Passion

Every so often I stop and wonder whether I've chosen the right path. After all, I've spent the last 7 years of my life (soon to be 8) preparing for a career in audiology. That is 1/3 of my life at this point. I love working with people who have hearing loss, and being able to help them make a difference in their life, and the lives of their family. However, I've realized that I can spend my whole life preparing for this career, working to stay on top of the changing technology, trying to stay employed in a desirable setting, and hoping I sell enough hearing aids to make a living. And then I think about how easy it would be to open a tanning salon, or to sell some specialty item (like printer cartridges) to an ever-hungry market. Peaople actually want these things and are willing to pay for them again and again, unlike hearing aids, which people hate buying. I sometimes think about how many ways there are to make a living and wonder why I've spent so long preparing for a job, when there is so much more to life than work. But I think there is something to say about passion. I admire people who love what they do, those who are passionate about it. I want to have a job that I love doing, that really makes me want to get up in the morning and go to work. And I think audiology opens that door for me. Working with patients in an ongoing relationship, helping them face and overcome their challenges, seeing them smile and laugh, and showing them that someone does understand what they're going through and wants to help them make it better - these are the things I love. I also love the thought that I am soon going to be a real audiologist, my own person, not someone's "student" who is in their workplace, doing their job, under their watch. I look forward to my future in audiology, whatever it may hold, with anticipation that my passion for helping people will be with me throughout my life. And to me, that's way better than selling fake sunshine or printer ink.