StudentScholarships.org - Medical Ethics Career

College was the last thing I thought about when I was a teenager. At that point in my life I had to work in order to help my mother and father with expenses. Upon graduating from High School I began to think seriously about what I wanted to do with my life and knew that I wanted to make a great contribution to my community. I gravitated toward education and healthcare as my two main options, but when I started community college I discovered the world of philosophy, art, poetry. I had been inspired to continue to study these subjects, yet I knew not how I could change my community with a major in English, philosophy or art. It was Michelangelo's "The School of Athens" that would inspire me to continue in my study of culture.

At that point in my life I kept myself rather busy by volunteering and working. My volunteer experience included a position at Ernie Pyle elementary school as a bilingual special education aid. I found the position thoroughly fulfilling and was inclined to become an English or Philosophy teacher. However, I soon learned of a position at The city of Cerritos' retirement home that offered more flexible hours and that was at a more convenient proximity from my home. I did light gardening, aided in bingo, did receptionist work and answered phone calls.

By that point I had decided that I wanted to treat people and was newly inclined toward a career in healthcare. Yet, an English major seemed hardly appropriate for that type of career. In a conversation with a colleague I expressed my disappointment over my career choice, but she encouraged me to follow my heart. At the retirement home I became acquainted with an ill old man who's every move necessitated help from a nurse. I was soon informed that the gentlemen had suffered a stroke and had lost the ability to move the right side of his body. He also suffered from diabetes and multiple other age related conditions. He was what was typically known as a "grumpy old man" and had a rather negative outlook on what remained of his life. At that point in time I took my first philosophy class and we covered euthanasia and other medical controversies and could not help but relate them to the gentlemen in the hospital. With an inclination towards medical philosophy, I realized what I wanted to do.

I wanted to work on the board of medical ethics. I knew that the difference I would make in people's lives would be tremendous. With the volunteer experience that I have had with special education students and elderly people, I knew that I could apply my real world experiences to what I wanted to study. Finally, "the school of Athens" with its perfect compositional symmetry was a reality in my own life. Science and philosophy were joined in a career like medical ethics, which, according to StudentScholarships.org, is a growing field of employment, and I knew I could make a great impact on not just my community, but many others. I was greatly rewarded for following my inspiration. Following my heart had led me to discover my dream job.