Our guest blogger today is Niji Daryanani, a final year Clinical Sciences student who also worked with us this year in Careers as a student receptionist. Here she has written about how her career path has taken a slightly different turn from her initial plans…
Being a doctor was my dream, the exciting concept of saving lives and all that dramatic stuff made this career my desperate aspiration. I was so focused on this that I failed to broaden my horizons to any other careers which could have possibly suited me better.
After not receiving any offers for Medicine at A level stage, I dove straight in for the Clinical Sciences degree; with my main aim, like everybody else, to transfer to Leeds Medical School after the first year. Sadly, yet again it was ‘not my time’ and I failed to transfer with the empty statement of ‘everything happens for a reason’ playing in my head to somehow find a silver lining of this bleak situation. Before you know what the ‘reason’ is, you can’t help but feel like the world is ending and that the forces of life hate you; however now that my reason has become apparent, I am nothing but eternally grateful for the previous disappointments.
I finally listened to my dad’s advice and stepped out of my medicine bubble, I branched out to land in a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT bubble, Dentistry. So no I didn’t make my life any easier as less universities offer Dental courses with a significantly lower number of places, but I knew this would be a challenge that would be worth it. I made sure first that I knew what I was getting myself into, and so I undertook work experience and spoke to and observed dentists at different stages of their career, seeking to find out the disadvantages first to see whether it would deter my decision, and I’m so happy to say it didn’t! No I don’t have a ‘passion for teeth’ but I do have a passion for helping improve someone’s quality of life and I found dentistry to be the perfect platform for me to do this.
The careers department and their support were influential in my decision; with the advisers putting their full effort in helping me with general advice, my application process and interview practice. I am so grateful for their help and would highly advice other students to use the incredible resources. Our future is so important, and with such useful services readily available for us we really have a chance to find and pursue careers suited to us.
And congratulations are in order, as Niji has been offered a place on a number of Dentistry courses, including her first choice. If you’d like help or advice with further study or your career options, please get in touch with us.