Choosing Pathways

As a third year in college, I’ve been contemplating for a while now what exactly I want my career to be. I really wanted to be a doctor ever since I was little, specifically a pediatrician. So naturally, I started off my first two years as pre-med. But in those two years, I realized something about myself, amidst all the challenging science classes I was taking and while volunteering at a hospital - I didn’t want to be a doctor anymore. 

At first, it was pretty hard to let go of what I thought was my “dream career”. I didn’t like the idea that I was giving up on something. But then I began to gain a new perspective on the situation. I wasn't giving up, I was making a choice on where I wanted to invest my energy at the time, and it was no longer in the sciences. After doing a bit of soul searching, I decided to become a political science major. 

Earlier this week, I attended this career networking event and had a really interesting conversation with a lawyer. I told him about my journey thus far, and how I was concerned that I no longer have a plan of what I’m going to do after I graduate. What he said in response wasn’t exactly comforting, but it was what I needed to hear. He told me to stop thinking about where I see myself way down the road, but to start taking life one step at a time, because if I allow my mind to be consumed with millions of “what ifs” instead of just doing, I could miss out on something really great.

Although I didn’t necessarily discover the career that is meant for me during that talk, what I did discover was the next step of my journey. Life is so variable; so many different things can happen, sometimes things we may not expect. We might stumble here and there, and we might get let down. What we must refuse to do, however, is let the bumps on the road define who we are. Every event that happens ultimately directs us to choose different paths along the way, and everyone has their own unique journey they’re on. There is no one right way to do something, only to trust yourself and do what you feel is best for you. So live each day with purpose, and with the mindset that you are exactly in the place you need to be in order to fulfill your potential.

Have a wonderful week! God bless.

Love, 

Vanessa