How Did I Get Here?

Last night I was wondering this, from a career standpoint. I love my job but it was not what I set out to do. From the time I was 3 until my freshman year of college I wanted to be a pediatrician. Then after a quarter of college I decided that: A. I wasn't willing to work so hard in my studies and B. I didn't want to go to school that long. So I plugged along. My mom told me I just needed to get a degree in 4 years so that's what I did. I ended up with a biology degree. You know what you can do with one of those? You can A. go work in a lab or B. go back to school to do something else. Since my parents were done footing my education bill I decided I would work in a lab. To bad no one wanted me. Kyle found a job right away and that killed me, especially when I wrote his resume (I write killer resumes) and chose his interview outfit. Why him? Well, because the guy that hired him said "girls don't make good research assistants." WTF? In that case he would be right because there's no way I could have worked for such an arrogant, sexist asshole. So Kyle supported us with his grand 27,000/yr salary while I kept working at CVS for $8/hour hating every minute of my life. We got married so I had health insurance (UC's is very good or was at the time and we didn't have to pay for it), and Kyle begged me to quit my job because I was so miserable (and thus making him miserable). I did quit but just when my 2 weeks was up I landed a new job.

The new job was working as a receptionist for a doctor's office. I was way overqualified (you only needed a high school diploma), but I actually enjoyed the work and the people (minus the evil Jewish doctors--but I just tried to fly under their radar). And I made more per hour than Kyle did at the lab. The job was only part-time and I didn't see myself being a receptionist the rest of my life, just like I didn't see myself living in our shitty condo which was all we'd be able to afford if I didn't make a change. One of the perks of being married to a UC employee, besides the cheap health insurance is that I could go back to school for virtually nothing. So that's what I set about doing (while Kyle went for his master's in education and teaching certificate). I just looked up their degree catalog and narrow it down to going to ultrasound school (a one year certificate) or becoming a genetic counselor (a master's program). The person I talked to in the genetic counseling department kept it real and told me I would most likely have to move to find a job in that field. I was unable and unwilling to do that, so I applied for the ultrasound program. I completed the last remaining pre-requisites, did my interview . . .and promptly got wait-listed. I was devastated. I had put all my eggs in that basket. Thankfully I got the call a few weeks later that I was accepted. Whew!

In September 2005 I started the program. This was about the time I realized I didn't know shit about what doing ultrasounds entailed. I was the person you would show your fetal ultrasound pictures to and say "uh no I can't tell what that is." I thought I was going to die the first time our instructor showed us the vaginal probe--we're going to put that where??? Talk about a leap of faith. Looking back I realize how lucky I am to be happy in my field since I did not research it at all. In addition the way all my clinical sites were set up I had to learn how to scan right-handed, no small feat for this lefty. The classroom part came very easily to me, the scanning not so much. I was definitely not a natural and my "handicap" certainly didn't help. I survived and finished in August 2006. In October I got my first job. The pay was good, but the job was on the west side (a whole new world for this east sider). Plus I had to take call which was a nightmare. Still, it gave me some much needed confidence and practice. I became damn good at scanning gallbladders and breasts.

When I was on maternity leave I really starting freaking out about going back to work. Taking call before was bad enough, but with a newborn?? It seemed like a tall order. So I applied for a few jobs. I interviewed for my current position--my boss called me 2 hours after I applied online. I could tell they liked me, but I was worried because they did OB there and we did virtually no OB at the hospital. Ultrasound is definitely a "if you don't use it, you lose it" field so that scared me. Luckily they didn't mind--in fact my boss said he was kind of glad I was an OB neophyte since that way they could teach me to do things their way. The biggest selling point to me was the job had no call and I didn't have to work weekends or holidays. So I got the job and went back to feeling like a big fat failure. Scanning livers and kidneys are one thing, but a moving fetus--that's a whole new ballgame. I got the hang of though and now I love scanning OB (although I still love those gallbladders, too). It is very satisfying to get to help people at their happiest (and worst) moments. The people I work with are fantastic and my boss is very hands-off. I just get to do my own thing. So that's how I got here--and "here" is a great place to be.

Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

Every year my company has a Christmas party where they give out gifts via a drawing. Most gifts are $10 gift cards to Chipotle, Panera, etc, but they give out a few "big" gifts: jewelry, a tv, an ipod, etc. Last year I'd been there for 3 months when they had the Christmas party. I walked away with a diamond necklace. I told my boss they didn't need to give me diamonds, that I was already happy there and never leaving. I also passed my good luck on--my closest work friend came away with a diamond bracelet. The last time she got something it was awful holiday fingertip towels so this was a huge upgrade for her. Last night was this year's Christmas party. I was sitting around waiting to win a gift card (hoping it wasn't Chipotle) when sure enough when my name was called I drew number 31. 31 was . . .a diamond bracelet! As awful as things have been this year this is obviously one aspect of my life where I'm very lucky. I told my co-workers jokingly that the year I get a gift card is going to be a real let down. Perhaps I should start wearing my necklace and bracelet every single day for luck.