Really unsure if my constant pouring over every detail of my future is me being cautious or harmful.
Currently in what I guess you could consider my freshman year in college. I WANT to become a physical therapist with a focus in orthopedics/sports injuries and performance. But I keep reading and seeing things that concern me about the day to day operations, pressure from management to hit numbers, lower pay in this setting, etc etc on top of the already looming thoughts of cost of schooling and time that will be spent to pursue it all + some pessimism about the future of the field.
I don't know what else I would do with my life. This stuff is my greatest passion. I feel like I'm letting people with bad experiences or just simply the downsides of this particular path stop me from fully embracing my choice...or even continuing with it.
sounds cliche, but do something you will enjoy.
Honestly, I was going this way (being a physio) and I probably would've gone towards sports injuries/sport conditioning/performance route as well. If you can, is there a clinic at school you can volunteer with? I volunteered with the clinic on campus and got to help with some of the varsity athletes. Good way to see the profession, get some exposure, make some connections, get to know others also pursuing this path. In the end, my marks sucked, couldn't get to grad school. Worked in a physio clinic as exercise therapists. It got boring after a while cause I saw the same types of injuries. Mostly degenerative diseases, typical injuries (sprained ankle, sore backs, etc). I also thought I hit a plateau in that position as there was no room for me to move up to unless I found another job that used similar skills, went into insurance, or go back to school. Looking back, I feel/think I would've specialized working in pediatrics or something if I had gotten into grad school... things just didn't work out.
But, went back to school, went a different route, got a chance to work overseas for 1.5 years, came back home, work low paying jobs, but eventually found myself in a good position that most people struggle getting into cause sometimes it takes way too long (too competitive, no supply for jobs a lot of the time).
Hindsight is 20/20 if not better, only you will know what the path is. There are many factors to consider (ie cost of school) so consider it all. Make sure you talk to career services at school, and hopefully you will have support from family and friends. NT is also here for you, this internet community bonded together for our love of sneakers, as weird as it sounds. But, also at the end of the day, you are in your FRESHMAN year. You are young and have time to think. I wish I took the time to enjoy my younger 20's more. There was a lot of expectation to following the linear path of graduation, get a career started, work, get married, etc. Took a while to get started for me, but I was lucky to have a supportive gf (now wife) back then. Last note, of course, being efficient with time is ideal, but people choose to change careers 15-20 years later. You can always change, just the sacrifice that is required to do so will change as time passes. If you're okay with that, then it makes you more flexible. My cousin went from being an accountant to becoming a physical therapist.
Hope that helps.
I'm currently procrastinating. ...sigh facepalm.
Sometimes I be afraid to go to sleep at night.
Me too, some days I'm so sleep deprived that sometimes I don't think I'll wake up, so I'm scared to fall asleep.
