Is it all just talk?

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Communications museum

Tonight's speaker talked about the importance of communication, a key ability for working in the healthcare field. I left with a good feeling that the verbal and written skills I've honed over the years could be especially valuable in a new career that isn't just about communication.

Though medical writing has emerged more than once in my mind as a direction to explore, two considerations - working with people and not spending the entire day at a computer - are important to me.

Lately, I have been thinking that whatever next step I take, it's got to be into something I truly enjoy. Granted, I would enjoy it more if it pays really well. But the main thing is to quit doing work that is disagreeable on some level or another. Though I've been complaining like mad for the past week, today I began to feel the investment of time and money in these courses will have a positive return.
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I'm just scratching the surface of career exploration. I've never been blessed with a passion for any one interest. I've also been pressed to find work, any work, most of my life. Tonight's speaker remarked that if we students are just going into healthcare because of the high demand and prospect of making good money, and it really doesn't suit our personalities, we are in for misery. I agree. But it's like anything - you don't really know what it's like until you are in it.

So, I keep talking to people in the healthcare field. Some are there because they once had passion (and now don't). Some are there because they truly love it. Others are making a paycheck. As I tap them for personal experiences, few want to be discouraging. I have to listen between the words. Ah. Communication. There it is. Again. This journey isn't just about finding a new career. It's about acknowledging who I am, honoring my values. For years, I contorted myself to fit into companies whose products, services, or cultures I found repulsive. Do I really want to do that again? I want to get beyond "the paycheck" to believing that, despite an uncertain economy, there will be something "just right" and if it pay well, great. It's not all just talk. It's a lot of thinking, too.

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