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Daiva Kuncaite
CEP 121.0463
Prof: Larry Trager
03/24/09
Should We Believe In Head Or The Heart?
Choosing a career is one of the toughest decisions that everyone has to make at one point
sometime in our lives. We can make a right decision and be happy and successful in our career
or we can make a wrong decision and be miserable for the rest of our lives. The question here is
what is wrong and what is right? Should we hear the voice in our head or the heart? Should we
ask for advice or go on our own with the flow? These questions require a serious consideration
before making a final decision. However, sometimes the idealistic point of view of the world can
mislead us. As a teenager I didn’t think about the consequences of poor choice in my career and
how much time, money and courage will take to change the path which I had once chosen.
The first time I seriously thought about my career was in high school. I was thinking of
pursuing a career as a detective. I loved suspense movies and the idea of solving cases was
fascinating. However, the only way to pursue this career in my country was to become a police
officer which at that time was in favor of the male gender.
Since I was eager to pursue the career according to my heart I chose to become an
archeologist. Ancient history was an interesting subject and in a way connected to my first
choice of becoming a detective. As a detective I would be trying to solve the crimes based on
evidence in present situations while in archeology based on evidence I will be trying to find out
about the lives of human beings thousands of years ago. Honestly, I even don’t remember if I
chose to be archeologist by my passion to the antiques, or because I was good in history, or
because it sounded different. My parents were not happy with my choice of career, since this
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profession is not highly paid in my country. Even though they tried to reason with me to change
my major to something else, I didn’t take their advice into consideration because at the age of 18
I felt on the top of the world. I confidently followed my goal and successfully graduated with a
Bachelor degree in archeology in 2003.
After graduation I realized that the job market for my profession offered limited
opportunities. In order to excel I needed to continue my education, finish my Master Degree, and
get a lot of experience in the field. The field-work during the expeditions didn’t give me much
satisfaction. My needs and values at the age of 22 changed and as a young adult I needed money
to be independent. In my country it is considered shameful to ask for financial support from the
parents after you graduate from a college. At this point I understood that I made a big mistake in
my career choice. With my first job I could pay only the rent and my food requirements. It was
difficult to save anything for my further education. I decided to go abroad and earn some money
which I planned to invest in my future even though I was confused with my career goals. I joined
Carnival Cruise Lines as a waitress and earned enough money which now I am investing in my
education.
After ten years of high school graduation I am still asking myself the same questions;
should I listen to my heart or to my head? Today, my priority is to provide financial stability to
my family. On the other hand, physical anthropology and restoration classes, which I took in my
first major, developed my interest in biology and chemistry. However, I am still afraid to
continue my education in the field that I once started. Today, I am trying to find a safe haven
between my heart and head. Soon I will be graduating in Liberal Arts: Math & Science major at
LaGuardia Community College and plan to pursue a career in healthcare. My head tells me to
pursue nursing, because it is a well paid and very rewarding profession with good benefits. My
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heart wants me to pursue a career in the research or medical laboratories profession that requires
a lot of studies, is low-paid with minimal job opportunities, but which I think will bring personal
satisfaction to me.
Sometimes I think what my life would have been, if I would have chosen a different
career path. I wouldn’t have come to United States, I wouldn’t have a chance to study in the
American school, and I wouldn’t have met my husband. I always say that whatever happens, it
happens for a reason. I learned a lot from my mistakes and I hope the profession which I am
going to chose is going to bring me prosperity, success and personal satisfaction.