As the semester is coming to a close, I am getting ready to walk at this years commencement ceremony. I will be back in the Fall to finish my last three classes and then be finished with my B.S. in Health Science. My degree is geared to public health which can encompass jobs like working for the FDA, being an epidemiologist, or environmental health. I can develop health programs to target specific health problems and get grants from the federal government to put them into place. A part of me would love to do these jobs and a part of me would like to go to the medical route. The three me’s that I have in mind for myself are as follows:
Keeping my current job as an instructional aide and go to a community college after I graduate to finish my prerequisites to attend P.A. school or Medical School.
I would love to be a physician’s assistant because it is very similar to being a doctor without all the time money that goes into becoming a doctor like medical school and long-hour residencies. I could make a decent amount of money finish within two years. I also like that it would be easier for me to start a family with this degree because there wouldn’t be as much as a time investment if I went to medical school. I would also love to pursue a career in medicine because I would hate to look back on my life and think “Why didn’t I just go to Medical School?” seeing that I would have the time and the energy to do so. I would hate to let myself down on such an amazing opportunity that few women, and Latina women at that get to have.
2. Moving to New York to pursue a Health Scientist job starting off at 80K a year, gain some experience and then come back to LA. and go to graduate school for epidemiology.
I think this job opportunity would be amazing because it would allow to make what I think is great money especially for a new college graduate to have. Very few people get to make this in a year throughout their lives so if Im able to have this chance I would definitely take it. I would get to experience a new city, a popular city at that but I do not see myself living there or raising a family there. I would want to come back to my home town here in L.A. and be within close proximity to my family. I would gain amazing experience and hopefully it would make me stand out when looking for a new job.
3. Join the Peace Corps which can help defer a few dollars off my loans and gain experience, then come back and get a job. Depending on how well of a job Im able to get with this experience Ill make a decision on going to graduate school.
Joining the Peace Corps is something that I have always wanted to do. I always thought it would be a great life experience that would allow me to get cultured and create memories from. This is something that would be hard because I would necessarily be getting paid, only to cover basic necessities where I am living, which would not allow me to come home and see my family nor will it give me money to make payments on my student loans. It would also be a time commitment of about 2 years. This would give me public health experience which I think is priceless. I would not be getting paid and I would be away from home which sounds terrifying, but I think 2 years is a good amount of time to learn a lot and Im sure this time would fly by. I think the Peace Corps would also help me grow up a little bit because I would be there alone and would meet amazing new people who are in the same position as me.
Danielle 