Wendy Said:

Do you think a Medical Assistant program is worth paying anywhere between $8000-10,000 for.?

We Answered:

By 'trade school' I certainly hope you don't mean Olympia or one of it's like. Their program is junk, their advertisements are lies, and it's just a big waste of money. They fool you into believing that it's an in demand field, you can look forward to great pay and benefits, and almost instantaneous job placement. I know two people who got suckered into the whole thing, one is now working at Sears, and the other is unemployed (and yes they both finished the 'program'). All you really have to look forward to after finishing is doing the menial tasks that no one else wants to do, working whatever hours they tell you to (usually late night when you first start, since those who have worked there longer get the better hours) and $10 an hour if your lucky. Trust me when I tell you that they both regret it and tell so to anyone who will listen.

My advice would be to go to a community college and either take a certificate program towards becoming an LPN, or preferable, and associates degree to become and RN. The pay is better, there are way more job openings, and I think you'd be much happier (not to mention the fact that it will cost you nowhere near 10 grand). There are wait lists for the nursing programs in the bigger cities, but you can usually find a community college in a smaller city nearby that has openings. My sister will be taking a 40 min drive everyday to go to a college with openings, and paying out of county tuition, but it's still pretty cheap, and definitely worth it to her. Good luck with whatever you choose.