Official Career Swinger: How I changed my career between the two most prominent things I love in life
Today, September 16th, 2021 I finally hung my degree onto the wall, a sweet reminder to my kids one day that they can achieve anything they put their mind to.
It is so surreal that I began to work on this achievement at the onset of the Covid pandemic when everyone else seemed to slow down and shut down. I had a 1 year toddler and another one on the way while working full time for a pharmacy benefit company. I remember writing my paper while in the labor room when I realized I was going to have to deliver through emergency C-section.
Doing this as a mom of three, two of which are toddlers (of fifteen months apart) while working full time and taking care of my household; I am proud and humbled at the same time because of my family and academic staff that supported me.
My career pivoted between the most dear things to my heart; from conservation of environment (biodiversity) to people’s health. Inspired by Rachel Carson (Author of Silent Soring) and closer to home Wangari Mathaai throughout my career I had to pick and choose which to do at a specific time. But my passion for people’s health has always outshined through my volunteer experience in environmental education and advocacy work trying to weave a message of how health and environment are closely linked especially climate change and tropical diseases.
It is also funny that both people I mention above that inspired my career journey are also geographically linked to continents I have called home i.e. Wangari Maathai in Africa and Rachel Carson in America. While it sounds like too much of a coincidence, it probably leads me to an answer to the existential question I have always asked; why am I here and how do I find my niche to contribute to the world in a more meaningful way.
I am glad that what I ultimately wanted to do with my life is now starkly clear. Thank you to all my academic champions for supporting me. To West Coast University Public Health staff, thank you for making my dream come true. Your support showed me that every knowledge I learned in the past years was as valuable and I could still use my research skills anywhere I choose to be in my lifelong career.
What I learnt is that when you need a career change, do not let the world undermine your prior career knowledge, if they do carry on until you find an institution that values your career and life experiences. Here is to a journey to fulfill my dreams for a doctorate in Epidemiology. To be continued…
