How I Turned my Unique Interests into a Career I Love

Szonja, one of our fantastic Account Executives, shares how her differences have propelled her into a new direction. From not knowing what MedComms was just over a year ago, to finding a newfound passion in medical writing, Love in Everything We Do resonated with her from day one. Have a read to learn more about her journey.

“I was given projects right off the bat that allowed me to have challenge and autonomy to use my strengths—attention to detail, natural curiosity, critical thinking.”

In my early life, I struggled with fitting in. I always had the tendency to have strange fascinations and to read and talk about them endlessly. The earliest I can remember was kindergarten; I was obsessed with deep-sea creatures. A young kid talking about jellyfish a bit too much was endearing to adults, but as I aged it dawned on me that I was the odd one out, and worse, everybody noticed that before I did.

I knew there was something different about me, but I didn’t know what it was. I communicated in unique ways, had a strong sense of justice, and developed intense interests that I researched extensively, often knowing so much about them that it weirded people out. But stranger things have happened, I thought, and focused on my goals, eventually leading me to medical school due to my love for both literature and science.

At the age of 21, after a particularly difficult time in my life, I was diagnosed with autism. This diagnosis was a turning point, thankfully for the better. Psychiatry had always been a passion of mine, and I quickly focused on autism as my new area of interest and left medical school to shift to a more research-oriented path. By pure chance, I met an autistic professor who became my dissertation supervisor.

Writing my dissertation was a fantastic experience. I dreamed big and conducted original research on a large dataset, exploring how the altered immune system of autistic individuals increases their risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19. I enjoyed every bit of the process—reading research papers, analysing information, identifying patterns, and writing about my findings. It felt like a reward rather than a chore.

Upon graduation, I began looking for a job, unsure of the career options available. I felt anxious, as it was the first time I didn’t have a clear plan for my future. I applied to Mearns & Pike for a seemingly arbitrary reason—I liked their tagline, “Love what you do,” and their heart-shaped logo. I had never heard of MedComms before, but this resonated with my intrinsic motivation to do things because I was passionate about them, not because I was forced to. Having a workplace where this mindset was central seemed like an unattainable dream, but upon meeting Kirsty, Jon, and later, the rest of the team, I felt weirdly like I was in the right place.

Working here has been a fulfilling journey from the start. Without having to ask, I was given projects right off the bat that allowed me to have challenge and autonomy to use my strengths—attention to detail, natural curiosity, critical thinking. Even the directness that has sometimes been a double-edged sword earlier in my life. I feel not just leveraged but genuinely valued. With the great added advantage of working from home, which allows me to stay focused and energized, unlike the noisy and crowded settings that often drain me. I decided fairly quickly that I wanted to be a medical writer, and it was met with nothing but encouragement. It’s great, not having to dread Mondays, and I would be lying if I said I never had to.

Now Mearns & Pike has a new and improved purpose statement, “Love in everything we do”. I was honoured to be around for the beginning of this new chapter, and motivated to embody what it means for me.

To me, love is about getting to know both my colleagues and our clients on a professional, and sometimes even personal level, listening to them, learning from them, and bringing my best self to work every day to achieve what we set out to do together. The company values and encourages individualism, but paradoxically, allowing us to each bring our distinct personalities, dreams, stressors and strengths fosters a culture of collectivism, where collaboration and the creativity naturally flourish.