Geez, where to start? I guess you could say that school has influenced my life greatly and mostly for the better. I decided to go back to school, which I have never done by the way, after 20 years! It wasn't a difficult decision really, I always knew that I wanted a degree so I could get a better job, I just wasn't sure what to go to school for. So I started to research online schools and that's when I found Kaplan University. The programs sounded really interesting, especially the Health Information Technology degree, I was very intrigued by this one. I thought to myself, it's a great field to get into, I work in a pharmacy now so it seemed logical, and I said okay, I'll do it! I just didn't realize how much time and money it would take! I don't always have a lot of free time because I work in a retail pharmacy so my hours are never the same from one week to the next, I do usually have my weekends off, so that is nice. I've recently become engaged, so I have even more motivation now to finish school so I can have a better life with my fiancee. We've been together for almost 5 years, and he was a big part of why I decided to go back to school. We both work for the same company, and he knows how difficult it is working the hours I do. He was, and has been, extremely supportive of my schooling, I think that's why I feel bad sometimes telling no I can't spend time with you now because of school work. He understands that this is important to me and for us, it's just hard sometimes that's all. Anyways, school is the biggest influence now for me, I always have to think of what I need to get done for school before I make plans, whether it's for a night out; vacations - extended or just weekend getaways; or just hanging out with friends, I'm learning how to prioritize things better though. It was really hard when I first started back in July of last year to try and balance my life with school and work, but I think I've done okay so far!!