Secondary career?

Sometimes I really wonder how I got here - medical school. There are many things that I do better than science. I could have been a counselor, chef, professor of literature, or gold digger. (That was for Liz.) :) Quite frankly, I believe that the reason I'm here is because this is what I am meant to do. This makes me wonder if everyone feels that way.

Today, it is very common for people to have not one or two careers but three or four. Some move from job to job. For example, I know someone that was a very successful lawyer. After a while, he decided to stop working for a prominent law firm and become an entrepreneur. He first owned a couple of Express Oil places. Then, after selling those off, he now owns an ice cream shop and who knows what else. However, these jobs do not define him.

My parents' jobs define them to an extent. My father is a minister, and my mother is a high school counselor. I really don't think that my dad will EVER stop working. He will always serve a church in some capacity. My mother has changed jobs a few times, all within the same field. She was a high school biology teacher, stay at home mother, special education teacher (middle school), middle school & high school counselor. While all of these jobs have different titles, they do the same thing. All of these jobs require a lot of time. Essentially, they are workaholics.

A job can define who you are to a certain extent. It can take over your entire life. What I can't decide is if this is a good or bad thing. Also, what happens to the other interests that you have. While my mother loves science, she does not really do anything with it anymore. In fact, she doesn't really have time for any hobbies. So, what happens to our secondary interests in life. Are they persued? Are they left behind? Or, do they turn into a secondary career? Now, I wonder what that means for me. Will my career change because of what I feel that I am meant to do? I can't say. I least I can say that I will finish medical school and be a doctor at least until I have paid off my loans. Other than that, who knows what will happen next.... Maybe I'll win the lottery and really have my life turned upside down. :)