Medicine is in fashion, but without the ridiculous student loans

Everyone had fantasies about what they wanted to be when they grew up. It wasn’t until just months before college that I thought maybe I’d want to be a journalist. Turns out to have been a pretty decent move (so far so good, anyway).

Before that, though, there were dozens of career paths I imagined for myself: archeologist (dinosaurs are awesome), teacher, lawyer, president of the United States (an eighth grade teacher told me to be more realistic). For awhile, despite being horrible at math, chemistry, biology, and anatomy, I thought about being a doctor.

Did I mention that even hearing about other people’s injuries sometimes makes my back tingle?

Most of my desired career paths were, in some way, influenced by fashion. I remember telling people that, when I became a lawyer I would wear black frame glasses and shift dresses with pumps that said, “I’m ready to send bad guys to prison.”

Archeologist? Cool desert boots.

Teacher? Any dress similar to Miss Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. I already have the curly hair.

Doctor’s get to carry those really amazing bags. You know, the ones they pop open and pull out instruments and medications to cure diseases and heal all wounds. As luck would have it, those very bags (which I’ve learned, thanks to a Google search, are Gladstone bags), are all the rage.

My personal favorite is a classic and elegant bag from Louis Vuitton. The high-end brand, thankfully, strayed from their iconic LV print and instead features black leather. The other thing I love about this bag is the option for a longer strap. Traditionally, doctor’s bags have short, thick, rounded straps. Because short straps make me feel awkward, and I’m too lazy to hold my purse, I need a longer strap to let the bag hang, or so I can wear it cross-body (crime stopper tip: cross-body bags are the hardest to swipe). Oh, and this bag can be yours for a cool $2,080.

Maybe they are just for doctors …

For spring, black feels a little harsh. (Hello nature!) It seems wrong to not embrace a colorful carry-all. You may find more affordable, colorful bags at Macy’s (there’s an orange Michael Kors that’s pretty fabulous), and pretty much any other department store. This is the “it” accessory of the season (and beyond).

No longer does it matter that I’m lousy at pretty much everything that’s required to become a doctor.  Who cares if blood and guts make me extremely queasy? Just because I don’t make the big bucks like the brain surgeons of the world, doesn’t mean I can’t carry my wallet, my lipstick, and the other five pounds of crap I lug around like one of ‘em. Besides, what’s a journalist supposed to dress like anyway?