Paid for your passion?

Okay...so I've been trying to figure out for quite some time what my career will look like. Frankly, I was starting to believe that one just happens into a career and that careers are realized in hindsight; that you position yourself to seize and successfully execute on those, and you have to look back to see how the theme of a career unfolded. That sat very uncomfortable with me, but I did not have evidence to prove otherwise. I have to say that my time in Indianapolis with an extremely large pharma company (henceforth, referred to as "big pharma"), that will go unnamed, changed my perception in so many ways.

Never have I thought about the opportunities with one company for more than 4-5 years. I figured that because my desire is to continue developing myself and reaching further heights to stretch myself, that my pace will be out of pace with whatever company I am at (i.e., no room for stretch opportunities) and I would grow bored. I did not feel this way at big pharma. I could actually see down the road to the 10 and 15 year mark, and beyond. I saw the opportunities to contiuously be stretched, all while doing so much good in the world.

This experience has equipped me with a brand new framework to judge internship and full-time employment opportunities. Don't get me wrong. I am still concerned about the near-term and how those opportunities help me develop professionally and personally, but now I have a stronger concern for what those opportunities could look like over the longer term. Thanks big pharma!!