A New Direction

Recently Erin and I have been praying and thinking about my future. We laugh at how many jobs I have had in my lifetime but it is actually becoming an issue for me. I do not like the field I am in. It is as simple as that. I grew up wanting to be a Doctor. That is all that I ever wanted. But, when I went to school, my lack of maturity, circumstances, expectations of how my life would turn out, etc intimidated me and I took the easy way out. I got a business degree because it was easy, cheap, and what everyone does when they don't know what else to do. Not exactly the best way to make decisions about your future.

So, Erin and I began listing the things I have liked and enjoyed in my previous positions or hobbies. This is what we came up with.

1. I enjoy being with people
2. I want ownership and to be my own boss
3. I like to choose who I work with, to be able to pick my own staff. At cj, I was fortunate enough to be able to assist in choosing some of the new hires that I would be working with. This makes for a great cohesive team, where everyones strengths complement the group. Less nit-picky too.
4. I like for my work ethic and my income to be directly related. I want to be able to control how much I make by how hard I work. In my previous and current positions, now matter how hard I work, I am not rewarded for my efforts.
5. I LOVE to be on my feet
6. I like science and healthcare. I read physiology books and medical manuals and journals for fun.
7. I want a flexible schedule so that I can be a mom one day
8. I like preventative care. I think people should take care of themselves before there is ever a problem. It is much easier to do regular maintenance and prevent a problem than to fix one. Plus, I think that America as a whole is over-medicated.

From this list Erin and I came up with a few career possibilites: M.D., Dentist, Chiropractor. We ruled out M.D. right away because of the cost of school, the length of school, and the fact that I don't want to treat colds, flu, and hypochondriacs. I would rather be a surgeon and I would be in school till I was 90 :). Also, I have more and more issues with our healthcare system. We are over-medicated, over-charged, and if universal healthcare comes into play I want to be as far away from general medical practice as possible.

We ruled out Chiropractic care next. Although I have found relief from Chiropractic care and used to work for a Chiropractor, I am not passionate enough about it to make it my profession. I have done some research on the science. I believe in the methods but not neccessarily in the philosophies of Chiropractic. Plus, it is more likely to be influenced by a slow economy than any other type of healthcare.

We then evaluated dentistry. It seems like the perfect fit. We could pay cash for school if we stick to the same strict budget we're on now. We could also save enough to give us a good start on beginning a practice once I'm out of school. Dental school is only 4 years long. I have pretty teeth (heheh). A large part of a dentist's work is preventative care. I love people. I could own my own practice. I'd be on my feet. We feel God's leading in this direction and until he tells us no or closes a door, we will pursue this.