During different times in life, I would have answered the, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" question differently. I would have said things like paleontologist, astronaut, writer, or teacher, but these career ideas never stuck. I knew that all though I was very interested in pursuing any of those careers further; I felt like they would not satisfy me. Then something cliche happened to me that changed my life. I watched an episode of the medical show named House.
At first, I only cared about the storyline. Then as I got into the show more, the medical stuff started to make sense. I was understanding the terminology and the procedures they have to do. And it turned out that I really like that part of the show as well.
I never wanted a career in the medical field because that is what my mother wanted me to do, but after House, I was really considering it as a possibility. Then, in high school, we had to pick a vocation we wanted to do. I had to decide between two paths teacher or nursing. I choose nursing and from there I had my foot in the door for nursing. By the end of the class, I got a chance to take the Certified Nursing Assistant license and became a CNA. At first, I thought I was going to suck. It was like the final test to see if I could really do a career in this. And I passed. The clinical part was the happiest I have been thus far. I felt special and important, which was weird since all I was doing was making beds and giving people baths.
Once I became a CNA I knew that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So, I planned to go to Armstrong and get into their nursing program. I worked through high school getting the necessary GPA and classes that will help me get into college. And then when I got to college, I took the necessary classes to be able to apply. Starting in Fall 2017 my dreams come true and I get to be a part of Armstrong Nursing School.
I know that people do not have their life figured out as much as I do or that it didn't come to them as easily as me. The key is to find that one area that you enjoy above all others or even when that you see yourself actually enjoying. The next thing is to research the different things you can do in that field. There are tons more jobs than the one you first think of. Maybe you could find a position that really calls to you and allows you to be in the field that you truly love.
Then, you find a way to get some experience in it. This could be harder because you will probably need training of some kind to even do that but researching this does give you first-hand information on what you need to do in order to be ready for that position.
Most importantly is to get an education. Nowadays jobs are looking for people who have degrees. And even if there is not a degree program for something you are interested in, get a degree in something that will help you in that career choice. For example, if you like the medical field but don't like the blood and stuff there are careers in medical records that keep you in the field but not with the hands on stuff. Also, careers like aircraft mechanics require so many other things than just having a degree. If you see yourself doing that look into an employer you can see yourself with and tell them your situation and see if they will help you. You could also be caught in different career choices. Do the same thing with all your choices and see which one you actually like best. If you want to do something like acting or singing as a career there are not too many schools that have degree programs in that. You could consider doing a degree program in management or maybe education particular to the medium you like the best.
You can be anything you want to be when you grow up. Don't let doubts or even life take that opportunity from you.
