When did "opportunity" become a dirty word??

I work for a hospital in a large American city as a healthcare security officer. The healthcare organization that I work for has a program where they will pay for an employee's education if they want to become a nurse, med tech, etc. In exchange for them doing this, they require you work for them in that capacity for at least three years. So I've signed on the dotted line, and am now in school, getting an education to eventually become an R.N. The reason for this program is to try and remedy the shortage of nurses we have, which is a nationwide problem. I've run into a certain amount of resentment among my current co-workers though, and I don't understand it or relate to it at all. Not even a little bit. It's not that I exactly hate what I'm doing now - if I couldn't go to back to school, I'd be fine with what I'm doing now, but this is an opportunity to do something that has to do with helping people in a more direct and tangible way (helping heal and caregiving) plus it pays more.

Ran out of space.....

So, I guess what I'm trying to ask is when did trying to better your situation in the workplace turn into a negative thing??? I know that if someone came up to me and told me that they were thinking about getting into a clinical position in a hospital and going to school for it, I'd be like "That's great, go for it, best of luck to you." I've yet to have even one person that I work with tell me anything like that. Some non-work personal friends have been positive about it, but that's about it.

There should be no resentment toward you at all. The only possible resentment I can imagine and justify in my mind is if the Employer only offer you this opportunity and no one else. Then I could understand resentment toward the Employer in that case. In other words, if there was no "Equal Opportunity" versus just a limited opportunity for just you or a few then maybe the resentment may possibly be justified. However, private Employers can theoretically do whatever they want, but in our world of envy, jealously, strife, etc. it does not always work out that way.

Congratulations for you! You will pay your due in working 3 more years.

When oppurtunities were taken use of for the worse of things. Like a lot of things nowadays have been turned 180 degrees. But to me oppurtunitiy is still a good word, it gives you chances.