Homeless man enters college building to use toilet and ends up enrolling — he's now a surgical assistant

Determination is like writing messages to the universe and tossing these messages in bottles in the ocean, hoping the answer will arrive someday. However, determination alone is not enough for success. One needs to be dynamic enough to take advantage of the opportunity the universe presents in a given moment of time. Similarly, a previously homeless man—who goes by u/Man-Tax on Reddit—recently shared an inspiring story from his life experience. The man shared how one day, his desperate impulse to relieve himself led him to have a chance encounter that dramatically transformed his life. From a homeless man, he became a surgical assistant.

The man from New York, USA, per his comment, wrote of a time when he was in his late twenties, unemployed and homeless. He was “roaming the streets and eating scraps for years.” During this time, he only had one goal – finding a restroom and "a bench to loiter on." Having been raised in foster care, he had no family to rely on. Adding to it, his lack of professional skills made it challenging for him to find a job. Then, one day, while roaming the streets as usual, the man felt an impulse to relieve himself. Within a few steps, he came across a college that happened to be hosting an open-house enrolment that day.

He wondered if it was a great excuse to “freeload” off the college restroom. “Little did I know, however, was that the universe had other plans for me,” he recalled. As he stepped inside the college, a guidance counselor approached him and asked whether he was there for the open-house enrolment. Embarrassed, he lied to the counselor, saying he was there for the enrolment. In response, the counselor listed countless opportunities in front of him. As time went by, the poor man realized he actually felt interested in the college’s surgical technology program. He decided to give it a shot. Being a “ward of the state,” he already had certain perks. He had around $240k to cover his college expenses. So he set forth to create his new life, the life of his dreams.

Since he had nothing else to do, he had a lot of time to study, he wrote in a comment. While the state managed his college expenses, he spent a lot of his life in the school library. He used the remaining money to buy a gym membership, mainly to avail the bathroom and grooming facility, as well as the storage unit. He ate from pantries and slept on park benches, subways and beaches. He felt lonely,  but he kept going. “The first step to success is to remove ‘I can't’ from your vocabulary. You most certainly can. But the moment you start to doubt yourself is the moment you've already failed. You'd be surprised what people are capable of when they stop dwelling and start doing!” he wrote.

While he studied the program, he discovered he had been so lucky as to stumble upon his true passion. For 18 months, he attended the school, followed by four months of internships, all while remaining homeless. After completing graduation, he got hired by the same hospital where he pursued his internship and within another four months, he had enough cases to appear for the Certified Surgical First Assistant (CSFA) exam. “I have been a surgical assistant since, and remind myself every day just how fortunate my life turned out,” he expressed in the post. He shared a beautiful insight for people struggling in life, “Now that I'm an old man, I feel I have enough experience to encourage others that it's never too late in life to strive for better. You just have to have patience and persistence.”

Reading the heartwarming tale, people in the comments section complimented the diligent man and shared inspirational insights. “Wow, I'm blown away by your transformation. Removing I can't from your vocabulary is the best advice! I hope you keep soaring in 2025,” said u/the-sun-also-rises84. u/FBgreatness wrote, “I hope this inspires people to work harder.” Others shared personal experiences of struggle and despair. “I was homeless at 17, and somehow I have managed to work my way up into a well-paying union job and home ownership. I’m sometimes still shocked I didn’t end up on drugs. I see you, man. We made it,” shared one Reddit user.