Michelle B. Riba Why Choose an Academic Career? [Academia]

Looking back on where I came from and where I am now, I wish I could tell you that the steps I took were all carefully planned and well thought out, that from early on I had a dream of what I wanted to do and the rest of my life consisted of fulfilling this dream. I always have admired people who were focused and knew exactly what they wanted to be or do from an early age. In stark contrast to what I admire, the best way to summarize my professional life would be to say that I have had a lot of experiences, that I have seized opportunities when they were presented, and that I am now able to draw on my past to help in the present work that I do as a clinical academician. This is not what I would necessarily advocate for everyone, but it is what happened to me.