“If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

We’ve all heard the expression. But how do you find a job you love so much that it truly never feels like work? We don’t have the answer to that. But after sitting down with 7 Chattanooga College Medical Assistant students to hear why they love what they do, we think we have a different idea.

Work can feel like work, and it’s okay to not always love every moment of it. But what about those bigger moments – those impactful moments – where you are reminded of why you started? If you can find your “why” in your work, that purpose encourages the tired moments and elevates the meaningful moments. The main thing we found in common between seven different students is this:

They find joy in helping others.

In fact, they are training exclusively to learn how to provide assistance and medical care for those who cannot always help themselves. We spoke to students training to be Medical Assistants and there was a variety of career goals and reasons they chose the medical field. Some of these were:

• They were fascinated by learning the intricacies of the human body.
  One of our students, Lawrence, noted that out of the 7.5 billion people on earth, no 2 bodies are the same. Pretty mind-blowing to think about in those terms.
• They want to lead their children by example.
  Another one of our students, Keisha, shared how she wants to show her children that it is never too late to go back to school and that you can choose to do what you do with your life.
• They love the science of fluids, blood work and medicine. 
  One of our Medical Assistant students, Genelia, told us she’s most excited to dive into blood work this semester. She loves learning about how the combinations of medications and liquids help the functions of the body to work more or less effectively.
• They want to spend less time in school and step into their career field faster.
  Another medical student, Sharon, wanted to cut her time spent in school short so she can go into the field quicker to gain experience and knowledge. After earning her degree and working in the field for a few years, she plans on going back to school to work in gynecology.

But what every single student also brought up is the feeling of using their skills and knowledge to help people.

“I really enjoy helping people. That’s why I chose the field.”
“Being able to help other people like I have been helped.”
“It just brings a smile to my face and warms my heart to actually care for people.”
“In a year and a half, I can go into the field and help the people who actually need it.”
“Help them through a difficult situation or a disease or an illness or whatever – I think that is fulfilling in itself.”

You may feel like you are working many days of your life. But finding that greater purpose behind what you do, like making a difference in others’ lives, can change your perspective of the word “work.” We don’t have the answer to our first statement. But after listening to these students, we realized that we don’t have to.

Curious about careers in the medical assisting field? To get more information on Medical Programs at Chattanooga College, click here.