HOLA!

What do you wanna be when you grow up?

Do you remember that question when you were a child? If so, you are lucky. I was never asked. During my troubled childhood, my mom was too busy working to supply all our needs. She only finished 6th grade, since she had to drop out of school to help raise her younger sisters. One thing she did make clear was that she wanted me, along with my sister and brother, to study. That was the reason she worked so hard to provide us with a good education, so we didn’t have to go through all the struggles she went through.

I wanted to be a flight attendant.

As a child, I always dreamed of becoming a flight attendant. I guess that fantasy helped me run away from the reality I was facing at home. One thing I did have clear was that I wanted to qualify for a career, so I could make my mom feel that all her sacrifices were worthwhile. That passion gave me the purpose to finish my senior year with an excellent GPA, regardless of all the issues surrounding my childhood.

As a new high school graduate, I still wanted to become a flight attendant, but as I discussed my destiny, one of my friends talked me out of it. So, I chose to become a marine biologist. But later my science teacher discouraged me from pursuing this because of the job scarcity in that field. What did I end up studying? Something called “Medical Technologist.”

The reason I say “something called” is because, back then, I did not know what that meant. Three of my closest friends told me they wanted to study that career, so I said, “Well, then, that’s what I will study, too.” Ironically, after five years, I was the only one of the three who graduated with a Medical Technologist Bachelor’s Degree. Studies required an internship, and that’s when I noticed that what I enjoyed most was the experience of talking to the patients and getting to know their illnesses. I didn’t enjoy the lab testing, but I still put all my heart in it because I knew how important the results were for each patient. That passion drove me to excel.

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” – John Lennon

This is how my career path began: at the end. I finished with my degree, despite the fact that I was not that passionate about the job. But the Universe knew this and had better plans for me. As a sign that the Universe wanted another career for me, I failed my Medical Technologist license test. That was a shocker for everyone, including me. It simply made no sense.  But today I can say that I was so blessed that it happened. My life would have been totally different if I had passed that test. I would have been working in an honorable job; one that I liked but didn’t love.

I ended working in Corporate America as a Medical Device salesperson, and I really loved what I was doing since I never felt I was selling anything because I believed in the products I represented.

And soon my job became my career. I started getting awards and promotions because of the passion I put on everything I did due to my desire to serve others.