ER to Ecosystem 1

My earliest memories are of living on a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean. My father’s service in the U.S. Public Health Service took our family to Micronesia for a few years.

I was four when I learned how to get to high-up mangos on the tree next to our single-story house. A large water tank near the back door served as my ladder, and some branches hung just above the shingles. Here, I first enjoyed the savory satisfaction of creative problem-solving. As I tossed some mangos down to neighbor friends, I also discovered that joy is richest when shared.

Our family moved back to Illinois when I was five. Having only known an ocean of water, I discovered new beauty in the Midwest “oceans” of corn and soybean fields. And the possibilities for my creative mind stretched just as far, boundless.  

Along my life’s journey, I have collected a wide range of skills and lessons by always being eager to learn and grow and give:

• Playing basketball and soccer taught me sportsmanship and teamwork, and waking up early to practice taught me about commitment and discipline.

• Making my own comic books taught me how to draw sketches and story-tell, and designing treehouse forts for friends taught me how to use spatial reasoning and computer skills.

• Writing songs taught me poetry and music theory, and recording them taught me audio production and the value of iteration.

• Marketing and selling my creations taught me about networking and entrepreneurship, and managing my earnings taught me financial literacy and responsibility.

• Leading school dramas and chapel services taught me how to perform and to engage an audience, and playing concerts to raise money for my medical mission trip to Africa taught me about the power of a platform and the need for neighborly goodness. 

• Visiting people in nursing homes taught me kindness and patience, and serving at a soup kitchen taught me compassion and generosity and how to make meatloaf and iced tea for two hundred people.

The list goes on, expanding in its variety. And the prevailing thread throughout it all is the same: Life offers endless opportunities to always be learning, always be growing, and always be giving. I am grateful for the energy and focus to pursue so many of them.

For over a decade, the practice of medicine has allowed me to learn, give, and grow. It has been an incredibly rewarding profession. However, the time has come for me to take this mindset and mission to a new type of career: The Salesforce ecosystem. 

As I will share in Part 2 of this series, my journey to and through my medical training began with the collision of a minivan and a train. And after exploring the transferable skills of a healthcare provider-turned-Salesforce professional (Parts 3 and 4), I will describe how my journey to Salesforce also began with a minivan (Part 5).