Divya Shivakumar

When did you get your first Big Break? How did you get it? How did it go?

I consider securing a seat in a medical school as my first big break since medical school in India is extremely competitive. It was my first step to achieving my goal which was to become a doctor. I had to put in very log hours of studying, around 16-18 hours a day. It was the most stressful 2 years of my life. But the minute I got to know I'm becoming a doctor, it was all worth it. Sleepless nights, metal breakdowns, all of it vanished. Despite knowing that this was nothing compared to what was ahead, it was still a very big achievement of mine. Today I'm a doctor, doing what i do best, treating patients, ad here trying to help students like me who need advice.

How did you pick your career? Did you know all along?

I think I always knew I wanted to become a doctor, and a few personal experiences made that hidden desire in me stronger. So I decided to go ahead with that path and I have successfully achieved part of my goals. I still have a long way to go and it has been a roller coaster ride until now and I'm excited to see how my future plan unfold.

In layperson terms, what do you actually do at work?

I see patients on an outpatient basis, I monitor In patient cases, I attend to cases in the ER, sometimes all alone and sometimes with seniors.