Just wanted to share that, to my surprise and delight, I've been offered--and have accepted--a job in cancer registry at a local academic medical center. I start in a couple of weeks.
I'm quite certain I'd never have been interviewed for this job had I not completed the Andrews program and described its rigor in my application. There's a specialized credential (CTR) I will need to obtain later, but it's going to be a steep learning curve for about a year before I will be ready to sit for that exam, or indeed, fully know what I'm doing on the job, the manager tells me. I had thought about perhaps heading in the direction of cancer registry at some future point, being interested in the field... but I applied on a whim for this position when I was hunting for entry-level coding jobs; I didn't think I'd hear back, since I didn't have either cancer registry experience or the "required" CTR credential; even so, I got an interview, and I somehow beat out applicants possessing both.
So the takeaway is: By all means, apply to every job that interests you; take a shot at it. "Chance favors the prepared mind." I'm excited about this job... and thanks again to the cap'n and crew of the Good Ship Andrews. =)