Phlebotomy, College Jobs, and Please Help

With college just around the corner, I’ve recently started looking into a possible job to take on that 1) I’ll be able to work at for a long time and 2) I’ll actually enjoy going to every day.

Having just been guaranteed a spot in a graduate school, I wanted a job that could potentially sustain me and keep me content for 8 years if I didn’t quit. A handful of Google searches and conversations later, I happened upon a very appealing job:

Phlebotomy. OoooOOOOooOooo.

What’s that? A direct definition from ExploreHealthCareers.org says that phlebotomists “collect blood for donation or for testing, so the blood can be analyzed in a clinical laboratory.” They’re basically the people who stick you when you go to get a blood test done! 😀

Something most of you probably don’t know about me is that I actually like getting shots and getting my blood drawn. I’m not squeamish at all and I think the biology behind it is so cool. Especially with blood tests, seeing my blood in a tube is actually so fascinating… I also prefer it if the needle is cold hehe. 

As a phlebotomist, I’d want to do everything I can to make patients as comfortable as I am when I get my blood drawn (or at least as close to that as possible). 

College job-finding is important. You don’t wanna get stuck somewhere you dread working, but you also don’t wanna play it too safe and not get a lot of real-world exposure. 

Here are a few reasons why phlebotomy is perfect for me, which are also things I believe you should prioritize when looking for a college job:

1. Interest

A lot of you probably have jobs right now, and I know some of you are working or have worked somewhere you absolutely hated. But you are making or made bank there, so it was tolerable. In college, however, I think it’ll be especially crucial that we’re working someplace we at least don’t dislike. 

We’re approaching the chapter of our lives where we make our lifelong friends and just indulge in our youth. I personally don’t want to be living it up ‘til 4 am with my posse and go home dreading having to wake up to go work somewhere I hate. That’d suck, no?

That’s why I’m doing a lot of digging for jobs that I know I’ll enjoy. I’m a sucker for gory, medical-y things, and there aren’t a lot of jobs that are hands-on in that way that I can take on with just a high school diploma. Phlebotomy caught my eye immediately because I only need to be 18 and have a high school diploma (after taking a training course). It’d allow me to work with my hands and I know I’d be happy poking people XD.

2. Exposure

I know as high schoolers, most of us work at stores, restaurants, etc. I think these kinds of job experiences are really important now just because as we’re earning our own money, we’re (hopefully) learning how to manage it a lot better. What becomes more important in college, when we’re figuring out what exactly we want to do with the rest of our lives, is exposure to potential careers we’re interested in. 

According to the U.S. Department of Education, “Within 3 years of initial enrollment, about 30 percent of undergraduates in associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs who had declared a major had changed their major at least once.” Among the many reasons for those switches is new experience and exposure in the field. 

Right now you might be dead-set on being a nurse, but if you haven’t gotten real-world exposure to that career, how can you be so sure? Interests can change with experience, which is why I think jobs in college are perfect ways to narrow down your career list by either knocking careers off or confirming one. 

As a pre-dent, I’ve been fortunate enough to work in an actual dentist office, which has been extremely eye-opening prior to the college application process. That experience completely knocked off careers like ophthalmology and nursing. But even though I’ve already had exposure, working as a phlebotomist will give me further confirmation of my career choice as well as even more experience with my people-skills, one of the most important components to the majority of careers. I love working with people, and this job would allow me to work with people of all ages and backgrounds.

Score.

 

3. Salary (of course)

Aaanddd the main reason I look for a job in the first place. Money. According to ExploreHealthCareers.org, the average salary for phlebotomists is about $25k-30k a year. That’s definitely enough for me to be able to go out with friends and actually have a social life. I don’t have to be making loads of money, it’s just really important for me to be able to get food with the crew and just… do fun things with them. These people are gonna be the people I invite to my wedding, and I gotta make sure we’re tight, ya know? There’s only so much you can do without spending money.

 

 

There are a lot of options for jobs in college, whether it’s a campus job or something else. Where do you think you’d want to work, and do these three considerations align with your priorities?

 

And last note: phlebotomy is amazing and all, but I don’t turn 18 until July, which means I can’t take the training course until after that, which means I’ve got a whole year for a different job—and I’m stuck.

I’ve been working in a dental office, but I kind of want to get a “normal” job just to get that experience, and ya girl needs some help. Where do you recommend or NOT recommend working over the summer?