Growing up I always had a fascination for the medical field. It’s super weird because no one in my family is a doctor or dentist, but I thought it was just in my blood. But the question always returns to my head, should I have been a dentist?
When I was in junior high I had a major love for sciences. I took all the science classes I could and in ninth grade I loved my honors Biology class. Every time a dissection was scheduled I made sure I knew every part and studied like crazy to know what it was that we were getting ourselves into, literally.
I still remember the day like it was yesterday. We got to work in groups to dissect a shark. This was one of the coolest experiences and I knew I was going to learn a lot about the anatomy of this amazing creature. As we started to dissect the animal one of my team members wasn’t really focused like they should have been. I didn’t care because all I wanted to do was dig my way through each body cavity and see what they really looked like. Our teacher had walked out of the room and the next thing you know, my team mate is jump roping the small intestines. I didn’t know what was happening until the teacher walked back in, saw what was going on and instantly failed us.
I was heart broken. I had studied so hard each and every part and my grade was going to be ruined by this idiot. I instantly told the teacher the situation and made sure that my grade wasn’t going to be effected in any way. I had a dream to work towards and no one was going to stop me, except myself.
If you know me at all you know that when I get in social situations I tend to talk, a lot. This was a major problem for me in school because I loved being social. I loved being friends with everyone and doing everything. Well, if the medical field is your dream, then you usually aren’t the social butterfly. I felt that I was going to be different.
The choice between dentistry and plastic surgery (that’s what I wanted to really go into) was simple. Surgeons have peoples lives in their hands, where dentists just have their teeth. I didn’t want to have to deal with that, so dentistry it was.
When I got into college, and had to really focus, I was ready to work hard and get those perfect grades that I knew I needed. I had decided that I was going to do all my schooling in California. The reasoning for that was simple again: I wouldn’t know anyone in California, making it simple to focus, there were dental schools there, and dentists aren’t on ever corner like they are in Utah.
Yes, I was loving all the health classes, all the sciences (even though I had a lot of bumps in that road), and just worked towards my goal. I knew that dentists would always be needed, so this was going to be a career I could depend on.
I went to social events at UOP San Francisco where I mat the deans of the dental school. I made sure to rub shoulders with the most important people. I made sure to join the dental society planning the events. I felt like I had it all going and knew that this was going to work out perfectly. The only thing is, I wasn’t happy. Was this the right thing for me?
I had finished everything when I realized this wasn’t for me. I wasn’t the type to have one way conversations talking to my patients and trying to understand what they are saying back to me. So what would be the perfect fit?
I completely switched from majoring in Biology to getting my bachelors degree in Communications. I couldn’t be happier. I feel like that is the most important thing when thinking about the career that will provide for our family. I knew that dentistry would make me plenty of money, but I wouldn’t have been happy. Coming home from work, for me, wouldn’t have been as great.
How grateful I am that I made the decision to go into a career that really fits my personality, makes me happy and I couldn’t be more proud of all the work I’ve done to provide for my family. So ladies and gentleman, your dream can change the way you change. So be sure to support one another and focus on happiness because if you’re not happy at work, you won’t be happy at home.
