What do you want to be when you grow up?

If you want to be successful, it’s just this simple: know, love and believe in what you are doing.

- Will Rogers

What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s a question that kindergartners and college students get asked alike.

What do you do? What’s your career? What will you do in the future? All variations of the same question. It’s one of the most frequently used conversation starters. It’s how many people choose friends or significant others. Yet, it may be one of the hardest decisions a person has to make.

For some, it was almost innate. Some will claim they’ve “always wanted to be ____” for as long as they can remember. Others go through their whole life switching careers and passions. Some may stay in the same field but change roles, and some may do a 180 and start over from the beginning.

Is there a right answer?

No.

As as one of the greatest movies of all time stated, life is like a box of chocolates and you never know what you’re going to get. It is silly to compare people's lives and decisions with one another, because every single person is different. Different experiences, situations, personalities, families... the list goes on.

It is perfectly OKAY if you don’t know what want to do. I can’t even count the amount of people in the last six months who have asked me what medical specialty I wanted to go into.

The answer is that I don’t know yet. I have many passions, and I can definitely say what I don’t want to do, but picking THE ONE right now? Not going to happen. And that’s OK!

I’ve included a list of specialties that I am considering, along with a brief description of why. Feel free to leave me some comments!

Pediatrics - I love kids, and being able to help tiny humans stay healthy would be so fulfilling. Not to mention, developmental bio and psych are two of my favorite subjects!

Pediatric emergency medicine - same as above, plus shift work with set schedules! Great for all of the other plans I want to do with my life, including starting a family and volunteering.

Obstetrics - women’s health is a passion of mine, both academically and socially. Being an OBGYN would allow me to not only treat, but advocate for women’s health and reproductive rights. Down side, scheduling and being on call.

Neonatology - being a preemie myself, I have a soft spot for those tiny babies. And similar to peds, development is so cool!

Reproductive endocrinology - similar to OB, plus the ability to help couples who are having trouble conceiving start the family of their dreams. Family is important to me, and being able to help others achieve that would be a life well spent.