Coming into college, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I thought I would spend a few years getting the degree I dreamed of and then I would work in the career I thought was for me. During my second semester, I quickly realized that what I had planned for myself was not going to satisfy what I wanted to do. I simply wanted to create change within a community and help the people in that community as much as possible.
Now, I do recognize that within any career you can spark change and help people, but I had to listen to my gut. It was telling me to go with what I always said I was going to do, even when I was young. I always wanted to work in the medical field, and when I was young, I thought I would be a doctor. I wanted to reimagine this dream. I wanted to find a way I could still work in the medical field without having to go through four more years of school and endless amounts of student debt.
This is where my new dream came to be – a Physician Assistant. I have always known that helping people was my calling, my passion, and what would make me happy in life. I was stuck between wanting to continue on with the previous path I had chosen because it was an easy path, and taking a new step to challenge myself with new classes, new jobs, shadowing experiences and so much more. Reimagining my career trajectory was something I had been doing for a while, but the day I said “I’m going to do it” was the day that I knew it was something I had to set my mind to. For myself, for my community and for the lives that I will one day have the chance to impact.
Changing up what you want to do with your life can be challenging and can throw you curveballs. Setting your mind to something is what it takes to set up these new challenges for yourself. I did it, and you can do it too. Find your niche, find what makes you happy, and find the career that will bring you a lifetime of triumphs.