How I Went From the Sandwich Shop
to the Pharmacy
From sandwich artist to coffee barista, Carissa has helped her share of customers. But soon her customers will come to her with more than hunger. They will be patients depending on her for their health. As a Pharmacy Technician, she will explain their prescriptions and doctors’ orders. Her Career Certificate from U.S. Career Institute helped make this opportunity possible.
After graduating from high school, Carissa wanted to join the Air Force. That’s when she met her husband, who is in the military. After seeing what he and her brother, who was also in the military, went through every day, she started to rethink her plan to join the Air Force. But what else could she do?
Then one day while she was at work at the sandwich shop, a cheerful customer placed her order and struck up some small talk. Carissa didn’t know at the time how much this conversation would change her life. The customer told Carissa about her job as a Pharmacy Technician. It didn’t take long to become a Pharmacy Technician, she said, and she felt fulfilled by her career.
Carissa didn’t waste any time. She researched pharmacy technician schooling and found U.S. Career Institute. It was a great fit for her life: “I called and got a brochure and found out how easy it was—that you could do it at home. That’s what I wanted because I was moving from California so I knew I couldn’t go to a school location.”
Carissa and her husband settled in Colorado Springs. Her dreams of changing careers kept building. “I just wanted to get out of the restaurant. I wanted to know how to do something.”
With the help of the military’s MyCAA program, Carissa enrolled in classes with U.S. Career Institute. She was surprised at how easy it was. “I always thought that pharmacy was really complicated, but it was easy.”
Sure, there were complex, challenging subjects, she said, like anatomy and cancer drugs. But she was able to take things step by step to get through each lesson in the course. “I enjoyed it. I liked how they added little things to keep you entertained.”
In April—just 4 months after starting her first lesson—Carissa earned her Career Certificate as a Pharmacy Technician. When asked if she felt prepared for work in a pharmacy, Carissa said she knew she was. She already volunteered at the only volunteer pharmacy in Colorado. “They were so happy to have someone with a Certificate!”
Now, Carissa is using the networking skills she learned at U.S. Career Institute. Her goal is to be a Pharmacy Technician at a hospital. She has already talked to the pharmacy manager at the local hospital and is confident in the skills and knowledge that she will bring to their pharmacy.
“I have a Certificate; I have an advantage over a lot of people that haven’t gone to school. I really wanted to do that.”
