Drawn to a Field Outside Her Major

Mikaela writes: I am 21 and having a mid-life crisis!!! I will graduate from the University of Maryland with a degree in marketing soon. One problem — after a few internships I am convinced that I do NOT want to go into marketing; in fact, I do not want to go into business at all. The past few months I have been drawn to medicine — specifically pediatric cancer — but I’m not sure that med school and being a doctor is in my future. So I have been considering law school — possibly to study medical ethics or patient advocacy. Basically I want to help families who are faced with difficult medical decisions — what careers do this? What kind of education should I be trying to get now? Does law school make sense? HELP PLEASE!!!

The Career Doctor responds: Mikaela, first, please take a deep breath…at 21 you are far from a mid-life crisis! And knowing my background and love of marketing, I am saddened by your change of heart…but fear not, because it is never — never — too late to discover what you really value — what you’re passionate about in life.

It sounds as though you may have worked through some issues and discovered the one thing you are passionate about: helping people. I laud that decision. I always think of social work when I think of people whose passion is to help other people. There are some great resources for people considering social work as a career. Check out the Social Work Career Quiz, The New Social Worker Online, and from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook: Social Workers, which is simply a fantastic resource.

My advice to you, however, does not mean that getting a medical degree or a law degree is out of the question. And, in fact, if you wanted to get involved in social work, given your stage in college, you would probably need to get a master’s degree in social work.

I strongly advise you to use your network — or develop a network — and seek expert advice. If your college offers sociology or social work courses, go speak with the professors and talk to them about your career goals. If your college has a pre-law or pre-med program, go talk with the professors involved and gather information and advice. See if your college town or home town has a patients’ advocacy organization and see if you can meet, shadow, or intern there to gather information and advice.

Best of luck to you in finding your career direction.