Leaving a job that offers a steady income is not something that is done without any hassle. It isn’t just about leaving a job, it’s to let go of the stability of a salary, the routine of a day, the certainty of what tomorrow would bring.
Many people asked me the same question when I quit my job as Resident Medical Officer, "Why do you want to leave a job you’ve worked so hard for? It was a fair question indeed. Opportunities aren’t just handed out in the health field and it can seem almost irresponsible to give one up.
However, there are times when you cannot stay where you like when you can’t go where you want to go.
I knew that if I wanted to give my best to my dream of pursuing residency in USA, I couldn’t keep balancing long shifts with focused study.Each day was a decision between safety and a longterm objective. I took a leap of faith and picked the future I desired, even though it was uncertain.
It was no easy choice. I sometimes thought to myself, "What if I made the wrong choice? or maybe, "What if I am behind the rest of the students? or, "What if I’m in the wrong course? But I also knew that growth demands that we give up our comfort in exchange for the potential.
Quitting my job didn’t mean I quit medicine. It meant I was investing in become the kind of doctor I hope to be.
Looking back, I don’t consider it to be a career break. I think of it as a choice to learn, to try something I hadn’t done before, to take a risk on a dream, something that really meant something to me.
Not all career choices are going to be suitable for all people and this is fine. Sometimes, the most difficult choices are the right ones for the future, but not for the moment.
Have you ever been forced to give up something good to follow something that you felt might be better?
MBH/PS