Think about your own life and some of the big questions you ask yourself: 

Yoga has grown to become one of the biggest sectors within sports clubs and other physical fitness services. In total, yoga is a more than $9 Billion industry. While this industry is incredibly influential, it's also a steady career for many yoga instructors, as well as a source of rewarding work that provides interpersonal connections and a feeling of making the world a better place for the people you teach. 

Pharmaceuticals is a growing field, and the demand for pharmacy techs is high. It is a field that never has a shortage of work. However, just like in other industries, current events have made working in the pharmacy even more difficult than it was before. 

As quality of life continues to improve here in the Portland area, the importance of high-quality pharmacies providing life-sustaining medicine grows with it. One of the key careers within pharmacies is pharmacy technicians, the staff who support the pharmacist and complete key tasks within the pharmacy. This career takes much less training than becoming a pharmacist, while still offering excellent pay and opportunities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that pharmacy techs make on average $35,100 per year. However, since this profession is in very high demand, pay may come closer to $20 per hour. 

Medical coders, also known as Medical Records and Health Information Specialists, are in high demand around the Portland area and beyond. With Oregon Health & Science University Hospital, as well as Adventist, Providence, and Legacy Good Samaritan, Portland is in many ways the healthcare hub of the state. Given the complexity of the healthcare and insurance world, these high-demand professionals have a relatively quick educational pathway to a job that makes on average $44,090 per year. 

Portland’s population is constantly expanding and with it, there is a steady rise in the need for excellent dental care in our community. While any given practice may have one or a few dentists, each practice has excellent paying jobs like Dental Hygienists or Dental Assistants that require less extensive training periods than going through a full dental program.  

There's a growing field in Portland that you've got to see to believe! No, really! At PCC you can get started in a career as an Optician Assistant after just one term in the Optician Assistant Training program. On the last day of class you can turn your resume in to a potential employer. 

by Instructor, Ann Wagoner

According to the ancients, there are many ways to boost immunity. By looking to the timeless wisdom of India in Ayurveda, the science of life, as well as to Yoga, we can find many simple practices to put in place. Yoga is much more than stretching, it is the union of the polarities of mind, body and consciousness that we can observe in the breath. In Ayurveda, the three pillars of health are: Food, Sleep and Self-Control. The food choices we make influence our health. We can let food to be our medicine. A healthy sleep routine promotes rest, rejuvenation and the removal of wastes from the body. Self-Control (Brahmacharya) is an aspect of health that is often overlooked.

Portland Community College offers various online non-credit courses through the Institute for Health Professionals (IHP) this spring. These courses help Portland students and people worldwide continue their education, whether they are pursuing roles in a yoga teaching or clinical research setting or are adding skills to an existing resume to pivot within the healthcare field. The world of healthcare is a wide-ranging one, and finding your place in it is easier with access to engaging, relevant spring online classes from PCC’s Institute for Health Professionals.