All of my classes had a test in the past week, so I've been busy grading and making appointments to talk to students who
I did want to share some advice that I gave one of my students. She came into a meeting with me completely frazzled, hands shaking, and tears in her eyes. Why? Not because she failed her test (she actually did quite well), but because she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. Poor girl!
She was in the middle of her year-20-crisis: when you wake up one morning and realize that you have no clue what you want to do when you "grow up" and that you actually hate the path that you are on. I told her the story of my year-20-crisis: I went to college thinking I wanted to be a doctor, then a biomedical engineer, then a stem cell researcher, and then I changed schools so that I could work in the biotech industry one day. Then guess what? I found out that I hate doing lab work and that I love teaching...and that's what I stuck to!
I gave her some advice that a chemistry professor gave me many, many years ago, and has stuck with me:
Find something you're good at, that you enjoy doing, and do it.
Easy, right? You can be great at your job but hate going to work. Is that fulfilling or fun? Nope! You can even enjoy doing your job but completely stink at it (I'm sure you know someone like this), and over time you may not be happy. The perfect balance is finding something you are skilled at doing and that you like.
Maybe I'm wrong. I am totally aware of the fact that it is completely bizarre that I love my job. But I'll remain in my ignorant bliss and continue thinking that everyone has something to fulfill them.
- Maggie White
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