The Career Doctor™
by Dr. Jacqueline Hornor Plumez
Looking for a first job? Thinking of changing careers?
Facing a lay-off? The Career Doctor™ is a Larchmont psychologist
specializing in career counseling. If you'd like to ask a question of
your own, use our anonymous form, and she
might answer you here. Read more about the Career Doctor here.
Contact information is here.
WHAT IF I DON'T HAVE THE APTITUDE FOR THE CAREER I WANT?
Dear Career Doctor:
I am currently a pre-med in college. I recently got dismissed from an elite honors program
due to my low GPA because of science courses. Although I want to be a doctor, I find
that I am afraid to make the decision because most school-related decisions I made in
the past seem to have been wrong. What if I don't have a scientific aptitude?
Sophie F.
Dear Sophie:
There is a whole world full of people who do not have a scientific aptitude and yet
have meaningful, happy lives! For example, your Career Doctor got her Ph.D. in
psychology from Columbia University and did not like science courses. (Psychology is
as much art as science.)
Did you really like science courses in high school and college? If you really didn't love
the courses, find another field. If you did like the courses, there may be some reason,
other than a lack of aptitude, causing you to get poor grades. You may have a previously
undetected learning disability that can be overcome. (Very bright people can have
learning disabilities that don't show up until course work gets really difficult.)
You may have some psychological block to success. Or you may wish to find a good
position in the medical field that does not require the incredibly rigorous study required
to be a physician.
My strong suggestion is to go to your college counseling center and get some vocational
and, possibly, some psychological counseling to help you figure out the right field for
you.
The Career Doctor
The Career Doctor™ is Larchmont
psychologist and career counselor, Dr. Jacqueline Hornor Plumez.
Her office is at 90 Beechtree Drive in Larchmont, 914-834-1982.
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