When I was a child I wondered what I would be when I grew up. I vacillated from wishing to be a teacher and a research biologist. And for a while I wanted to be a doctor! No, I didn’t want to be a doctor for the money. Even as a little girl I was altruistic! If I had gone to medical school, I would have joined Doctors without Borders (USA: http://doctorswithoutborders.org/; International: http://www.msf.org/).
Most of the time all I wanted to be was a research biologist. Occasionally, while I was hanging out the wash for my mother, (back in the day when women used wringer washers) in the backyard clothes line, I would pretend I was a famous singer standing on stage and the clothes were my audience. And I once wanted to be Gypsy Rose Lee after seeing my favorite actress Natalie Wood portray her in a movie of the same name! Oh, yeah, did I tell you about the time God talked to me and wanted me to be nun? Well, that’s another story.
I took all the right classes in high school and went to Junior College and had to quit when my husband moved us to Los Angeles County to attend Seminary. I placed my career and educational goals aside for almost a decade while I supported his career choice. Michael went to school all day and worked till midnight. I chose to take a few classes at the local Junior college and not attend school full-time. I thought it was better for our three boys to have at least one parent that was active in their lives.
Later, our family moved to Gilroy, California where my husband ministered a church. Again, I took a few classes at the local college and I rode my bike down the winding roads to Gavilan College. I worked in the Biology department on a special project. I knew then what I wanted to do when I grew up! I was going to be a Research Biologist!
We returned to Los Angeles County when my husband was offered a youth-ministry post. By now I had enough credits for two degrees and I was urged by a professor to transfer to a University. She suggested I take premed courses and then go to medical school. I was admitted to Long Beach State and I majored in Microbiology. I loved it! However, our family was financially devastated from the stay in Northern California and our return to Southern California. A friend offered me a full-time job at Kaiser Permanente and I have worked here for over twenty years. What happened to Medical School? I couldn’t keep up the pace of classes, be a good mother, and work full-time. I tried and I burnt out!
I was now an office clerk with great health benefits and job security. While our boys were in high school I didn’t take any college classes but I studied for a specialized-national examination to help me advance at Kaiser. I also dedicated many volunteer hours to our church and attended the boys’ school activities during these years. At times, my co-workers laughed at me when I was heard saying, “What am I’m going to be when I grow up?”
Never wishing to give up on my educational goals, I later enrolled at the University of La Verne and finished my Bachelor’s Degree in Business and continued with an MBA. Currently I’m pursuing a PhD in Business. I am a lifetime student!
I started writing a book about five years ago, a historical-romance novel that I’m still working on. I blog, and volunteer in areas where I feel I can help others. I fully enjoy my position as Compliance Consultant and physician educator. I’m often asked if I regret not going to Medical School--nah! I’m not one to live in regrets! I look for the positive in the choices I made. I am where I should be and exactly where I was meant to be.
I have friends who always knew what they wanted to do when they grew up, taking the right courses in high school and transferring to an Ivy League University. This is great; I applaud them and bow in their honor. My educational path had many peaks and valleys, twists and turns, bikes and buses, and worn-out shoes! It was through sheer persistence and perseverance that I finished!
Sometimes people don’t know where you’ve been or where you’re headed-they ridicule without understanding. You need to listen to your heart, pray diligently, and take time for meditative reflection. Ask God for guidance in the direction you should take; He will answer.
So what am I now that I’m all grown up? A writer, volunteer, physician educator, and a life-time student! Hey, did I say I was all grown up—oops, my mistake!
Melinda Ramsay
September 11, 2009
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