Hi nontradblues,
The non-trad forum here is good, and runs pretty well--re: mods, etc. So, I think you will get some support and understanding from a number of nontrad folks.
I do want to suggest another site--oldpremeds, b/c it's quiet, feels warm and friendly--generally more non-trads--say >3o's and up. The forum is just very encouraging and people give productive feedback, especially if you PM them. I think it works b/c it's a smaller, tighter crowd, with those that have more things in common. No tension or trolling and such there. Just people genuinely interested in furthering their goals in medicine--generally knowing who they are and have nothing to prove--save doing the hoops to get in and get through MS, etc.
BUT SDN definitely can be a lot more, shall we say, lively, when you are in the mood for that. LOL. And there are many supportive people here, as well as those with direct insight.
OPM is just a nice place to go, where people are supportive and no one is trying to make anyone else feel badly about themselves or their goals. Also, it's nice when you are relating with people that have children and are working crazy, trying figure things out. Generally, there is no harsh or toxic approach to questions or concerns, or queries--very nonjudgmental.
Anyway, they have story logs or journals of various oldpremeds' journeys into MS and through post-grad, etc. After you read some of their stories, if they are still around, they are very open to PM or open questions re: the process. I found this to be appealing; since many non-trads (I'm talking about those married with kids, and/or very sick family members, demanding jobs, the whole shebang--well, their journey is very different from those that are younger, and/or not living on their own, not having demands of family and the crazy workforce in which many of us have spent years.)
The perspectives are different b/c they have to be, and b/c other people are counting on them, and also, they often know what it is like to be accountable in a professional field. They are apt to empathize so much more.
So maybe in looking at some of the journals over there, you may find your trepidation is normal, especially given that you are a nontrad. That's the big thing for us. It will not and cannot be the same experience as it is for most trads, or even nontrads w/o say family or extended family commitments, who have not come from years in particular profession. It's a very different thing when the process is all on you, versus affecting others in your life. It is encouraging when you are talking about those with compounded stressors that a number of nontrads have--such as raising their own family, and/or then, say, having a parent that is terminally ill or has dementia or whatever--or maybe someone that is working, going to school, and was dx'd with a very serious disease--and in spite of such things, they made it. They are very encouraging.
