“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
A trusty question asked by adults whenever a conversation with a child is fizzling out, but one which no child is equipped to answer accurately. Despite being asked this countless times by family, teachers, camp counsellors, and even Santa at my local mall, my answer never seemed to stagnate.
My earliest recollection is wanting to be an explorer like my aptly named childhood hero, Dora the Explorer. Then, during my unhealthy obsession with dinosaurs, I wanted to be a paleontologist (which was also the largest word that I knew at the time). That gave way to my dreams of being a soccer player, which faded around the age of 10. At this point, my worldview became more astute, and I understood that with hard work, I could be successful in any profession – as long as it was being a doctor or a lawyer. I wanted to help people and performed half-decent in Grade 6 Science Class, so I opted for the former, for the time being.
In my quest to become a doctor, I went to ‘Doctors in Training’ camps, participated in HOSA - a case competition for students interested in becoming healthcare professionals - and took AP Chemistry and AP Biology. However, in Grade 11, as the prospects of university approached, I felt an unshakable sense of uncertainty regarding my career choice. Did I truly want to be a doctor? Or was it just a clearly defined path, and therefore easy for me to try and follow?
To diversify my options, I joined the Mock Trial team, which quickly became my favourite extracurricular. I loved the fast-paced and variable environment of a Mock Trial competition, and became an Executive on the club within months. This, along with a newly found love for the show ‘Suits’, implanted the idea of becoming a lawyer, which only grew stronger with time. Nonetheless, I was enjoying my science courses and decided that my best course of action would be to apply to Health Science university programs and then decide after a couple of years whether to apply to Medical School or Law School. I called it a ‘plan’; but it was really a disguised effort to delay a decision on my career.
Then, in Fall of Grade 12, I explained to my dad my convoluted approach to university, and he casually asked me: “Did you ever think about business?” I brushed it off in the moment, but his question left a knot in my stomach for weeks. I was deeply afraid that a viable career path had closed for me because of my narrow-mindedness in high school. After all, I had never taken an economics, accounting, or business administration course, how could I possibly know that I wouldn’t enjoy it?
Fortunately, my closest friends were all business enthusiasts who constantly talked about their ‘Ivey AEO’ applications, which sounded like a foreign language to me. But it prompted me to do my own research, through which I learned about Ivey’s signature 2 + 2 degree structure, as well as the prospect of completing an Ivey HBA/JD dual degree. Essentially, I could try my hand at health science, business administration, and law degrees all within six years. It almost seemed too good to be true and became my clearcut first choice for university.
This past September, I arrived to Western as a Health Sciences student with Ivey AEO status, with the HBA/JD path still prominent in my head. With my electives, I decided to dip my toes into the business world, taking Micro and Macroeconomics, even though I knew that Ivey would teach me everything that I needed to know in third year. At the same time, I applied to positions on clubs which would expose me to experience in finance, consulting, marketing, and more, while attending numerous educational sessions on these industries. First semester felt like a tidal wave of new information, and I was certainly exposed to fascinating paths which I did not know existed. I found my free time and thoughts occupied by business and economics, and my Health Science courses increasingly began to feel like a chore. As a result, I made the necessary class changes and I will move forward as an Economics student, which is a step I am glad to have taken. I feel confident now that I have found a course of study which I am passionate about, and excited to pursue.
In my heart, I may still be that indecisive, Dora-loving, soccer-playing paleontologist, who is far from certain about where my future lies. So, if history is any indicator, my answer to the age-old question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” today will be different from my answer tomorrow. However, I sleep soundly at night knowing that Western and Ivey AEO will allow me to attack my eventual choice with vigour and preparation, satisfying all my passions along the way.