Just kidding. But I do have an undergraduate degree in biology. So when I learned that Kay and I both had this in common I was a bit excited.
Ever since I could remember, I wanted to be a physician. I specifically remember first learning about cancer in fourth grade and I went home to tell everyone that I was going to find a cure. I was so determined to become a doctor. I went to a vocational high school where I studied medical arts and I excelled in all my classes. I was the girl who never studied but got straight A’s. And I took pride in being a know-it-all (I still do sometimes).
During undergrad I worked as a medical assistant and I learned a lot about what doctors actually do while in practice. This was a pediatrician’s office so things here were very routine. They would ask the same questions, do the same tests, look at the same labs. It was so routine. It actually sucked. I chalked it up to the fact it was peds and maybe there was something else out there for me in medicine.
After graduation I landed a job in health administration working with a doctor in one of the major specialy hospitals in NYC. We can call him Dr. Smith. He loves his job. Even though it stresses him out, there is nothing else in this world that he would do other than medicine. He comes in on his days off, works off the clock, all because medicine is his life. When I got to know how passionate he is about medicine, I thought to myself that I want to find a career that makes me as happy as his career makes him. And at that moment, I knew medicine wasn’t for me. I felt that I was at a dead end because my whole life I was focused on nothing but medicine and I had no idea what to do.
In March, the stay-at-home order was initiated and I had more time on my hands than I knew how to manage. I found myself scrolling on social media for hours at a time and I saw an ad for a free programming course. I said to myself, why not? Immediately, I was hooked. That feeling of being able to essentially create something out of blank space was amazing. I found myself staying up crazy hours of the night just coding. It’s like I get tunnel vision, and I love it. Even though I’ve only been doing this for about six months, I feel coding gives me the same feeling that medicine gives Dr. Smith. I’m excited to continue this journey and I can’t wait to learn more!