A shining example of my ability to avoid making a decision!

So...at one point I was thinking of becoming a pharmacist.  Along the way I realized that while there were parts of the job that appealed to me, there were other parts that didn't.  In the end the whole thing was ringing hollow, so I decided to trust my gut and not go that direction.

So instead I've been thinking about teaching ESL.  I love words and language, and I love academia, and that's really my best skill and the world I am most comfortable in.  But lately I've been realizing, I likely won't get to teach in a university setting.  And teaching in primary or secondary school really doesn't interest me.  I don't have a passion for the students that I think a good teacher would have.  Not to mention, I am a fairly strong introvert and dealing with large numbers of loud, boisterous kids would probably be hell on my nerves.  I would be great with students exactly like me, but I couldn't handle the rest.  And even in a college or university setting, these issues would still exist.

I would love nothing more than to study in some field that combined language and history (sociocultural linguistics or linguistic anthropology, anyone?) but unfortunately money is an object for now, and I can't afford to study something that doesn't leave me with at least some job prospects.  Being realistic is depressing! 

Just for fun I did a little online quiz and at the end it gave a list of jobs that might suit me based on my answers.  The little lightbulb went off on "nutritionist."  It dovetails with something I've been noticing about myself lately, which is that I really enjoy working out a healthy meal plan for myself, crunching the numbers using my nutrient tracker, and I love to cook and experiment with food.  But not enough to be a chef - anyway I could never hack the pressure.  I'm not an artist when it comes to food, just a creative home cook.

I already know a lot about basic food science just from caring for myself as a diabetic, and I'm always learning more.  You guys know, I have a head for keeping track of facts, and analysis.  Despite the fact that I'm an introvert, I'm actually really good with people.  I don't mean chatty, but good at sizing people up and empathizing/understanding, and good at communicating and explaining things at someone else's level.

If I were to go this route, I see myself as a clinical nutritionist, working in a hospital or clinic setting.  Actually I would really love to be a nutritionist on a diabetic health care team.  It's something I've always thought in the back of my mind - none of my doctors, nurses, educators etc. have been diabetic.  What a difference it would have made to have someone who knew exactly what it was like!  And I could be that person for someone else.  I would love to become a certified diabetes educator, which I could do as a nutritionist.

It could really suit me.  I wouldn't have to be on my feet all the time.  I wouldn't have a ton of pressure all day long, or have to deal with crowds of people at a time very often.  I could share my knowledge about a subject I enjoy, something you already know I love to do.  But without as much crushing responsibility as being a doctor or a pharmacist.  I would be working with a lot of hard facts, which I like (nice and clean) but also with the opportunity to use my intuition and creativity.  And with a degree in nutrition there are a lot of different directions I could go in if I ever got bored with what I was doing.  The job market in that area is not stellar, but not bad either.

If I decide to go that road I could try to get into university directly, but I don't really have the science background to support it.  I could do a 2-year prep program in science here in my town and then move when I'm ready to go to university.  That's kind of a lot of time to invest.

It could really suit me...or it could be just me changing my mind again, afraid to commit.  Right now I'm still in that excited phase so I can't tell.  I guess we'll see, in time!