Home  -  Back Issues  -  The Team  Contact Us
                                                                                                                    
Linking Young Minds Together
  Volume 5 | Issue 36 | September 18, 2011 |


   Inside

   News Room
   Spotlight
   Post Campus
   Education
   News Snap
   Campus music
   Event
   Going Global
   Campus Craze
   After Class
   Advertorial
   Silly Tales
   Star Chat




   Star Campus     Home


Spotlight

Passion for Professions

Naziba Basher
Photol: Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo

Students often find it troublesome when their passion & profession don't go hand in hand.

Just a decade and a half ago, getting into medical school was something that was of great importance. It still is, but, with the advent of a bunch of different subjects in the scene, namely animation, filmmaking, anthropology, history, literature, sound engineering and so on, many young people now prefer to work in a field they are passionate about. However, why is it that we practically force our young people into an intense field like medicine, when the field requires one to be passionate about the subject, determined to go through the whole course with flying colours, not to mention, the readiness to go through a lifetime of studying, understanding the human body and the mind?

Most homes, in this part of the world, are known by the name of a doctor or an engineer in the family. The catch is, when it comes to being a doctor, one is laying someone else's life in their hands and promising them a future. At the end of the day, when it comes to being a doctor, it is a life or death situation. Parents who are doctors themselves would usually want the trend to follow in their family. From grandparents, to parents, to uncles and aunts, to cousins, when more than half the family are doctors, one is bound to feel that pressure upon themselves knowing that they have been pretty much 'destined' for this whether they like it or not or so they believe.

And then there are parents who wanted to go into the profession but did not have the ability, in any way whatsoever, to pursue that career. That is when they dream through their children. The moment they have their new born son or daughter in their arms, they will immediately say or think, "amar shontan doctor hobe (my child will be a doctor)." It is through their children they see their dreams finally coming true.

Those who got into medical school without their own will may find it hard to concentrate.
Students who are becoming doctors with their heart's desire are the ones we can trust now.

"I have always wanted to get into the medical profession," says Samia Chowdhury, a third year MBBS student at Bangladesh Medical College (BMC), who is planning to become a dentist. "This is why I studied hard for my Human Biology exam during my A levels. I always had the passion towards the medical field, however, I find many medical students, along with some in my class as well, who were probably forced into this field. Down the line, it is this particular batch of students who will be doctors and trying to cure sick people. That is pretty scary!"

As the debate between passion and duty go on even after so many years, like Chowdhury shared, it is indeed extremely scary when one thinks how young people today, being forced into the field of medicine, a profession dignified yet intense, are also manipulated with the thought of income. Knowing that per surgery a doctor would get paid a certain amount of money young people start forming a materialistic mentality rather than a moralistic one.

Without a happy heart you will never find a safe place.

There are some medicine students who actually turned innovative and switched to medical research rather than going for hands-on surgeries and other kinds of treatment. Doctor Arman Hossain had studied medicine and is now involved in research work for Public Health with the ICDDR,B. "After my Intermediate exams (Grade 12), I did not really know what I wanted to study or do in the future. My parents had suggested that I study medicine. Since I did not have an option of my own, I went for it. After I passed, I realised that I was more interested in doing research than actually becoming a doctor. I joined with one of my professors and decided to change my field," says Hossain. He adds, "After Grade 12 which is when you are only 18 or 19 years old, it is always difficult to make a decision. What parents can do instead of pressurising their children is suggest to them ways they can walk into a bright future and give them guidelines. Being a doctor is actually a very good profession but a lot of patience is required. If you can not provide yourself with that patience and you realise that it is something you do not want to study within six months to one year in medical school, you should quit and do yourself and a lot of others a favour. You should always opt for something you believe in and you will be good at."

When one has studied medicine till the age of 26 or 27 and he or she realises that this is somehow not his or her forte, there is absolutely no reason to regret the years spent studying. "I think even if you study medicine, which takes quite a long time, you still have options to do other things. There are many fields in the medical world that you can get into without having to become a doctor if you do not want to. You can study Public Health (research or programme management) and there are also lots of sectors that require knowledge in marketing and administration that you can always opt for," adds Hossain. There is always hope and there is always a way. If one still wants to save lives but is sick of the bottomless pit with books that the field of medicine brings to one, there are still other things to turn to, other ways to save lives, other ways to make his or her own dreams come true.


If there is no will, there is no way.

Of course, there are some very strong individuals who really do have the passion towards the field of medicine and they prepare themselves for it from a very young age. "When I was younger I had other intentions but when I was around 15 years old, I saw some of my family members who were doctors and was inspired by them. That is when I wanted to become a doctor myself. I think having the capability to save someone's life is an incredible gift. Not to mention, I think becoming a doctor also keeps you very financially secure so it is a very good profession to get into," says Fardin Hyderi, an A level graduate who is aiming for medical school. He also added, "I think when a person becomes a doctor under pressure or willingly, he or she still needs to meet expectations. Even if it is about the money, they should work hard for it because the people who will be giving them the money will be expecting a positive feedback which is really worth every penny. I hope I can live up to the expectations of other people when I am a doctor because I intend to try my best to be able to save lives."


It is terrifying for patients to trust all doctors.

Over the past few years, there have been countless cases where the patient had been killed in the hospital. Whether it was because the surgery had gone wrong, or the doctors had diagnosed the patient wrongly or whether there were glitches that they had not even noticed, at the end of the day this shows how many of these doctors really want to be saving lives and how many do not. "The wisest option right now is to earn enough, save up and set up an account only for medical costs, for every family," says Naela Khan, a 22-year-old BBA student who recently lost her father in a renowned hospital in the country, due to glitches that occurred during his surgery. "I have already started doing that and if anyone else in my family requires, I will make sure that he or she gets a better treatment outside Bangladesh, like India, Bangkok or Singapore."

Whether medicine, engineering, law, acting or banking, whatever the profession may be, passion is one of the most important requirements in order to succeed. If you are a student who is thinking about what to do next, try and live your own dream, no matter what profession it may be. Don't just go for a profession, find your passion and turn that passion into your profession.

Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2011