Career Path Changes
In kindergarten, I had to borrow a book from the public library about a career path I wanted to pursue and share what I learned with my class. I begged my mother to help me search for books on how to become a Power Ranger. She explained that I could not grow up to be the yellow Power Ranger, so I changed my mind and wanted to become a nurse instead. As the years went on, my career path continued to change. In third grade, I wanted to be a lawyer. In fifth grade, I wanted to be a scientist. My path changed as my passions did.
In eighth grade, everyone had the option of attending a standard high school close to home or applying to a magnet school. Magnet schools have special classes pertaining to different career fields. My parents wanted the best for my education, so they thought I should apply to a magnet school. Suddenly, I felt like I had to choose a career path and stick to it. Because of my interest in health care and science, I chose a school with medical classes, hoping to become a physician in the future.
In high school, I chased after that career goal by taking anatomy classes, joining pre-health professional clubs, and volunteering at a hospital. Then in college, I declared a biology major with a concentration in pre-professional studies. I planned my whole life around my career goal: I planned to enter medical school by 2018, begin residency by 2022, and start a family by the age of thirty.
As the semesters passed, I felt unhappy in my classes. A desire to change careers grew inside me. I still loved healthcare, biology, and patient interaction, but I no longer desired to go to medical school and I was becoming disenchanted with the lifestyle of a medical doctor.
Despite feeling this way, I was afraid of change. I had invested so much time into becoming a doctor. My family kept pressuring me to go to medical school, to be the rags-to-riches story they all hoped for. I did not want to let people down and I feared how long a change in major would postpone graduation. Then I asked myself, “Do I want to live my whole life in the image of what my family wants or what I want?”
I realized family expectations didn’t matter as much as my happiness and self-authenticity. I needed to be honest with myself and proud of my life choices. Graduating sooner with a degree I did not want would be a waste of time. Although changing my major meant additional semesters before graduation, I would be passionate about my degree.
The following semester, I changed my major. As classes began, a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I enjoyed school more. I enjoyed life more. Many supported my decision, but others called me a quitter. At the end of the day, however, their opinion didn’t matter as much as my opinion.
I realized that changing my major was not giving up. Quite the reverse: Pleasing others was giving up on my own happiness. When I changed my major, I did not leave behind my interests in health care and science: Instead, I changed to a career path where I could happily pursue those interests. I think we all try to create timelines for success and to please people we love, but happiness is the biggest factor in choosing your life path. As personal growth and maturity changes us, our plans and paths change too. We shouldn’t try to avoid change. We should embrace it as we make our own life paths.
Fae Tahimic is a senior at UNLV. She is majoring in nursing and plans to attend graduate school to obtain a Doctor of Nursing Practice. Fae joined the lab in Spring 2016. As a research assistant, she has gained experience in teaching exploratory factor analysis workshops, writing empirical posters, chairing lab meetings, and recruiting lab members. Fae has also been involved in volunteer efforts focused on providing health screening to underserved populations and recreational therapy for disabled children.