From business degree to pharmacy: discovering my true calling

Proudly clutching my shiny new degree, I stared at the faces in the crowd. Although the audience at the graduation ceremony in May was loud with their clapping hands and whistling, I suddenly became besieged by silence. Looking for a familiar face to stabilize me, I instantly knew the source of my panic attack. For years I had pursued a degree in business because as an international student, I felt it would offer me the best opportunities for advancement and for networking with people in my new surroundings. Furthermore, business degrees apply to a wide range of industries and I knew that with a little experience and a lot of soul-searching that I would eventually discover a path on which I could tread joyfully. A few of my internships broadened my horizons but until recently I had not found my calling. My friend came over to me and said, "What's wrong?" I replied, "What am I going to do now?"

She laughed. My undergraduate career was enriching, as I overcame a slew of obstacles living and studying amid people who spoke different languages and who ate different foods. Like many of my classmates, now was the moment of reckoning: we were walking the plank when we stepped off of that stage. It was time to plunge into the real world.

A realized that my business degree wasn't an automatic ticket to self-fulfillment long ago. However, as I stood starkly on that stage I knew that I would have to apply my newfound skills through career development. Quite by accident, I came across a job opening in an oncology specialist's office. Having a keen interest in medicine but little confidence in my ability to pursue a medical career, I applied for the position and was soon working as an office assistant.

My job instantly sparked in me a passion for health care. When my supervisor asked me whether I would like to assist patients with their chemotherapy treatments, I nearly jumped for joy because for weeks I had been eyeing her work and secretly hoping to somehow help. From that day forward I knew that I needed to shift gears and delve into a field in which I had little academic or professional experience but one that has always fascinated me: pharmacy.

I believe that my business background will be of enormous assistance after I receive my graduate degree in pharmacy. Plus, having worked in an oncologist's office has introduced me to some of the fundamentals of pharmaceutical care: from jargon to specific modes of treatment. As I apply for my graduate degree, I feel confident that combining my business know-how with my passion for pharmacy will result in a rewarding career in the future. Moreover, my business degree will enable me to understand the actual business of pharmacy and pharmaceuticals, which is nearly as important as the industry's service-orientation.