Who ever thought that dentistry, Chile (the country,) and hummus had anything in common? Not me!
My next guest is a great dentist who has decided to branch out into new territory. A Chilean with a Palestinian background, she has taken her love of food, mixed it with her strong heritage, and has started a side business making hummus and babaganoush.
Her story highlights some of the best things about dentistry! She decided that full-time practice wasn’t for her, so she took control of her schedule and works limited hours in the dental office. This flexibility that dentistry offers is so wonderful. This gives her the time to pursue outside interests and develop herself. See how she is creating new possibilities for herself all while practicing dentistry.
Let’s start from the beginning. Why did you decide to practice dentistry?
I had to decide on a career when I was 17. What do you know about life at that age? I had good grades in school, and I was good in math and science, so I searched for options in those areas. Dentistry was what seemed to suit me best.
That’s so true. It seems so strange that we are expected to make a huge life decision when we barely know anything about ourselves. How was your dental school experience?
Overall it was good. I made good friends, I enjoyed the learning, I had very good professors, and I was motivated to become a good dentist and to help people. However, it is a very stressful career, and there were very difficult moments. We didn’t start to examine and treat real patients until the 4th year, and although I didn’t enjoy it back then, I thought it was because of the university environment. I thought that everything would change once I went on my own. I thought it would be so much better without the stress of grades and a professor to respond to.
Yup. It’s that illusion every dental student believes– it will be easier in the real world. Who knew the joke was on us? Ha! Tell me about your first job out of school.
The first year I worked in a small town near my hometown, Santiago. I lived there during the week and returned to Santiago on weekends. I lived there with a boyfriend (also a dentist) that I had back then. The job was in a primary care center, where I saw mostly children and a few adults.
The job was very relaxed. I saw only about six patients in the morning and six in the afternoon, and since it didn’t comprise complex treatments, it took me about 1.5 hrs. for each patient. Then I had time for reading or talking to colleagues. I took a 2-hour lunch break, and since it was a small town I could go have lunch at home. So, in terms of way of life, it was a pretty good experience. Despite that, I did start to realize that I didn’t enjoy the work per se, and I was happy when patients missed their appointments. I thought it was because I still didn’t have a lot of experience, and this caused me a considerable amount of stress. I was always worried to make a mistake or to not know something.
Those early years are so insecure. How has your relationship with dentistry evolved over the years?
After that first job I came back to Santiago and started taking jobs in private practices. My second year I took a diploma course on Interceptive Orthodontics, so I was studying and working part-time. I kept feeling bad about seeing patients, and I thought that if I became an orthodontist in the future I would come to like it.
After that year of studying while working part-time, I have always worked a partial week.
Two years later I had the option to get into orthodontics. It’s a three-year program– very demanding in terms of time and effort, and very expensive as well. By then, I already knew (or part of me did, but I didn’t want to accept it) that I didn’t want to practice dentistry for the rest of my life, so I decided not to get into the program.
What about seeing patients made you feel bad?
There was always a certain stress about seeing patients. I think a lot of it had to do with insecurity in my knowledge and/or abilities. Also, since I’m a very introverted and shy person, I had problems communicating with them and having them see me as a confident professional.
It is hard for introverts to spend all their time with people. How did you eventually decide that you wanted to do more than dentistry?
I started to socialize in environments with people from everywhere in the world and from different backgrounds, and this made me realize that there were so many options in the world and that so many people change their lives completely and don’t work in what they studied.
Also, I am a very curious person with so many interests, I love to learn new things and take on new challenges. But I don’t feel motivated to learn more about dentistry. I started to read books on different subjects, and realized there were so many things that made me feel so motivated, so I started seeing the world as an open rainbow of opportunities and dentistry as a constraint.
How have things changed in dentistry or for you since those first few years?
Eventually came the years of acceptance, first to myself, and then to other people. I didn’t actually talk about it to someone until my fifth year out of school. Luckily, he was a good and understanding friend who had gone through a career change, so he helped me and motivated me a lot. He was a professor in a business university, and I even worked with him for a while as his assistant, so I could get the hang of doing something different. It was a good mind-opening experience.
As I grew more and more accustomed to the idea of a career change, I started looking for options. I thought about something related to languages/translation for a while, since my first language is Spanish and I have a good command of English. I did some sporadic translation work, but I realize it’s difficult to make a career out of it. I even applied for a scholarship to do a Masters in Linguistics in Australia. Unfortunately I didn’t get it, and couldn’t afford it by myself.
Although I haven’t come to like practicing dentistry, I have become more at peace with it. I am working only four afternoons now, and I do the best job I can for my patients. I see it as a means to support myself while I develop my side business.
Why do you think you are more at peace with it now? What helps you to keep going?
It helps that I have a stable job and that I pretty much know what to do and expect everyday, so there isn’t much stress to it. The part-time arrangement also allows me to explore other options and to do a lot of the things I like. It’s a good balance.
Tell us more about your side business!
I’m practicing dentistry part-time while I develop this side business. I prepare and distribute hummus and babaganoush. This came to be thanks to my love of cooking and my Palestinian ancestry. I have had a lot to learn, but it has been very exciting to see how people love it and how my client base has grown.
How cool! So many people dream about having an amazing food business, but I imagine it’s harder than it seems. What has this side business taught you about yourself?
WOW! The learning has been amazing overall. I had to learn and still am learning about how businesses work. I started attending several courses, took online classes, and worked with 2 different coaches. But I haven’t learned only about business. It has been a whole discovery of how I can advance my skills in the way I want, how I can grow out of wrong perceptions I had about myself. For example, take my shyness. I started socializing and networking more on my own, and now I feel so much more confident. Even if this business doesn’t turn out to be THE definite occupation for me, I feel much better prepared for whatever enterprise I wish to pursue. I really has been a wonderful time of learning and growing as a person.
Yes! Whether this becomes THE career for you, or not, it will open doors for you! What have been your biggest challenges?
Definitely reaching acceptance with myself and then being able to talk to people about it. It was especially hard with my parents, who are more supportive now, but it was hard for them in the beginning.
I think a lot of us share that same challenge when it comes to our families. How were you able to work through your greatest challenges within dentistry?
I have learned to see work as a temporary arrangement, and necessary to reach the life I want to have. I try not to get stuck with feelings of anguish. In the end, your own mind is very powerful.
What is 1 tip you would share with anyone wanting to make dentistry work?
Focus is key. I’d tell them to focus on what they like about dentistry and try to develop that side of it.
What were your biggest motivators to change?
To be true to myself and find happiness.
What were your biggest obstacles to change and how did you overcome them?
I think the biggest obstacle is fear of the unknown and fear of failure in whatever. I overcame it by trying different things little by little, getting to know myself, the things I like, and discovering my talents.
What is 1 tip you would share with anyone wanting to change careers?
Go for it. We have only one life, and there is so much more out there than the career you studied. Learning new things can be challenging but super fun.
What else would you like people to know about you or your journey?
It hasn’t been easy, but it has been fulfilling, and I feel proud of not trying to live up to people’s expectations but to my own heart.
What do you do for fun and/or creativity?
I love learning languages. My French is pretty good, and I’m currently learning Italian and German. Cooking and reading are other of my big hobbies.
How do you think your creativity has helped you expand your career options?
Mmm, it’s funny, I actually don’t consider myself a very creative person. But that’s one of the things I’m working on. It’s one of my limiting beliefs.
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