From Pharmacist to Diplomat: The power of career change revealed

Mustafa Ammar

Ever wondered what it’s like to switch careers? Well, I’ve been on quite the rollercoaster – started as a pharmacist, then became an international diplomat, and later dipped my toes into investment banking, then became a coach, author, tech startup founder and philanthropist.

But today, let’s rewind a bit and focus on where it all began – when I transitioned from a pharmacist to an international diplomat. This blog post is all about that exciting first change, the challenges I faced, and the awesome things that came out of it. Ready to dive into my career adventure? Let’s go!

1. The Catalyst for Growth

Change as My Catalyst:

My journey from pharmacist to diplomat was like realizing that staying the same can get kinda boring. Trying something new became the key to unlocking new things about myself. Deciding to switch jobs was both scary and exciting, pushing me into a world where every problem turned into a chance to learn. From getting better at talking with people to figuring out different cultures, learning to speak several languages, every new thing in my diplomatic job helped me grow.

But that was not easy. I had to learn how to shift my personality (while preparing myself for the transition) from a pharmacist personality to a diplomat personality and this is the power of Shapeshifting. I had to speak like a diplomat, act like a diplomat, sound like a diplomat, and wear like a diplomat. Even sleep like a diplomat or dream like a diplomat.

2- Rediscovering Passion and Purpose

Passion Unleashed:

When I switched from being a pharmacist to a diplomat, it felt like finding my love for making friends on a worldwide scale. Diplomacy became a big canvas where I could use my skills to help people understand each other better. I didn’t enjoy much pharmacy, but I tried to enjoy it for a bit more than 3 years. But then also I had to connect my next dream career “diplomacy” to a life purpose.

My life purpose at that time was to represent my culture and country in the best possible way, to bridge gaps between different cultures and be a good image for my culture. And it worked! Connecting to a bigger life purpose made it possible for me to persist while getting close to my dream.

3- My Odyssey: From Pharmacist to Diplomat

A Pharmacist’s Analytical Diplomacy:

Using what I learned as a pharmacist surprisingly matched up with being a diplomat. The careful work I did with medicines turned out to be really helpful in making smart decisions in diplomacy. The attention to detail I got from being a pharmacist became super useful in handling the complicated world of international relations.

Being very practical and good at lab work, helped me to critically analyze and accurately forecast big and important political and economic causes as a diplomat. Also my organic chemistry knowledge helped me to build a strong visual memory that helped me later to learn new foreign languages such as Mandarine, which I mastered in a short time due to my chemistry knowledge.

4- Overcoming Fears and Embracing Uncertainty

Navigating My Unknown: Switching jobs came with some scary moments, but those tough times actually made me stronger. Facing things I didn’t know about needed me to think differently. Instead of seeing not knowing as a problem, I learned to see it as a normal part of making big changes. This new way of thinking helped me handle diplomatic challenges without getting too stressed, turning each unknown into a chance to get better. A famous saying in diplomacy is “A good diplomat can’t say I don’t know how to do a task. He or she has to figure out how to do it”.

5- Building a Diverse Skill Set

From Pharmaceuticals to Foreign Policy:

Going from working with medicines to dealing with other countries needed me to learn new things. I jumped into the details of how countries work together, learned how to follow the rules in diplomacy, and got good at talking with people from all over the world. Adding all these skills made me better at my job and gave me a new way to look at tricky problems.

I got through all of this with an attitude of “I don’t have anything to lose and I don’t need to prove anything to anybody. I just need to learn fast how to be a good diplomat”

6- Inspiring Others and Leaving a Legacy

A Ripple Effect from My Journey:

One of the coolest things about changing my job is that it inspires other people. As friends and new professionals watch what I did, it’s like a ripple effect – they get motivated and brave to try new things too. Many of my father’s friends encouraged their kids to follow their dreams like I did. Others approached me to help them to become diplomats and some of them managed to do it

As the author of TIME TO MOVE ON a career & business coach, I share this story with hundreds of my clients to help them believe in their dreams and achieve the impossible.

And I hope it encourages you to not be scared of change, explore different things, and see the awesome stuff you can do. This inspiring story isn’t just about me; it’s part of everyone believing that they can make a big difference by chasing after what they love.