"The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something." - Randy Pausch
When I was about 7 years old, I made the decision that I wanted to be a teacher. I was fortunate to have wonderful teachers growing up who made every day an adventure that I would look forward to. Since then, my career decision has fluctuated from princess to veterinarian to mad scientist (thank you Bill Nye). As someone who thrives on to-do lists and planning ahead, lacking a direct plan was enough to bring me to the verge of panic. My interests in high school had steered me toward a curiosity in the chemical aspects of physiological systems and as the end of high school neared, with no specific career in mind, I enrolled in the Honours Biochemistry program at the University of Waterloo. As I started my first year of university, I soon realized that this was not the right path for me and I became more interested in courses about the processes that keep the human body alive.
Flash forward to now. I am currently completing an Honours Biology degree with a Minor in Medical Physiology and have gone full circle back to wanting to become a teacher. My past co-op terms have led me to discover my passion for using different teaching methods to transmit information to others. With my interest in science, I am working towards becoming a high school science teacher. This journey has taught me that, as professor Randy Pausch said, “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand”.
The moral of the story is that no matter how much you plan (or how much you don’t plan) you will end up where you need to be. It may seem like those around you have a direct path with no twists and turns along the way, but the truth is there is no clear-cut way without obstacles. These obstacles are there to show how much you are willing to work to get to where you need to be.