So why do you want to become a pharmacist?

“So, why do you want to become a pharmacist?”

This tends to be the follow up question to my declaration of being a pre-pharmacy student. I can’t even remember how many times I’ve been asked this simple and predictable question. But despite the numerous opportunities I have had to practice my answer, I still have yet to formulate a response that is completely truthful and accurate. Every time someone asks, my heart beats a little faster. I tend to make things up. My answer always changes. All because I don’t actually know the answer.

My future... 

Why do I want to become a pharmacist? Is it merely because I can’t see myself as a physician, lawyer, or businesswoman?

Possibly.

Sometimes I feel like the only reason I chose pharmacy as a future career is because it was one of a limited amount of “approved” professions as dictated by my family. Against my own beliefs, I found myself subliminally conforming to their expectations! And I hadn’t become aware of this decision until I was too far into my education to switch career goals.

I mean if it was up to me, I would still be living in Hawaii, dancing hula along side Mickey and Minnie at the new Disney Resort at Ko`olina. In this fictitious world, one where world peace existed and no one was poor or hungry, I would be a professional hula dancer. But such a world does not exist. And professional hula dancing career would only take off if my family saw this as a suitable and appropriate occupation. 

This, however, is not the case. And the more practical me realizes that this would not be a sustainable way to support my future family or myself. But to be able to turn my passion into a career…

So if not hula dancing, why pharmacy? It’s most likely because I have been brainwashed to think that there are only a handful of “real” jobs in this world. It turns out that my options were severely limited from the get go.

There are still so many other professions out there that I have not even really heard about, let alone had the time to seriously consider as a career. Why is it that the only “acceptable” careers are those that are labeled “pre-professional” – that is pre-med, pre-law, pre-dental, etc? As the daughter of two successful accountants, business was another sensible route. I’ve gotten my fair share of speeches about the benefits of going to business school and starting off my career working long, arduous hours as an employee of one of the “Big 4.”

But why were these the only options? Why haven’t I had the time to think of other career paths besides these?

Or maybe it wasn’t that I didn’t have the time, but rather I was brought up to think that there were only certain professions that are considered acceptable – only certain professions would make my parents proud of me. Science or business. My parents were making the process of choosing a career easier on me, ensuring that my future would be bright. They had my back; they were looking out for me.

I’m not saying that the idea of becoming a pharmacist isn’t appealing to me. I think I have grown into the idea of making this my profession. But would I have been a more enthusiastic sculptor, paleontologist, or social worker? By conforming to my parents expectations, I may never know.