Confessions / Personal / Work

One Month Blogging Challenge – Day 13 (My dream job)

Cheila65 Comments

Here I am, for the third time today. Did you miss the annoying amount of daily posts and bad jokes? So did I, so did I.

I’m back because, once again, I’m late for my blogging challenge. Well, I’m 2 hours and 11 minutes late, so I’m on time in some countries, I guess.

First of all, let me remind you to check Maggie and Angela‘s posts, as we are doing these challenge together. Also, they always post on time, so you are better off reading their posts haha.

Today’s topic is my dream job, and so I will tell you.

My Dream Job:

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I dream of being a doctor. Yes, you’ve read that right. I’m 25 years old and telling you I want a completely different career than the one I have (or not) right now. I’ve been teaching private English lessons since 1012. I like it, I’ve had probably close to 200 students, always between 10-30 at a time (keep in mind these are private lessons, so always 1 or 2 people for each class) and I’ve been super busy. It become a business that I was running on my own, before it became too much and I had to take a break, which is what I am doing now. I love English and the fact that I am fluent. I love teaching and I know I’m very good at it. I don’t say that about me often. That I’m really good at something. There aren’t even many things I could say that about, other than this. I’m a really good teacher. A kind, patient, helpful and effective teacher. But that’s not where my heart is.

I’ve wanted to be a doctor since I was 15 and in 9th grade. I was a good student, one of the best in class or maybe even the best. But never in Maths. Never. Because I had been naughty and rebellious for so many years, I was and would always be behind in Maths. Remember I told you I had been held back two years for missing class and being a really bad student? That really affected my Math’s grades. I was able to start studying again and became a good student after my years of being well, an idiot. But with Maths, it was harder. I never had a good mark.

We have this thing in Portugal, where you have to choose a specific path after 9th grade. Students are divided by different areas, chosen by them. I really wanted to choose Science and Technologies, where I would have the required subjects to do the right exams and try to enroll in medicine. Those were called “specific subjects” and they were Biology and Geology, Mathematics and Physics/Chemistry (they teach this together). I know I would be fine with Biology, Geology and maybe with Chemistry but not with Physics and certainly not with Mathematics. I would need to get a tutor for sure, which I couldn’t afford at all. My family situation was not ideal either, as I can honestly tell you I never had the right studying environment, if you know what I mean. So, I got scared and chose the easy path, Humanities. This was something I was good at. History and Geography and Literature were easy for me. I would have no issues studying by myself. I would get good grades and go to university. I would forget about the doctor thing and study Literature. I love Literature, I do. I love Science as well. I love both.

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The doctor thing has never left my mind. I did nothing while I was still in school but once I was in university and already working, I decided I couldn’t let it go, so I tried three different things.

  • I enrolled in a private school where I could study and finish the subjects I needed and do the required exams. Biology/Geology, Maths and Physics/Chemistry. I went to class. I worked. I was in university. I hated this private school. The teachers didn’t teach, they babied the students and gave them tricks about what they thought was gonna be asked in the exams. This was not what I wanted. I needed to learn. I needed the basics. I need to do well. I was paying 200€ and some change a month by myself, which was a huge burden. I wouldn’t have minded, if I was learning something, which I wasn’t. So I quit.
  • In 2015, I enrolled in a public school for night classes. They were between 6.30 p.m and 11.30 p.m. I was going to this classes while working all day and going ton school at night. I had a second job at h&m, 12 hours a week. This would be nights or weekends. I was still in uni. I was not living at home anymore, having my own house and things to manage. It was too much. I decided that I would either live h&m or school. I didn’t want to live school at all but there were some outside pressures not worth mentioning. I thought I needed the money I made at the store, so I quit school. I was doing quite well at school, actually. And it became clear I didn’t need my h&m paycheck when I got sick of working there and decided I wanted nothing more to do with it a few moths later. I don’t regret many things, but I do regret living night school.
  • Last year, around May. I decided I would study by myself, get a tutor and try to do the Biology/Geology exam. The plan was to pass the exam, enroll in nursing school (you can enroll in nursing school with only Biology and Geology, while you need Maths and Physics and Chemistry, along with a much higher average, to study medicine) and then transfer to medicine school. My business was absolutely booming. March-July is the busiest time of the year because I tutor kids for their Portuguese, English or History college admission exams. Exam season is crazy business, so I didn’t get to study as much as I wanted, nor have as many tutoring sessions as I would like to. I did the exam anyway and didn’t pass. I had a score of 6, when I needed minimum 10 to even pass and 13 to apply to nursing school. We get a second chance, so I did the exam again. I got 11,2. It wasn’t enough, but I was (am) pretty proud of myself for having done it. It gave me courage.

Will I keep trying? I have no idea. The dream is still here. It will always be. This is what I want to be. I joke and tell Rui the two things I want to be in life start by m. Medic and mother. I also joke that, if I got the chance to be a doctor I would even do it for free. That’s how much I love it. I’ve been known to watch surgeries only and even autopsies. Mr.R thinks I’m disgusting, haha.

So, what would be my options:

  • To get into medical school the regular way, I need an average of 18. Which is pretty high. I can either study by myself and do all of the exams, which I’m sure I can’t do, or I can go back to night school and go to actual classes and tutoring sessions and the whole thing. Going back to school, I will need to be there for 3 years and then apply. I’m already 25 so I don’t really feel like waiting another 3 years to get there.
  • I can repeat the Biology exam, with more time to study and more support and repeat the exam, so I can enroll in nursing school. I would then have to complete one year of nursing school and 1. have perfect attendance, 2. pass all of the courses, 3. do the maths and Physics and Chemistry during that year and get a minimum of 14. This option is easier and faster but more expensive (school is free, nursing school is not) and time-consuming.

What would you do? What should I do? I have no idea! Should I give up on my dream because it is too hard? Am I too late, too old? I go back and forth with these questions. My mind tells me to let it go and focus on just working and living my life, but my heart… that’s a different story and I have no idea how it will end.

Thank you so much for reading such a long post.

Feel free to comment with your honest opinions!

What’s your dream job? Are you doing it? I hope you are.

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xx

Cheila

 

65 thoughts on “One Month Blogging Challenge – Day 13 (My dream job)”

  1. This is really cool Cheila! I didn’t know you wanted to be a doctor! I think 25 is still young, you could go back into study and give it another shot. Option 2, the easier faster but kinda more expensive way might work if you don’t want to wait another three years. But I don’t know, this seems like something that requires lots of thoughts, planning (I’m prone to making pro and cons lists), but I wish you all the best 😀

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  2. This is really cool Cheila! I would say go for the second option. 25 is still young, and you could definitely give it another shot. That being said, it is one of those scenarios where it’s easier said then done. This decision will require lots of thoughts, and planning (I’m prone to pro and cons list). I wish you all the best!! 😀

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  4. Cheila I think you should do it! You clearly want to and it’ll be worth the work! I think if it was me I’d pick the second option. It seems like the better option considering you don’t want to go back to school for three years and even though it would be more money it would get you where you want to be! My dream job is to have my own successful business and I’m working towards that! I don’t know what it’ll be quite yet but I do know it’ll happen!

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  5. If it’s truly what you want to do in your heart, go ahead and keep working for it! You’re still young. I’m still trying to find myself lol, my mind changes all the time but it always comes back to writing. So I figured I’m doing the right thing now starting this blog even though I’m not getting paid, I have other talents and there are other ways to earn money. Legally of course ☺️

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  6. I absolutely hate how schools use such a tender age where we are barely figuring ourselves out to push us to choose subjects that determine the rest of our lives! You’re right fear of failing or what else it may be can drive us to pick subjects we are ‘comfortable” with rather than what we truly want! Also some people dont get into the subjects they want either due to favoritism or maybe they aren’t doing well in that class at that time! It really messes people up for the rest of their life ! In my case im stuck doing a degree that has also as much work as medicime does but I can’t do med because I don’t have a couple subjects because at that time I didn’t deem it necessary! I suggest you don’t give up the sky is the limit if it’s something you really want work for it !☺

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  7. I don’t think anyone is ever to old to go back to school. I think the older you are the wiser and more mature you are. you can see things differently.
    I’m a nurse and I remember going to school and wanting to drop out so many times bc it was difficult. I went to a very prestige college known for their nursing.
    do you what will make you happy. only you know what will make you happy.

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    • Thank you so much for sharing your experience and for such great advice! I don’t think anyone is ever too old to go back to school either, when I think about other people. But when it comes to me, fear and doubt gets in the way

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  9. I think, I would defenitely try furhter to become a doctor! The way you talk (write) about it, makes me feel that this is what really would fulfill your life! Don’t let an early mistake of your teenager-self destroy a life-long dream! I might be hard, to study everything you need to, but with your determination it certainly is going to work out great!
    love, elena

    https://outnaboutweb.wordpress.com

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  10. Be a doctor! You are never too old to go back to school. My dad got his business degree because he didn’t know what to do with himself out of high school. He became a manager at a department store and around 27ish, he decided to go back to school to study animal sciences (4 years), then he went off to veterinary school (4 years) and finally became a veterinarian at about 35ish. Don’t let age deter you. You can do it. It’ll be a lot of work, but it will be so worth it. You’ll always get more money, but you can never get more time, so take advantage of what you can do with it. Best wishes xx

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  11. Instead of giving up and regret, why don’t follow your heart? Do it because you want to! 25 is old? I think it is because we are 25. We are old enough to do whatever we want to do. It is never too late to chase our dream, especially your dream is so great and respected.
    I am 25 this year too. I want to be a full-time blogger/vlogger and have my online business. I want to be my own boss. Am I too late to do it? I know some people already become one in my age. But no. It is never too late if I am trying my best to achieve it.
    So never let those people affect your heart. Try your best. Achieve your goal. And shut their mouths. 😉

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  13. Cheila, you are 25, not 55. If you really want it, go study and become a doctor. I have had friends who were lawyers and gave up the profession at the ripe age of 32 to study journalism. So go figure. Also, I had the same aspiration as a child. More so because my entire family is filled with doctors. My father is an engineer, but him apart, my brother is a doctor and all my uncles and cousins are doctors. It naturally occurred to me to follow in their paths. So much so that my father even called me Dr. A and I would don my brother’s lab coat and march around the house. I loved biology with the same intensity as I detested Maths, Physics and Chemistry. In my high school when I opted for Science, I scored a 13 on 100 in Chemistry at a random exam, because apart from tinkering in the Chemistry lab I did not quite take to it at all. My mother, a former Chemistry teacher, had an attack of the nerves and took her spatula to me. Then I used to watch my brother guzzle down the fattest of books and keep his nose stuck inside those tomes while fighting panic attacks. I realised that I could not fathom the life of a doctor. I could not deal with a lifetime of studying and being always busy. When I went in for my graduation studies after high school, I did not even consider Science as an option. I made a beeline for English Literature because it was my one abiding passion through the school years. It will be a lot of hard work and crazy amounts of studying, Cheila, but if you are up for it, I say go go go.

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  14. I work with medical students in Australia. Some of them are much older than you! If you want to do it, it won’t matter how long it takes​. Passion drives success!

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  17. Clearly, you’ve given this much thought. Ask yourself these questions and see how you feel:
    1. If money was not a factor that you had to worry about would you follow your dream?
    2. If the length to your path of becoming a doctor was 3 years or more would you still want to do it?
    3. With all the hard work, long hours, financial investment and sacrifice required to get that dream job do you still want it?

    I believe if you can honestly answer “yes” to all of the above questions then you should definitely pursue your dream. If becoming a doctor would really make you happy my dear, go for it! Don’t let your age determine whether or not to pursue your dream. Once you have life and strength you go after what you want. 🙂 Hope that helps.

    One more thing before I go, no matter what advice you get you would be the person actually doing the work and making the sacrifices but you would also be the person reaping the rewards in the end should you choose to see it through. Best of luck to you.

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    • This questions are perfect to put everything into perspective! I would answer yes to all of them. I would go through the preparation, the 6 years of med school with pleasure. Loving every minute of it. Thank you for your help, my dear. You’re amazing!!

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  19. Everyone, including myself, thought that I was going to be a lawyer for many years. Then in high school I studied business marketing and loved the creative side of it. But when I got to college and thought about all of the math and figures and being in an office all day, and the focus on profits, I realized it wasn’t for me at all. My husband at the time pointed out that I was constantly reading and taking literature courses just for fun, why not study literature? It was such an eye-opener out of nowhere.

    Even now, I want to go back to University to take more classes. It’s just something I really love. Even though I love literature, and like you, I consider myself a very good teacher (it’s a gift we have, I guess) I’m getting antsy to move on to something else.

    Throughout the different stages of my life, I have felt age creeping. But I’m turning 35 in June and I look at my mom who is in her 60s and think, Oh my goodness, she was only just giving birth to me around this time in her life. 10 years from now you’ll say, wow 25 is so young.

    It may feel like many, many years, but you’ll be loving all (or most) of your studies and that will temper the difficulty. And before you know it, you’ll be face to face with your passion and stepping into your dream. What ifs are very difficult to live with. You are blessed to have multiple passions in life. Some people are searching endlessly to find their one passion. If you know what yours is, then go for it.

    Also, you MUST read THE ALCHEMIST by Paulo Coelho. It is exactly what you need right now. Exactly. Stop what you’re doing and buy the book!

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    • You’re always so kind to me. I thank you so much for that. Yes, there are many people who struggle to find a passion and then, there’s us, who can have more than one. People usually mistake that for indecision. Which is not the case at all. I know I don’t like sports or engineering or playing the violin. But I DO know, for sure, that I love both Literature, English, teaching, Science and Medicine. I know that, given the opportunity or if I were to choose, I would drop everything and study medicine. There’s no indecision. I made a choice, not a wrong one, but the easy one. It doesn’t mean I can’t choose differently now. Thank you for being so sweet and supportive. You have no idea how much this means to me, especially the fact that you’ve shared your story. You’re an inspiration. Big hug. xx

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      • Everything you say is so true. The past does not have to keep existing in the present. Thank you for the kind words 🙂 I know you’ll work it out to what’s best for your happiness.

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  21. I say follow you heart and make it happen! 😀 25 is still young, so don’t worry about your age. It seems like it is something that would make you really happy and you’re clearly passionate about it. I was so surprised when reading about this that you’re expected to figure out the direction of your life/career at such a young age in school like that. I mean, if someone actually knows what they want to do it would be nice to have a head start like that, but I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who knew 100% what they wanted in life at such a young age.
    You’re very smart and capable, so I think you should chase your dreams and make them reality. Then you won’t have to ever wonder “what if?” 🙂

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  22. Cheila, let’s be real. 25 is NOT old. It’s never too late to chase your dreams (says Pinterest). But I mean it. There are plenty of PAs and Nurse Practitioners that start as grown adults older than you are. You’re still young enough to make the change. I think you should go for it girl! I wanted to be a doctor for a while too, but then I realized my anxiety would probably be too bad for it.

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  23. Girlie! I just started reading your blog. and I must say I think its amazing. Go to school. your never to old to go and reach your goals and realize your dreams. I was a drop out. went back to school and five years ago I FINALLY finished my degree and now am a nurse practitioner! You can totally do it.

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  27. Hey, I think you should drop all your fears & doubts and go after that dream. There is a reason why it has never let go of you all this while…..There is always a reason why something is persistent with us….go find that reason love.
    About your two choices, you are younger than you’ll ever be. 3 years is not a lot of time. It will pass by so fast and you’ll be so in love with your studies that you won’t notice as the time passes by. Don’t wait any longer, time is now. Then after that, you can go ahead and be your 2nd `M’ > Mother 🙂

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