Earlier this morning I had a scheduled visit with my doctor to see how I was faring. I’ve been fighting with an incurable disease for over 6 years now, but only lately I’ve been able to gain weight, in turn becoming healthier and also more confident when tackling projects. This improvement I’ve been undergoing should be followed by good news from my doctor, which being this early in the year, should also set a solid basis for my future plans.

While the news were indeed good, I expected something better, and that has placed me in a tight spot regarding my future plans. Right now, I’m taking two medications, one weekly and the other one monthly. I expected to get a re-schedule, but it didn’t happen. Instead, the weekly medication will now be a lower dose, while the monthly one will be evaluated to see if it can be administered in a wider gap in late March. Lowering medication is always a good sign, but still it’s not a schedule that pleases me in terms of searching for a job, something I must start to consider very seriously. So far, I have two plans in mind.

Plan A, or what I at least considered my main option until I was invaded by hesitation after my medical news, was becoming involved with the world of tennis. Becoming involved in a sport means a lot of travelling, but that’s not something that should bother me in at least a couple of years. Even then, it’s a job that would require a full week dedication, something I cannot guarantee right now and probably won’t be able to next year either. I could guarantee it if I could get rid of my weekly medication, but seeing how it’s the one that has brought forth my improvement, it won’t be easy to forcefully detach myself from it, nor will my doctor want me to. The application exams for this job are held on late March, a week after I get the final verdict on my monthly medication. I have the feeling I won’t have a solid schedule by then, but waiting for the next one means throwing away the full year, as no other applications are scheduled and the chances of betraying this schedule are very low.

Plan B is, of course, get a job according to my studies, which I’m currently undergoing. My bet is to become a sports reporter. Putting aside all the competition this job may have, the main problem is how hard it is to get a job around here on any place. I do have a wild card in the form of languages, as I could easily apply for an international broadcaster, but I still see my chances very slim.

Now for the most important things. If I end up choosing A, I will continue studying for sure, just to have B available at any given point. However, seeing the amount of dedication I will need to put into it, probably they cannot be combined, even less if that future where I end up travelling the continent or even the world becomes a reality. The big advantage of A is that it’s a much safer choice, as I “only” need to pass the application exam to get it, and storming through the ranks from then on follows a similar theme. This “warrant” of having a safe job is very tempting, but you have already seen the many disadvantages it has. I could wait to finish my studies, but that would mean wasting even more years of time, and I’m tired of that.

For all these reasons, I’m in a very tight spot, as I’m unable to truly decide for one. I would risk my health just for a chance of getting my dream job, but I have a ton to lose, even if I succeed in the application exam(s). While B could also grant me some of my dreams, it also poses very little risk, as I wouldn’t be trying it until I’m done with my studies, which also leaves room for “experimenting” with my medication in a much safer way. However, I cannot get rid of A that easily, both for being my biggest dream and for being a safer bet job-wise.

I would give it a bit more of thinking, but I have finals soon and that’s already enough over my shoulders right now, so I’m asking for everyone’s advice. Which plan should I follow? Any other option you could suggest? Every little piece of advice will be highly appreciated, and I can give more details if you think I missed something worth of mention.

Well for being a reporter, you could always start off by being a journalist, which would give yourself a nice foundation and for that you can start with a blog, or writing for small places. Over the summer when I had time, I did a few baseball articles a week for sportsblog. I got a little money here and there, plus I was introduced to a few other big writers and even made a few team connections. Doing something like that can be done at home in no Tim at all.

My advice would be to keep trying to get healthier and eventually go for plan A, but start blogging and writing to get your name out in the communications license.

I will say this. It's rarely a good idea to risk your health for the sake of a job man. I know it's your "dream" job. But you also need to be healthy and reliable to perform this "dream job" properly.

If theres any question on being able to do the job reliably and in good health, then I would choose option B...or hey maybe there's another option that you haven't even thought up yet. Things change in life pretty quickly man. But one thing that doesn't change is the fact that taking care of your body/health is the most important thing. YOU ONLY HAVE ONE!

zanderlex : This is not 'Murica, things aren't that easy here. It's rare for people to get a job even when they have fully completed their studies, imagine how hard would it be for me.

Writing a blog isn't really an option either. I would have to investigate how to create it first, and if it isn't widely followed I doubt any company would take it into account. Also, there's a chance they ask for a more professional work and make me travel to the event itself, incurring in the problem for plan A.

I've already wasted enough time for plan A. It takes a lot of time to even get a position where I can live off of it, so delaying it any further isn't good news. That's why I made this thread, plan A has to be decided ASAP or else be discarded.

Jordanv78 : My health also depends on my mood, so following my dream job can soothen my spirit and thus help me mitigate my disease. The risk still exists, of course, otherwise I wouldn't be so hesitant.

Option B, as I said to zander, can also incur in questionable health if I start it right now, but probably in the future, only probably, I can be safe. If I'm going to wait to see how things progress, then I can only choose B.

Of course there are other choices, but before anything I think of the ones I would love to do. Life is a lot easier if you work on an area you really like, so I must bet for it with everything I have while the chances are there. Only when there's no way out for both options I would think of anything else. 

Well, for a blog, I would definitely encourage you to check out places like Sportsblog. If you are good at writing, which I'm sure you are and you are good at promoting, you'd have no trouble and you can get your work noticed. If I'm not mistaken, there are a lot of international blogs as well there.

After doing my baseball blog for like 2 months daily during the summer, I was actually able to get a press pass for games, and was invited to do a blog post for the website of my city's TV sports channel. As long as you have some sort of a portfolio, there will be proof of what you can do if anyone sees it.

EX Palen : I totally understand what you are saying. Just that you asked for advice and the best advice I can give you is to make sure you are taking care of your health the best way you can. Once you feel like you are healthy and there is little risk, you can then push to achieve whatever dreams you like. If you have a true passion for these fields, they will still be there. All will not be lost.

Jordanv78 : Then I think plan A will have to be ditched out until I can get rid of my weekly medication at least. I can still follow it in years to come, but it's unlikely. I won't lose my passion for tennis, but I don't know if I will be willing to spend time building a career somewhere else if I'm already building a career for B. Probably it depends in how successful am I with B, so I would have to see if I can get B going this year.

zanderlex : Sportsblog is purely American, nothing I can do there. I'll have to do a search for other blogs after I'm done with my finals. And keeping a portfolio shouldn't be hard, I'm doing something similar with my guides already.

Are you sure it's only American? 2 of the biggest blogs there are both about Chelsea, so I don't really get why they would limit it to American's.

I won't tell you what to do because it's your life.

I will tell you whichever decision you make is the right one.  I mean, we all technically have the disease of Life and we're all going to die sooner or later.  Why would I let something like that get in the way of going after what I want.

If it were me and I were in similar shoes, my personality is one which encourages me to attack Life and go after what I want.  At the end of the day, we die and all we get to enjoy are the experiences we had.  The best experiences are the ones you work hard for, you hustle for, and you make happen by desire, effort, and pure will power.

Go do what you want to do.  Go give something to the world that will stand after you're gone.  Go out and attack life.  Pick whatever you really want.  From our standpoint, the worst thing in the world is "What if?"  

What if you can handle the stress of what you love?

I believe if you want it, you'll find a way to do what you love.  You personally.  You, EX Palen, can go do what you love.

Go do it.

Ghostbear111: We're all going to die, but we must choose how we live. That's why I made this thread, because I can live with a somewhat bad health in my dream job or with good health in a job I like.

The years I spent being underweight were painful. Seeing how my ribcage was more prominent than my belly was everything but a beautiful sight. While I feel strong enough to risk returning to those years in order to have my dream job, I highly doubt it's a good move, and could even regret it in more ways than one.

I'm not giving up in life for this. I could take the easy chance of following my father's footsteps, but I don't like that kind of job, and thus I want to first burn all other cards in my hand before making that choice. I'm running out of time, as my father is due to retire probably before I finish my studies, and all the hurry is stressing me out. That's why I need some insight from the outer world.

I personally love both options. The first one allows me to be fully involved with the sport I love the most, and the second one can allow me to follow ALL sports I like and probably attend many events I wouldn't be able to otherwise. It's a very tough choice for me, as you can see, even more if my health gets in the way.

If you want to focus on reporting, make sure you focus your effort on the cyber world. "Old" media are in decline in North America (I am not sure where you live), and everything seems to be over the Internet. Your outreach can be potentially phenomenal, and even better if you speak one or more languages well.

My advice would be for you to start sending sport op-eds to local media or website to start building your reputation. It might be slow at first - I am still looking for more outlets to publish mine - but with time and patience you will succeed I am sure.

I'd go B for sure. If you're improving on your medication, then not taking it wouldn't be wise. With luck, you could always go with plan A later down the line once your health is more stable

janus : Yeah, I wasn't aiming for newspapers or anything, just for the world of media at large.

It will be super slow at first, knowing how the culture of sports is around here, but I never expected it to be easy. 

Rasenganfan2 : My health has always been stable. The only problem is that being underweight leaves a weak spot for my disease to strike in. It hasn't struck down since several years ago, so after the long time I've spent leaving my disease nearly unexistent I'm confident I can deal with it, which only adds further doubts into my mind. B is the safest bet for now,but I still cannot decide 100%.

tornadocam : I don't have any religious beliefs, but I highly appreciate your feedback. My disease doesn't really make me different, right now I don't have any kind of limitations save for some food I've been avoiding, I sometimes even forgot to take my medication because I didn't feel different than a healthy person (I know it's not a wise thing to do, but when you feel good your mind doesn't have empty spots for problems).

Is because of those questions you mentioned that I've chosen these two plans. I have other choices, but I already know they would answer more than one question negatively, so I've scrapped them. 

EX Palen : Ah, I gotcha. Honestly, if gaining weight is your problem, eat a lot of empty carbs. Eat a metric f***ton of rice and protein. Rice is really cheap, and is a lot of carbs. Protein and red meats because rice alone isn't exactly healthy, plus it's healthy fats. That might suit you just fine.