Why I Finally Chose to Quit Pursuing Medicine

[Rustie]

When an 18 year old kid comes on to SDN to write a long, condescending post as if he is so much smarter than everyone for seeing the light and not choosing to pursue medicine, on a forum frequented not only by premeds, but by medical students, residents, and attendings, he is going to get some disrespectful comments, and the more humorous ones are going to get upvoted. You reap what you sow.

There are a lot of fantastic medical school students who are very confident in what they're doing. Their confidence doesn't come from the lifestyle associated with doctoring, but rather the work that they are doing. These students are happy when a person like me realizes that medicine isn't the right choice, because they are constantly striving to improve the medical field.

The supposed condescension in my thread is only aggravating if you feel threatened by my post. If all you care about is the work that you are doing, all of the points that I made are irrelevant, and so there is no need to be angry. That is the case for a minority of people in this thread.

Then there are people like you who are upset. You are upset because I am telling you that the field you are going into is not prestigious, lucrative field a lot of medical students want it to be. And so you feel threatened by my "18 year-old condescension."

I think that the medical field is wonderful. As I said, it was my dream for a long time. But once you let reality set in, you realize that medicine is not the right choice if your end goal is to have a job that serves your life, as opposed to a life that serves your job.

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[SpartanWolverine]

Well, my opinion is that you don't know enough about medicine to make those broad conclusions, so it just comes off like you're trying to personally justify ditching your childhood dream. No field is going to lead to prestige and money unless you work very, very hard. Some of my buddies in finance work just as hard as my friends in surgery -- but both camps couldn't see themselves anywhere other than where they are currently. To each their own.

 

[Pierre Escargot]

You are upset because I am telling you that the field you are going into is not prestigious, lucrative field a lot of medical students want it to be. And so you feel threatened by my "18 year-old condescension."

A career that includes sacrifice =/= a career without prestige or fair financial compensation. I don't even really understand how a freshman with one semester of college under his (incredibly inexperienced) belt can make a statement such as 'I am telling you that the field you are going into is not prestigious.' You based your opinions off of articles and forum posts on the internet. Do you not understand that the people who are the most vocal, particularly on the internet, are the pessimistic ones?

I think that the fact that you based your opinions effectively solely on the internet rather than firsthand experience and conversations with actual medical students and physicians speaks volumes to your immaturity. It's one thing not to want to become a doctor because you don't want to make the sacrifices or you want to have more free time in your early 20s. There's no shame in that. But don't type away at your keyboard telling me or anyone else here that you've 'figured out' what medicine is all about and that it isn't a prestigious and rewarding career as you 'begin to chuckle' (probably the worst start to a forum post in history).

 

[Ace Khalifa]

There are a lot of fantastic medical school students who are very confident in what they're doing. Their confidence doesn't come from the lifestyle associated with doctoring, but rather the work that they are doing. These students are happy when a person like me realizes that medicine isn't the right choice, because they are constantly striving to improve the medical field.

The supposed condescension in my thread is only aggravating if you feel threatened by my post. If all you care about is the work that you are doing, all of the points that I made are irrelevant, and so there is no need to be angry. That is the case for a minority of people in this thread.

Then there are people like you who are upset. You are upset because I am telling you that the field you are going into is not prestigious, lucrative field a lot of medical students want it to be. And so you feel threatened by my "18 year-old condescension."

I think that the medical field is wonderful. As I said, it was my dream for a long time. But once you let reality set in, you realize that medicine is not the right choice if your end goal is to have a job that serves your life, as opposed to a life that serves your job.

And it is quite possible to make lots of money and have a great lifestyle as a physician. You just have to find the specialty and type of career that works for you such that you can obtain these things. It is highly foolish for you to assume that NO doctors have any prestige, high salary, or cush lifestyle. Your extremely limited worldview is NOT absolute - I have shadowed and worked alongside many physicians who make enough money (>$300k) and have awesome work hours to be happy. It's all subjective. Your opinion may reflect what YOU believe, but it is NOT reflective of medicine as a whole. The more you keep saying that medicine is not worth it unless you only do it to help others, the more you will continue being ridiculed by the myriad of medical professionals higher up on the totem pole than you. Oh, and you're an 18 year old naive college freshman. Of course I'm going to believe and agree with seasoned medical students, residents, and attending physicians over you. Because they know much much more about how the reality of medicine is than you do as a result of being higher up in the hierarchy.

 

[Ace Khalifa]

A career that includes sacrifice =/= a career without prestige or fair financial compensation. I don't even really understand how a freshman with one semester of college under his (incredibly inexperienced) belt can make a statement such as 'I am telling you that the field you are going into is not prestigious.' You based your opinions off of articles and forum posts on the internet. Do you not understand that the people who are the most vocal, particularly on the internet, are the pessimistic ones?

I think that the fact that you based your opinions effectively solely on the internet rather than firsthand experience and conversations with actual medical students and physicians speaks volumes to your immaturity. It's one thing not to want to become a doctor because you don't want to make the sacrifices or you want to have more free time in your early 20s. There's no shame in that. But don't type away at your keyboard telling me or anyone else here that you've 'figured out' what medicine is all about and that it isn't a prestigious and rewarding career as you 'begin to chuckle' (probably the worst start to a forum post in history).

AMEN.

 

[Sportsdude89]

I think it's refreshing to see someone express their insight on a side of medicine many neglect to consider because they are blindsided by motivations that encompass monetary rewards, prestige, and hope to escape a crappy upbringing.

The fact that the user is being honest is commendable.

I can't tell you how many people I know who have said they hate working with people and yet are going into medicine or are becoming a physician because they grew up with financial constraints they want to ameliorate.

 

[Rustie]

Medicine is lucrative if you match into a specialization that is lucrative. If you end up in a lower-paying specialization with crappier hours, then you won't be living the lifestyle you intended.

Medicine is, on paper, a very prestigious job. Those in academia and those who are educated (should) respect doctors. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who don't give doctors the credit that they deserve. I used to view medicine as one of the most prestigious fields in existence. It was actually this website that changed my view. It was this website that actually shaped many of these views.

All of you seem to dislike what I am saying, but it was actually the "seasoned" students, residents, and doctors that posted on this website that made me feel the way I do.

Furthermore, there are a lot of other fields that are more prestigious and lucrative than medicine, especially when you compare the sacrifices and costs of becoming a doctor.

 

[cs24]

There are a lot of fantastic medical school students who are very confident in what they're doing. Their confidence doesn't come from the lifestyle associated with doctoring, but rather the work that they are doing. These students are happy when a person like me realizes that medicine isn't the right choice, because they are constantly striving to improve the medical field.

The supposed condescension in my thread is only aggravating if you feel threatened by my post. If all you care about is the work that you are doing, all of the points that I made are irrelevant, and so there is no need to be angry. That is the case for a minority of people in this thread.

Then there are people like you who are upset. You are upset because I am telling you that the field you are going into is not prestigious, lucrative field a lot of medical students want it to be. And so you feel threatened by my "18 year-old condescension."

I think that the medical field is wonderful. As I said, it was my dream for a long time. But once you let reality set in, you realize that medicine is not the right choice if your end goal is to have a job that serves your life, as opposed to a life that serves your job.

You're doing it again. That condescension thing.

I am a medical student, happy with my choice, and very confident in what I am doing. I am certainly hoping to help improve the medical field in the future. I am glad you aren't doing medicine, both for your own good (only interested in money and prestige, which wouldn't serve you well) and for the good of the field as a whole (because you don't sound like you have a work ethic or much self-awareness, although this may relate a great deal to your age and relative immaturity). You don't want to sacrifice much of your life to your career, you want to coast by and get a "good" lifestyle and salary. Whatever, you do you.

I don't care about you, I'm not threatened by your post, and I don't care about whether or not you feel that the field of medicine is lucrative or prestigious. And yet, it is still annoying to have people like you (as you are not the first to come out with this "unique" perspective) come on to this forum and preach about how you can't have a life as a doctor, the money isn't worth it, etc etc. all with ZERO experience not only in the medical field, but with ANY real job. There are many doctors who have great lifestyles and make great salaries, and most importantly, many who are extremely satisfied with their life and career despite the shortcomings of the medical field. Is it for everyone? Of course not. But no career is.

The irony in your post is ridiculous. Many people are calling you out on it. It's not because we are threatened or upset. I personally (and I imagine many others who are disagreeing with you) are simply providing an alternative perspective from yours, in most cases from a more experienced and knowledgeable perspective. And the snark? Well it is the internet we are on..

 

[cs24]

Medicine is lucrative if you match into a specialization that is lucrative. If you end up in a lower-paying specialization with crappier hours, then you won't be living the lifestyle you intended.

Medicine is, on paper, a very prestigious job. Those in academia and those who are educated (should) respect doctors. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who don't give doctors the credit that they deserve. I used to view medicine as one of the most prestigious fields in existence. It was actually this website that changed my view. It was this website that actually shaped many of these views.

All of you seem to dislike what I am saying, but it was actually the "seasoned" students, residents, and doctors that posted on this website that made me feel the way I do.

Furthermore, there are a lot of other fields that are more prestigious and lucrative than medicine, especially when you compare the sacrifices and costs of becoming a doctor.

Because its all about money, prestige, and lifestyle isn't it.

Career satisfaction, having a job you find meaningful... those sorts of things can't have any bearing on the sort of career we might want to choose, can they?

 

[Sportsdude89]

@cs24 if there's a person who comes off as narrow-minded, unyielding, and rigid, it is you.
Rustie is just posting his/her opinion and experiences for why he/she has chosen to not pursue medicine.
You certainly don't know this person on an intimate level or have any knowledge of the user's other experiences and upbringing/exposure to medicine.

 

[Rustie]

You're doing it again. That condescension thing.

I am a medical student, happy with my choice, and very confident in what I am doing. I am certainly hoping to help improve the medical field in the future. I am glad you aren't doing medicine, both for your own good (only interested in money and prestige, which wouldn't serve you well) and for the good of the field as a whole (because you don't sound like you have a work ethic or much self-awareness, although this may relate a great deal to your age and relative immaturity). You don't want to sacrifice much of your life to your career, you want to coast by and get a "good" lifestyle and salary. Whatever, you do you.

I don't care about you, I'm not threatened by your post, and I don't care about whether or not you feel that the field of medicine is lucrative or prestigious. And yet, it is still annoying to have people like you (as you are not the first to come out with this "unique" perspective) come on to this forum and preach about how you can't have a life as a doctor, the money isn't worth it, etc etc. all with ZERO experience not only in the medical field, but with ANY real job. There are many doctors who have great lifestyles and make great salaries, and most importantly, many who are extremely satisfied with their life and career despite the shortcomings of the medical field. Is it for everyone? Of course not. But no career is.

The irony in your post is ridiculous. Many people are calling you out on it. It's not because we are threatened or upset. I personally (and I imagine many others who are disagreeing with you) are simply providing an alternative perspective from yours, in most cases from a more experienced and knowledgeable perspective. And the snark? Well it is the internet we are on..

You're making an awful lot of assumptions about my motives and virtues without knowing me at all.

This is the problem with a lot of medical students: They think that they are highly intelligent and extremely hard working, relative to the general population. You think that when someone avoids a field that requires a lot of personal sacrifice but still wants a great lifestyle, they are less mature and somehow less hardworking.

What you need to realize is that I have put a lot of hard work into my schooling, and that I'm willing to put a helluva lot more into both my schooling and future career. What I'm not willing to do is sacrifice an entire decade of my life (and actually even more) just for that job.

I wish you the best in what you do, and I'm glad that medicine makes you happy. I'm sure there are a lot of doctors that are happy and well-paid. Unfortunately, from what I've gathered, a heck of a lot of them aren't. There are a lot of doctors that regret their career choice, and there are a lot of outside factors that make medicine a potentially less-than-desirable field.

What I've said throughout this post is something that has been ignored entirely. I THINK MEDICINE IS A GOOD FIELD. However, it is really only the right field for you if your end goal is to help people. Because it is NOT the right choice if you are half-interested in lifestyle and half-interested in medicine.

 

[Aloft085]

I'm sorry, but $100k/yr is a lot of money. Maybe you can't own yachts, helicopters, and a summer home in Martha's Vineyard, but it's enough that you can live without a budget and the money you have to throw around for impulse buys is in the thousands, not the tens or hundreds. In short, it's enough for a life which would be considered pretty luxurious by 95% of people on the planet.

Sorry dude, but we're not 95% of the people on the planet. We're intelligent Americans. Do you accept a job at McDonalds making $8/hour just because you're more fortunate than 95% of the planet? Quite a few of those $100k/year jobs, including my own, involve massive time and location sacrifices that make the money not worth it.

I also absolutely have to keep a budget making $100k/year. Not to mention the decent amount of money I have to blow to keep my morale up after working a soul-sucking job. Do you actually work for a living? I know most kids here are early 20's. If not, you really can't comment. Everything is more expensive when you own a house and actually have to pay off those student loans.

 

[Aloft085]

Why are people getting so mad at OP for an OPINION? Like he obviously doesn't want to/shouldn't go into medicine. Fine, cool choice bro. But some of you are posting really disrespectful and unnecessary things. For what purpose?? SDN is wild sometimes. You can respectfully disagree with someone's opinion without coming for their neck.

Agreed. The circle-jerk is strong on this thread.

 

[Lamel]

I did give OP benefit of the doubt, but I definitely think part of his post was to rile up people, which it did.

 

[Aloft085]

Then again I'm just a high school senior, what do I even know?

Life doesn't end while you're in medical school. Assuming you don't get in over your head, you'll probably have more fun there than working some BS 9-5 in corporate America. I once heard someone say that no one has ever regretted accomplishing something difficult. I certainly don't regret a thing, even my time in Afghanistan. Now that's a good way to waste your 20's!

Medicine isn't for everyone. The reasons you listed are solid reasons not to go into medicine if you cannot find some external drive to pursue it in spite of those negative stessors. It does seem to me that you arrived at this decision without much shadowing or clinical exposure but that's fine, a preoccupation with lifestyle and a distaste for competition are pretty big red flags in my book that you would not be very happy in medicine. Of course, this is your decision and I'm sure it was a difficult one to make.

To everyone else: I have no idea what you people are so defensive about. Are some of his posts naive? Sure, but who cares. It's not like when you were a freshman in college you just totally avoided making any decisions whatsoever because you were "too naive". Hop off of the high horses. The truth is that most of chose medicine when we were 18 and some of us were lucky that we actually ended up being passionate about it. Some of us won't find out that we're wrong for a long time. Get over yourselves and stop acting like you have a monopoly on mature decision making because you hit the ripe old age of 22, at least show the OP some basic respect. "His job won't be as important as mine.." Blah blah blah. Is that what you really think about the other people in your communities? That what they do isn't as important? Here's a newsflash: Bankers are not going to repair arterial walls or bring a septic man back from the brink but as long as you and me want to buy things we can't immediately afford with our credit cards then Bankers are the only thing that keeps this whole fiat system moving around and pumping and we need them. If they act like their jobs dont really matter and start pursuing the money just for the sake of it without a thoughtto the repercussions we get 2008, or have we forgotten that?


Insurance is boring and at-times predatory? Sure, but so is all of business. It doesn't change the fact that having a trustworthy insurance system helps people pay for things and helps firms pay for people. You might not like your insurance overlords in healthcare far less than your housing and car insurance people - especially as medical professionals - but until human beings become the paragons of fiscal responsibility we need these limits to exist.

Don't like the way these limits serve businesses more often than they serve people? Well that's too bad because politicians, academics and civil service workers are just a bunch of other people whose jons are not as important as ours and there's no way they will ever listen to us, they are just too dumb and it wouldn't matter if they did because their jobs dont matter.


Give me a ******* break people. This is a civic society and in a civic society that means everyone counts. You shouldn't want a cookie just because your job involves saving lives. We all do our part, and some of our parts sound a lot more boring on paper than others and that's fine but we all need to deal with each other. When a doctor rolls into the hospital as a patient does everyone jump up and say we have to try "extra hard" to save his life because he is just so damn important versus the mail man or the car salesman? No. We treat everyone the same because we aren't petty children so stop actong like that equality stops at the bedside and act like people with some integrity.

Right on, man.

 

[mehc012]

Sorry dude, but we're not 95% of the people on the planet. We're intelligent Americans. Do you accept a job at McDonalds making $8/hour just because you're more fortunate than 95% of the planet? Quite a few of those $100k/year jobs, including my own, involve massive time and location sacrifices that make the money not worth it.

I also absolutely have to keep a budget making $100k/year. Not to mention the decent amount of money I have to blow to keep my morale up after working a soul-sucking job. Do you actually work for a living? I know most kids here are early 20's. If not, you really can't comment. Everything is more expensive when you own a house and actually have to pay off those student loans.

Yup; I just quit one of my jobs, but I still have 2 others, and I'm interviewing for another. I have no student loans from undergrad and I never plan to own a house because it sounds annoying, inconvenient, and not a reliable financial decision.

I'm sorry that you have to blow money to keep your morale up; not sure what the hell that is supposed to mean, but it sounds miserable. Not as miserable as working that hard and sacrificing time/location to make squat for money, but you know...kind of sad. Perhaps you'd have to budget less if you didn't blow a decent amount of money routinely.

 

[Mad Jack]

literally engineering

im done here

Are you sure your name is Rustie and not Rustle?

 

[Dr Van Helsing]

You're making an awful lot of assumptions about my motives and virtues without knowing me at all.

This is the problem with a lot of medical students: They think that they are highly intelligent and extremely hard working, relative to the general population. You think that when someone avoids a field that requires a lot of personal sacrifice but still wants a great lifestyle, they are less mature and somehow less hardworking.

What you need to realize is that I have put a lot of hard work into my schooling, and that I'm willing to put a helluva lot more into both my schooling and future career. What I'm not willing to do is sacrifice an entire decade of my life (and actually even more) just for that job.

I wish you the best in what you do, and I'm glad that medicine makes you happy. I'm sure there are a lot of doctors that are happy and well-paid. Unfortunately, from what I've gathered, a heck of a lot of them aren't. There are a lot of doctors that regret their career choice, and there are a lot of outside factors that make medicine a potentially less-than-desirable field.

What I've said throughout this post is something that has been ignored entirely. I THINK MEDICINE IS A GOOD FIELD. However, it is really only the right field for you if your end goal is to help people. Because it is NOT the right choice if you are half-interested in lifestyle and half-interested in medicine.

You never succeeded to the last stage of Freud's maturation; that is, the ability to think critically from the position of another individual.
I can tell you want to equalize your intelligence with those of medical students.
You seriously have security issues.
"You're making an awful lot of assumptions about my motives and virtues without knowing me at all."
"This is the problem with a lot of medical students: They think that they are highly intelligent and extremely hard working, relative to the general population."
"I wish you the best in what you do, and I'm glad that medicine makes you happy."

This is like saying, "Yeah man good luck at the swim-meet tomorrow, but hey man swimming is easy, just so you know. I could totally swim as well as you and probably better, but I'm going to go play frisbee, and have A LOT more fun doing that. But dude, do your thing man, have fun! If you love it don't stop... But don't for a second think if I wanted to swim as well as you I couldn't.. Because I can. But frisbee is a little bit easier and it's more fun.. yeah way more fun."

 

[mehc012]

You never succeeded to the last stage of Freud's maturation; that is, the ability to think critically from the position of another individual.
I can tell you want to equalize your intelligence with those of medical students.
You seriously sound like a psycho.
"You're making an awful lot of assumptions about my motives and virtues without knowing me at all."
"This is the problem with a lot of medical students: They think that they are highly intelligent and extremely hard working, relative to the general population."
"I wish you the best in what you do, and I'm glad that medicine makes you happy."

This is like saying, "Yeah man good luck at the swim-meet tomorrow, but hey man swimming is easy, just so you know. I could totally swim as well as you and probably better, but I'm going to go play frisbee, and have A LOT more fun doing that. But dude, do your thing man, have fun! If you love it don't stop... But don't for a second think if I wanted to swim as well as you I couldn't.. Because I can. But frisbee is a little bit easier and it's more fun.. yeah way more fun."

Well, frisbee IS way more fun than most things!

 

[Medix450]

You're making an awful lot of assumptions about my motives and virtues without knowing me at all.

This is the problem with a lot of medical students: They think that they are highly intelligent and extremely hard working, relative to the general population. You think that when someone avoids a field that requires a lot of personal sacrifice but still wants a great lifestyle, they are less mature and somehow less hardworking.

What you need to realize is that I have put a lot of hard work into my schooling, and that I'm willing to put a helluva lot more into both my schooling and future career. What I'm not willing to do is sacrifice an entire decade of my life (and actually even more) just for that job.

I wish you the best in what you do, and I'm glad that medicine makes you happy. I'm sure there are a lot of doctors that are happy and well-paid. Unfortunately, from what I've gathered, a heck of a lot of them aren't. There are a lot of doctors that regret their career choice, and there are a lot of outside factors that make medicine a potentially less-than-desirable field.

What I've said throughout this post is something that has been ignored entirely. I THINK MEDICINE IS A GOOD FIELD. However, it is really only the right field for you if your end goal is to help people. Because it is NOT the right choice if you are half-interested in lifestyle and half-interested in medicine.

No offence dude, if you just got out of high school you didn't put much work into schooling. You ain't seen nothing yet.

 

[Dr Van Helsing]

Well, frisbee IS way more fun than most things!

Hahaha...
kys.

 

[Aloft085]

Yup; I just quit one of my jobs, but I still have 2 others, and I'm interviewing for another. I have no student loans from undergrad and I never plan to own a house because it sounds annoying, inconvenient, and not a reliable financial decision.

I'm sorry that you have to blow money to keep your morale up; not sure what the hell that is supposed to mean, but it sounds miserable. Not as miserable as working that hard and sacrificing time/location to make squat for money, but you know...kind of sad. Perhaps you'd have to budget less if you didn't blow a decent amount of money routinely.

Come back and talk to me when you're 30, kid. Otherwise you can kindly keep your ill-informed financial advice to yourself. A 22-year-old premed talking to an adult about money is about as ridiculous as this freshman trying to give us all career advice.

 

[NontradCA]

I really really hope you're being sarcastic, for the sake of the patients of these future doctors.

Lol.

 

[mehc012]

Come back and talk to me when you're 30, kid. Otherwise you can kindly keep your ill-informed financial advice to yourself. A 22-year-old premed talking to an adult about money is about as ridiculous as this freshman trying to give us all career advice.

Right, you're an effing genius because you weren't born in the 90s. Never mind that you apparently can't make a decent living with an excellent paycheck and are incapable of living a normal life without purchasing your woes away. You are the pinnacle of financial and personal success, how did I not see that?!?

I'm not actually 22, not that that's hugely relevant. So let's just leave it at "premed," which you seem to be as well. I also didn't give financial advice, I simply stated the fact that $100k/yr is a better income than 95% of people and we shouldn't pretend that it's not an exceptionally good income. This is actually true, unlike your later stat that $8/hr is better than 95% of people have.

 

[efle]

What even is this thread
People are getting so flamed by a god damn high schooler

 

[Doctor Dream]

I'm not looking to stir up a debate or anything OP, but in my opinion your views about medicine have been discussed countless times on both SDN and in world in general. All of us that frequent this forum are (or should be) aware of the issues you bring up. We've accepted them, and are continuing down the path to medicine (or already have) because it's what we really want to do.

One story about a college freshman who understood medicine isn't right for him and his view on things isn't going to change that. I don't really understand the point of your post in the first place, other than to make people roll their eyes.

 

[Sportsdude89]

Wow, ya'll in med school are so full of yourselves its sickening.

 

[Aloft085]

Right, you're an effing genius because you weren't born in the 90s. Never mind that you apparently can't make a decent living with an excellent paycheck and are incapable of living a normal life without purchasing your woes away. You are the pinnacle of financial and personal success, how did I not see that?!?

I'm not actually 22, not that that's hugely relevant. So let's just leave it at "premed," which you seem to be as well. I also didn't give financial advice, I simply stated the fact that $100k/yr is a better income than 95% of people and we shouldn't pretend that it's not an exceptionally good income. This is actually true, unlike your later stat that $8/hr is better than 95% of people have.

I'm not wasting my breath on you. Get lost, child.

 

[Sportsdude89]

@mehc acquiing real estate is actually one of the smartest financial decisions you can make and invest your money in. most, however, don't have the funds until later in life.

 

[Ismet]

Stop with the personal attacks and insulting comments. Please keep your posts courteous and civil.

 

[Dr Van Helsing]

What even is this thread
People are getting so flamed by a god dmn high schooler

I don't know why I engaged.

 

[mehc012]

@mehc acquiing real estate is actually one of the smartest financial decisions you can make and invest your money in. most, however, don't have the funds until later in life.

Until the housing market crashes, sure.
In the mean time, you're stuck in one location, one house, limited ability to adjust as your life/job changes, you're on the hook for all repairs and upgrades, and you're participating in the lovely social engineering handed down by a government which should have no business trying to influence the family/property decisions people make because it fits their particular ideal.

 

[Mad Jack]

Right, you're an effing genius because you weren't born in the 90s. Never mind that you apparently can't make a decent living with an excellent paycheck and are incapable of living a normal life without purchasing your woes away. You are the pinnacle of financial and personal success, how did I not see that?!?

I'm not actually 22, not that that's hugely relevant. So let's just leave it at "premed," which you seem to be as well. I also didn't give financial advice, I simply stated the fact that $100k/yr is a better income than 95% of people and we shouldn't pretend that it's not an exceptionally good income. This is actually true, unlike your later stat that $8/hr is better than 95% of people have.

Come back and talk to me when you're 30, kid. Otherwise you can kindly keep your ill-informed financial advice to yourself. A 22-year-old premed talking to an adult about money is about as ridiculous as this freshman trying to give us all career advice.

I'm a couple months shy of 30 and completely agree with @mehc012

You either suck balls at budgeting, have expensive tastes, or live in an extremely high CoL area if 100k isn't enough for you to get by.

 

[mehc012]

.

 

[Dr Van Helsing]

Wait, why is @Dr Van Helsing liking this when he's the main one slinging mud?

I'm right here. You can address me directly.

 

[Dr Van Helsing]

.

.

Good choice.

 

[mehc012]

I'm right here. You can address me directly.

I tried; made a harmless joke and you responded 'kill yourself'.
I also deleted that comment very shortly after posting because I realized that it was needlessly inflammatory to poke at you when you react so strongly to nice posts, so I apologize for posting it in the first place.

 

[Dr Van Helsing]

I tried; made a harmless joke and you responded 'kill yourself'.
I also deleted that comment very shortly after posting because I realized that it was rude/unnecessary to poke at you, so I apologize for posting it in the first place.

Good choice.gov

 

[mehc012]

Good choice.gov

Good choice or what?

 

[Dr Van Helsing]

Good choice or what?

 

[Sportsdude89]

the housing market will continue to waver up and down, that's the way it's always been.

renting is a solid option.for someone with student loans and likely to stay in a certain area primarily for schooling, obviously buying is a poor move since most cant afford it.

unless you plan on being a nomad, renting 2k/month over 10 yrs is like putting your money down the drain with nothing to show after a decade. if you pick the right area, home at the right price, there's no reason why you can't make a profit from real estate or renting.

 

[DermViser]

yea, I would rather suck dick than play around with numbers all day just to dick people out of their insurance papers.

You know why I chose medicine? Because when your dad faceplants in the driveway after shoveling snow, I can thread a catherer up into his heart, pop open his artery and make sure he lives long enough to see your grandkids graduate college.

If that doesn't get you excited, then go crunch numbers for AllState on how women under 55 with a husband, 2 kids and 2 cars but with a 12 year old dog is a bad bet for house insurance because they won't pay out.

You'll need that satisfaction with the level of reimbursement cuts Cardiology has been getting in the past few years with respect to their procedures.

 

[Theafoni]

Other than volunteering my time in africa with a distinguished group of individuals, this is the lifestyle I expect as a doctor.

 

[Mad Jack]

the housing market will continue to waver up and down, that's the way it's always been.

renting is a solid option.for someone with student loans and likely to stay in a certain area primarily for schooling, obviously buying is a poor move since most cant afford it.

unless you plan on being a nomad, renting 2k/month over 10 yrs is like putting your money down the drain with nothing to show after a decade. if you pick the right area, home at the right price, there's no reason why you can't make a profit from real estate or renting.

Investing in your own home is a pretty ******ed way to build wealth. Living below your means and investing the extra money in multi-family properties is the way to go. Don't ever rely on the value of a personal property to gain wealth. Properties that can generate passive income, however, are a fine investments, as you can use them to build upon one another quite efficiently.

 

[Theafoni]

yea, I would rather suck dick than play around with numbers all day just to dick people out of their insurance papers.

 

[Mad Jack]

Other than volunteering my time in africa with a distinguished group of individuals, this is the lifestyle I expect as a doctor.

So you're telling me you want to hear everything in autotune? I think we have the technology...

 

[WillburCobb]

God d@mn it SDN!!!! All throughout block you're boring. Then comes the part of block where I need to start hitting the books hard and cut back teh tubes and you decide to deliver...

 

[mehc012]

the housing market will continue to waver up and down, that's the way it's always been.

renting is a solid option.for someone with student loans and likely to stay in a certain area primarily for schooling, obviously buying is a poor move since most cant afford it.

unless you plan on being a nomad, renting 2k/month over 10 yrs is like putting your money down the drain with nothing to show after a decade. if you pick the right area, home at the right price, there's no reason why you can't make a profit from real estate or renting.

I do in fact plan on being a nomad, just like most of my family. No way I want to be shackled to one lousy town my whole life.
That being said, I acknowledge that sometimes buying is better financially than renting. Sometimes it's not.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/buy-rent-calculator.html?abt=0002&abg=0

Keep in mind, all of that ignores repair costs (which renters don't have) and the straight-up inconvenience of not being able to move when you find out that your neighborhood has developed a feral cat problem or that the trees on your street have finally overrun the sewage system and now you have to call the city to clean out your pipes with increasing frequency as it overflows on the sidewalk in front of your place. Or, on a nicer note, when you have a kid and decide to upgrade to 2 bedrooms.

Buying a home isn't for everyone...and if you can't support the home you buy and live comfortably, it probably wasn't the right choice even if it looks good on paper.

I also never have and never would spend $2k/mo on rent. I'm in one of the most expensive areas in the country for rent and we fit 3 people for less than that; I can't picture how I'd have to spend more than that. Of course, I don't like big places (too much needless dusting) or a ton of fancy amenities, so that helps.

 

[Zelda840]

Good job in doing your research before jumping into a career with so many sacrifices. It sounds like it was not a very good fit to begin with and it's awesome that you found that out before being hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. I have to say that I understand why you come across as condescending (how could you "FINALLY" choose to quit pursuing medicine when you never really started?), though I'm not convinced it's intentional. I sincerely wish you luck in whatever you decide to do.

 

[DermViser]

When an 18 year old kid comes on to SDN to write a long, condescending post as if he is so much smarter than everyone for seeing the light and not choosing to pursue medicine, on a forum frequented not only by premeds, but by medical students, residents, and attendings, he is going to get some disrespectful comments, and the more humorous ones are going to get upvoted. You reap what you sow.

Definitely not surprised by the some of the upvotes. The more disrespectful comments to @Rustie are actual coming from other premeds.