When we graduate high school, everything seems simple: pick a major we know we love, get an internship, graduate, and get a job.
However, my career journey was everything but simple. It was a very confusing time for me, but I wouldn’t trade my experience at all. Growing up in a Filipino American family, my parents urged me to have a “practical and safe” career, which included becoming a nurse. To pick the right choice, I changed my mind many times and couldn’t decide. I ultimately chose physical therapy, and I went on to spend a lot of my free time outside school working as a Rehabilitation Aide and volunteering at the hospital. It was my passion, and I always felt called to help people. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit that I fully realized my calling was to do so through the digital world.
After graduating from Loyola with my BS Health Systems Management, I went back to community college to take prerequisite classes and apply to grad school. I was in my fifth year of studying, but the pressure to do well had become too much. I felt confused and had started rethinking my plans for my life. With looming student tuition and debt costs I realized I couldn’t afford studying for another four years before I could start working full time. I began thinking of how I could pivot. When the pandemic hit, my life went on pause. I had more time to decide.
Determined to find ideas on what to do next, I poured all my time into researching different career paths online and on LinkedIn. Social media became a warm space for me, a place where I could get advice from those going through similar journeys and how they got to where they were. Knowing that we all struggle to discern, it inspired me and gave me the hope to push for any path I wanted in life.
My turning point for going into a new field was after I attended a few online events from a physical therapy clinic. The presenting therapists talked about how important it was to market well and to reach out to your clients/patients in the community so they can receive the care they need. Online outreach was something I helped out with in HS and college for clubs that I was a part of, and an idea sparked within me. I could work in marketing.
Sharing this decision with my family was my next challenge. I didn’t want to waste my college degree and all my hard work up until this point. I worried that it was too late for me to change, and I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing.
I also didn’t want to disappoint my family. For a while I couldn’t turn to anyone about the issues I was facing, or whether I would be successful in this career at all. But, I knew I had to make the decision and go all in on carrying out the promise I made to myself: to figure it out and make it happen.
Finding the courage to embrace a new path is terrifying, but ignoring that ‘what if’ and living with regret is even worse. I’ve grown my passion for dance over the years, and I applied what I learned from this hobby to my work: to try everything and go after every opportunity, because there is so much to learn from every experience. That year I didn’t stop until I reached my goal: I freelanced, had multiple internships and apprenticeships. I trusted that good things take time, and just a few days short before the new year I was able to start my first full time job.
Every day has been a learning journey since then. I love attending events and helping out where I can. There’s something I learn every day, and as I build my skills I know that I have much to contribute and make a difference. I get to express my creativity and help be a part of a growing community. I’m able to do what I had set out to do – to help people – in a different way from what I originally thought.
As an AAPI who sought out my own path, I love to share my story when I can, especially with those who are still figuring out what to do next. The stories I read long ago (and to this day) of many who switched career paths and followed their passions inspired me to keep on going.
It can be hard to jump into something new and unfamiliar, but I learned to trust the process.
I find that the more I became open with sharing my story, the more I found how common it is for people to switch paths. Gone are the days of sticking to one career for the rest of your life. People, especially those who can relate, can be very understanding and supportive.
I love working in social media, because through these platforms we all get to open up about our own experiences.
We are also much more than what we do for work. “Why” do we do what we do? That’s the most important thing of all, and that “why” can change every day. We flourish when we embrace uncertainty and who we are.