It’s hard to believe I have picked up people from over 77 counties, but Boston has turned into a true International city.  Europeans in particular seem to love this city as it is one of the few in the US whose architecture shows incredible artisan skill and detail that you can never find in new buildings… just take a look at our new Seaport district (all glass, cold & no architectural detail).  That being said, it was no big deal picking up Randi who had found her way to Boston from the Middle East.

Randi seemed a bit stressed (gee like so many I pick up).  I got the feeling she just wanted to vent, so after some cordial greetings, she was ready to open up, especially when I gave her the go ahead with a “so what’s going on?”opening.

Randi starts to unload by telling me how hard she has worked to get where she is.  She grew up in the Middle East (not easy for women trying to meet professional goals), she attended college in Europe and then came to the US to begin her career. I respond by telling her that is amazing and that so many people never reach that goal.  Randi goes on to say… “Yes, and I finally have my dream job, but I am not happy!”  Not exactly the response I was expecting. 

Randi is a professor at one of the area medical schools, she is also a doctor specializing kidney disease… her problem is that as part of her job requirements she needs to: 1)- teach, 2)- research, 3)- publish and 4)- do clinical work with patients.  She feels like she can’t do any of the 4 areas to the best of her ability… it’s too much and she is a bit stressed and constantly feeling the pressure to meet the university’s high expectations.  I totally get it, each could be a separate job and she has to do all 4!

I start to dig in a little more with Randi, I ask her of the 4 disciplines she is responsible for what does she like the best?  Without a pause she says with a smile, working with patients gives her the most satisfaction.  It turns out she has only held this position for 3 months and her peers keep saying it will get more manageable.  To me it’s a no brainer… Randi is to early in this position to totally evaluate her situation yet.  I mention to her that she needs to stick with this position for at least a year before she can truly decide if this is her dream job or not.  If she still feels the same way after the year I suggest that she make a move with a solid focus on working with patients… and she can still publish if she wants to.  For now she just has to tough it out and test her metal because she hasn’t been in this role long enough to make a fair assessment.  If she is still unhappy with her “Dream Job”, then she at least has given it a fair shot and she always has the option to do what she truly loves… being a doctor and possibly finding her true Dream Job!

*Names may have been changed to protect the innocent!!!

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