I need some advicce on my personal essay. I know the flow of my essay isn't as fluid as I would like it to be, which is why I'm seeking help here. Any suggestions and constructive criticism is welcomed. This is my first draft so again, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I firmly believe in the powerful message of Ecclesiastes 3:1, which states, “There is an appointed time for everything and there is a time for every event under heaven”. When I was growing up, my parents instilled in me the importance of education. Thus, I have long realized that stagnancy of knowledge has to be one the worst mistakes in my life. However, looking back on my own life, I can see these different stages of growth that have helped me to understand my own potential and the path I wish to take in life.

When I started college at 18, I didn’t have the maturity needed to focus on school. I just wanted to work. I had taken classes part-time over a four year period not truly engaged in academia. I didn’t want to spend time in a classroom, when I didn’t even know what I wanted to do I life and my grades reflected that. So I left home and school to work odd jobs. Over the years, I’ve worked as an administrative assistant for a non-profit agency, as an assistant to an accountant compiling tax forms and receipts, I’ve worked in the marketing field, and even did sales for a furniture store for quite some time. It wasn’t until I found a job as a receptionist, at a private doctor’s office where things started to change for me. This was my first true exposure to the medical field. I had done volunteer work before in a hospital but this was my first time interacting with healthcare professionals and patients. My job was basic fairly basic administration but I enjoyed it. After six months of working the front desk, my boss, who is a physician, asked if I wanted to learn how to take out stitches. With no previous medical training before, I was curious to learn a new skill. Soon, I was working in the back office learning to apply pressure bandages, interpreting labs and pathology reports for patients, and assisting in minor surgeries.

The doctors in the group granted me much more opportunities for hands-on care than I could have found in a public setting. On one memorable day, I assisted in a facial surgery removing a deep skin cancer from the mandible area. Far from feeling repulsion, I was fascinated by the sight of the internal parts. I realized that I was viewing a physiological structure that enabled movement, and found the experience to be breathtaking. The surgeon taught me how to do a running stitch on the patient, a skill, which would not have been normally taught if I had worked elsewhere else. It was also the first time in a long time, where I felt I was making a difference in people’s lives. It was then at the age of 29, I knew I wanted to go back to college and get my degree in nursing.

Attending college at this point in my life has not been easy. I work for a small private doctor’s office and often stay at work late at night to finish medical insurance paperwork and call patients to counsel them for surgeries the next day. Commuting every night to get to class after working 10 hours was taxing. However, the distance and time seems so tiny when I think of the wealth of information I am gaining in my classes.

Now is the time for me to tackle my true goal in nursing. I believe that all of my life experiences have been necessary to bring me to this point. I mentally prepared and persistent enough to excel at any endeavor, and have developed the compassion and commitment to nursing that will drive me through the years to come. I look forward to my future with great anticipation, and know that the time has finally come for me to realize my dreams.