ESSAY #1 - Comparison Contrast Essay FIRST DRAFT

Why choose the same career as Mom or Dad? Posted by Alexandra Pecharich × 07/22/2013 at 2:14 pm

Recently I interviewed a young man without knowing that there was another man, older, with the same

name and in the same profession. They were father and son and both doctors. I spoke with the son on

the occasion of his graduation from the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. I inquired about his

experience as a member of the historic first class and pointedly questioned him about his career path:

Who or what had influenced his decision to become a physician? He spoke of having a great respect for

his former pediatrician and an interest in working with people, as well as a love of science.

Four generations: Young Daniel, resting on the ledge, with his grandfather (Agustin), great-grandfather (Agustin W.) and

father (Daniel) in 1993, when all three men were physicians at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Young Daniel recently

graduated from FIU’s medical school.

What he didn’t tell me until the last two minutes of our 40-minute meeting—and this only when I

specifically asked if there were another doctor in the family—was that his father practiced medicine. Then

he casually dropped that his grandfather and great grandfather had donned the white coat as well. The

fourth-generation doctor appeared proud of his heritage—make no doubt about that—but he certainly

took pains to downplay it. His dad, whom I soon after contacted for the backstory, told me that the

youngster likely simply wanted to be judged on his own merits.

Makes sense to me. What individual wants to be viewed as nothing more than a mini-me or carbon copy,

especially when a lot of time, effort and mental output have gone into achieving a particular degree or

position. Maybe the young doctor figured that going into the family business might suggest to others that

he lacked imagination, that he somehow took the “easy way out” by clicking on a kind of cosmic default

button.

On the contrary, I found his accepting the familial baton nothing short of fascinating, and I could only

imagine his family’s pride at seeing history repeat itself in such an important way.

Got me to thinking: How much influence do parents have on their children’s choice of livelihood?

Watching Mom or Dad go off to the office, the fire station, the salon, the classroom, the theater or

wherever he or she works certainly leaves an impression, be it for the good or the bad.

A 2001 study by the career services office of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that

parents, at least of college students, don’t believe they exert a strong influence on their offspring’s

selection of a line of work. Those same parents stated that factors such as individual talent and interest,

in addition to marketplace demands, should take precedence over any personal dreams and desires they

might harbor for their progeny. Wow, that’s a refreshing dose of reality.

I caught up with a few Panthers who followed in their parents’ footsteps to see why they walked that line.

Shared passion

Daniel F. Garrido earned his bachelor’s in nursing from FIU in 2011 to enter a profession shared by his

mom and his dad (notably, both also FIU nursing alumni). What drove the two of them ingrained itself in

Daniel as well. “My parents have always thought of others before they take care of themselves,” he says.

“I was raised on those values, and I will carry them throughout my life.” In his case, Daniel, currently at

Larkin Community Hospital, will take his education and his dream one step further by attending medical

school—he has applied to several in Florida, including FIU’s—as early as fall of 2014.

A chance to work together

For College of Law alumna Marie Arango Palomino ’12, the benefits of continuing a family tradition are

numerous. “There are many pros to my decision to follow in my father’s footsteps. The most important

and valuable one to me is the opportunity to help him as he nears retirement,” she says about one day

moving into a practice focused on personal injury, maritime and product liability law. “I intend on working

at his firm and lightening his load as he grows older.”

Behind-the-scenes education

Exposure from a young age to what would be his eventual profession gave FIU football Assistant Coach

Cameron Turner, son of FIU football Head Coach Ron Turner, a rare insider view. “Being around it, you

learn about it, and that’s what you know and you’re comfortable with,” says the one-time quarterback for

the Citadel. During his father’s eight years at the University of Illinois, young Cameron served as ball boy

and sat in on team meetings and watched as his dad got to know recruits and their families. Perhaps not

surprisingly, Cameron’s brother Morgan is tight ends coach at Stanford.

For the record, my own parents were in small manufacturing (a business that my brother has taken over),

and I work with words (an activity my 11-year-old son has embraced in earnest).

Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level: 11.9 852 Words

http://news.fiu.edu/2013/07/why-choose-the-same-career-as-mom-or-dad/64160