You Are More Prepared
Than You Think You Are.
What are your goals, your dreams? Take a moment to ponder these questions. I’ve spent many moments chewing over such questions. These questions do not just belong in job interviews or over dinner with friends. We should be asking ourselves all the time. If we don’t, how can we achieve our goals and dreams?
For the past six years I have been working towards one goal: to become a registered dietitian. Now I am only weeks away from taking my exam and applying for jobs. It is a little scary, but even more exciting. Throughout this process my passion for helping others has not changed, though the method of achieving this dream has morphed a few times.
When I began college I was sure of what I wanted. No one could sway me; in fact I had spent three years already gaining practice in my field of choice, journalism. Work at the high school paper soon turned into work for the college paper, and things looked promising. Then, it all changed. One nutrition course awoke a burning desire to learn more about healthy eating and to share this knowledge with everyone I knew, and many people I didn’t.
Now I am finishing graduate school, and my dietetic internship, and I have noticed that my love of writing has never diminished. In fact, my journalism background has helped me get into grad school, become a TA, and led to many writing projects throughout my internship. Who would have thought that a change in majors doesn’t mean you have to give up on your former dreams.
Though writing and nutrition can be put together successfully, I saw this as a far off dream, a 10-year-plan. Not something to put on the resume just yet. But why not? Why not strive to start my career in nutrition by involving both skills? At first the idea seemed more of a dream than a realistic goal, until one after another of my internship preceptors began identifying my writing ability as a unique skill in our field. One preceptor in particular strongly suggested putting together a portfolio of my writing clips to include with my resume, a novel idea that I am currently executing.
Now your turn
So what are your goals, your dreams? First, ask yourself, ‘What do I do best?’ and ‘What do I love doing?’ The answers are very important and can be the key to reaching your ideal job, career, and life. Whether just getting started, like me, or reassessing your career at any point, it is possible to incorporate your skills and reclaim your dreams.
Don’t set aside your passions simply because they may not fit into your work right now. Instead, map out a plan that involves your skills, all of your skills. Odds are your history can improve your future.
You are more prepared than you think you are. So wake up, but keep dreaming.
–Laura Jeanes, Dietetic Intern and Guest Blogger
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