For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to go into medicine. Like, go to medical school medicine. It didn't happen after college, and I was devastated. I went to grad school briefly, as if that would be a substitute path to a PhD, but I hated it. I had no passion for the projects I was working on. So I quit almost as promptly as I started. And I tried to apply to medical school again, but again didn't get in. So I went to paramedic school, and got a job as a medic. And for a while, it was awesome. I got my medicine fix, I was functioning at a level that was appropriate for a little while, and I would say I got decent at taking care of patients. But 5 years into it (well, probably sooner than that), I became ready for the next challenge, the next level of taking care of patients, or the next challenge. Unfortunately, in the EMS field, there's not much to do at a higher level than taking care of patients.
So my next challenge became the teaching job I accepted in August of 2012. I am definitely enjoying teaching. But I do not believe, at this point, that teaching will be a career for me. I have spent the past 6 months or so wrestling with this. Being a mom has changed ME. My priorities have shifted. Suddenly the world shouldn't bend to me, it should bend to you.
What this really means is that my vague goal of going to medical school became much more concrete. I have wavered, though. Medical school at this point in life is a big deal. Right now we DEPEND on two incomes- we have generated a lifestyle that requires it. We like our vacations, we like our big house, our gym membership, our house cleaner, we like our new clothes and new shoes, and generally living care-free. Going to medical school requires work. It requires sacrifice, not just from me, but from the WHOLE family. We will need to start saving now, need to start living more frugally.
And I need to take some classes and also the MCAT. Le-Sigh... not THAT again... So... here's to working hard for the next 12 years of my life so I can achieve my dream. And hopefully provide for my family. I figure as long as I'm making more than I am now, I'll be doing OK...
So keep your fingers crossed for me. I'm gonna be a doctor someday.
