear and tear on my 19 year old car. I was able to have a lot of the minor stuff done last month (battery cables, rear diff flush, degreasing, power steering flush) and all I have left is front shocks and alignment, but that can wait until once I have some cash flow. Also, I found a facility that is offering a $3000 signing bonus for CNA's! Another has a $500 signing bonus. You don't get the amount as a upfront lump sum, for example the $3000 bonus is split 3 months and 3 months, but I could certainly use either amount!
Once I get some experience, there are better paying opportunities at hospitals. The best thing is if I ended up living in a different part of town, there's no shortage of jobs.
I go on Friday 4/26 back to MAM offices for a orientation and then start the training on Monday 4/29. Its 2 weeks skills training a healthcare school about 15 minutes from my house, 2 weeks on Zoom and then the 5th week is back to the school for CPR training, which I already have but will do again as a refresher, review and registration for the State of Texas exam.
This is best opportunity that I've had. While I really wanted to work as a Physical Therapy Technician, there just aren't any jobs and I was certainly open to everything from remote call center which I did for almost 5 years to being a housekeeper. I even applied with Walgreens Pharmacy Tech apprenticeship where they will pay you and train you to be a pharmacy tech. In addition to the non-instructional aide position I applied for a local elementary school. The day I got the call from MAM, I was looking into getting my Texas food handlers permit for $7.95 and seeing if I could get a job at Methodist Hospital cafeteria.
I've tried to tell my husband what a golden opportunity this is for me because finally, I will have a vocational certification and license from the State of Texas and much more opportunity for employment. He is still living in this delusional world of the gold treasure and is now out of options and is trying to borrow money from friends by promising a huge return on the loan from money he thinks he'll get with the gold.
I feel so excited and hopeful about getting to become a CNA. Thank all of y'all for your encouragement and support. I'm also going enter that Cathelete of the Month thing I saw in the newsletter and I've got a fun idea for my pictures. I love Cathe's style and I have pieced together a few of the outfits (thanks to eBay and ThredUp!) that she's worn in past DVD's so I plan to reprise her iconic looks for my submission!
I've done a lot of my own research and there is no lack of employment in Houston for CNA's. A really good thing is there are quite a few nursing homes and assisted living centers very close to where I live that have openings. Traffic in Houston is horrendous and working close to home has its pluses. Less gas and less wear and tear on my 19 year old car. I was able to have a lot of the minor stuff done last month (battery cables, rear diff flush, degreasing, power steering flush) and all I have left is front shocks and alignment, but that can wait until once I have some cash flow. Also, I found a facility that is offering a $3000 signing bonus for CNA's! Another has a $500 signing bonus. You don't get the amount as a upfront lump sum, for example the $3000 bonus is split 3 months and 3 months, but I could certainly use either amount!
Once I get some experience, there are better paying opportunities at hospitals. The best thing is if I ended up living in a different part of town, there's no shortage of jobs.
I go on Friday 4/26 back to MAM offices for a orientation and then start the training on Monday 4/29. Its 2 weeks skills training a healthcare school about 15 minutes from my house, 2 weeks on Zoom and then the 5th week is back to the school for CPR training, which I already have but will do again as a refresher, review and registration for the State of Texas exam.
This is best opportunity that I've had. While I really wanted to work as a Physical Therapy Technician, there just aren't any jobs and I was certainly open to everything from remote call center which I did for almost 5 years to being a housekeeper. I even applied with Walgreens Pharmacy Tech apprenticeship where they will pay you and train you to be a pharmacy tech. In addition to the non-instructional aide position I applied for a local elementary school. The day I got the call from MAM, I was looking into getting my Texas food handlers permit for $7.95 and seeing if I could get a job at Methodist Hospital cafeteria.
I've tried to tell my husband what a golden opportunity this is for me because finally, I will have a vocational certification and license from the State of Texas and much more opportunity for employment. He is still living in this delusional world of the gold treasure and is now out of options and is trying to borrow money from friends by promising a huge return on the loan from money he thinks he'll get with the gold.
I feel so excited and hopeful about getting to become a CNA. Thank all of y'all for your encouragement and support. I'm also going enter that Cathelete of the Month thing I saw in the newsletter and I've got a fun idea for my pictures. I love Cathe's style and I have pieced together a few of the outfits (thanks to eBay and ThredUp!) that she's worn in past DVD's so I plan to reprise her iconic looks for my submission!
