Hello, I am Dr. Pragati Priya, a dentist by qualification, a certified data analyst by choice, and a writer by passion. Like every other fresh dental graduate, during my internship, I wondered what to do next. Where will be my next destiny?

I started researching various courses, options and talked to a lot of people about this. After a thorough research, I came to the decision that nothing actually suits me well. I witnessed a lot of my seniors practicing in the clinic, and working at such a lower wage.

This condition dampened my enthusiasm to join a clinical practice. It's not that dentistry is not great field, trust me, when you transform the smile of a person, the happiness you get cannot be explained in words. But, on the other hand, there is something called settlement which I believe everyone needs in their lives as earliest as possible.

Thanks to LinkedIn, one day I came across a post in my feed about a Data Analytics certification course. Cheers to the most supportive parents, I enrolled for the course. So, when almost all my batchmates were busy preparing for the post-graduate entrance exam, I figured out what to do and enrolled in this certification course. This course made me believe in myself a little more. A dentist turned coder- was it possible?

Yes, with determination & perseverance, I learned a lot of coding, data analysis, and data visualization in this course, then I worked as a part-time intern in a company and gained hands-on experience too. So, this certification course genuinely opened the door to opportunities I had never imagined.

So, when did I start writing?

Let me take you to three years back when the COVID-19 pandemic took place. It was quite boring to be restricted at home all day. I missed my college and my friends. I had almost nothing to do in my free time. I was just talking to one of my friends who was a physiotherapy student and she told me that she had started blogging and asked me to read her blogs. That's when my journey of ‘self- discovery’ began. So, I decided that why not do this to avoid boredom at home. I started writing on general dental topics at first, I made a website on WordPress after watching YouTube tutorials.

In the beginning, I shared it with my close friends and cousins, but slowly I realized that other than those with whom I’m sharing it are also viewing it and even commenting on it. Day by day, I found my passion in something I started as time passed. I got to know what I enjoy doing and what I love to do. I started getting clients through LinkedIn. During my internship in college, I was paid for content writing through various clients I got from social media platforms. As my confidence grew, so did my audience, and soon, I found myself inundated with requests for content writing.

Despite being confident with my writing skills, I was still in search of professional guidance. A few days ago, I came across a medical journalism internship offered by MedBound Times. I enrolled in it and learned a lot of new things. In my belief, everyone should have a never-ending thirst for knowledge, regardless of their current status or accomplishments.

The fusion of dentistry, data analysis, and writing might seem unconventional, but for me, it represents the convergence of passion and purpose.

Indeed, both clinical practice and content writing come with their own set of challenges. But amidst the struggles, we have to identify which struggle makes us happy at the end of the day. My journey shows how embracing change, pursuing my passion, and creating my own path can lead to remarkable growth and fulfillment. It's a reminder that stepping out of our comfort zones can bring unexpected rewards and uncover new opportunities for personal development.

(Opinion piece/Dr. Pragati Priya)