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- Oct 14, 2014
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I'm 26 years old, a professional writer and creative (currently working for an ad/marketing agency) and have recently become obsessed (or re-obsessed) with the idea of becoming a doctor.
My current career is lucrative, but it makes me feel pretty relentlessly hollow. Unlike many of my colleagues, I don't find the work mentally stimulating or exciting or important. While I've been fairly risk-averse in the past, I feel like the cost of not making a change might be far greater than the cost of a major career shift -- both financially and in terms of my future happiness and fulfillment.
I work 60-90 hours per week and already feel like I have little time to manage my life affairs, let alone begin my pre-med journey. I've filled out multiple hospital volunteer apps and have researched local post-bacc class schedules but feel paralyzed. I feel like I need to fully commit and start down the path now or seek other avenues for professional/personal fulfillment. I've reached a fork in the road, and need to decide whether or not to take it.
Some stats and a little more about me:
My current career is lucrative, but it makes me feel pretty relentlessly hollow. Unlike many of my colleagues, I don't find the work mentally stimulating or exciting or important. While I've been fairly risk-averse in the past, I feel like the cost of not making a change might be far greater than the cost of a major career shift -- both financially and in terms of my future happiness and fulfillment.
I work 60-90 hours per week and already feel like I have little time to manage my life affairs, let alone begin my pre-med journey. I've filled out multiple hospital volunteer apps and have researched local post-bacc class schedules but feel paralyzed. I feel like I need to fully commit and start down the path now or seek other avenues for professional/personal fulfillment. I've reached a fork in the road, and need to decide whether or not to take it.
Some stats and a little more about me:
- Graduated from a top 15 university in 2010 with a B.A. in English (cGPA: 3.9)
- I have no clinical or research background, and am very thin on the science pre-reqs -- however, scored high in advanced Bio, Chem and Physics before UG and in the few of science/math courses I took for my general ed requirements during UG
- In my current job I have several healthcare / health insurance / biotech clients, so have some grounding in the healthcare industry and research landscape
- I'm an extremely committed student and worker -- even for this job I don't even like, I give every project my all. Success is important to me. I'm a little concerned that if I take this leap I will bottom out and be totally hosed by the volume and complexity of all I have to learn.
- Am I crazy? Can it be done?
- Do I have to quit my job (and/or find a new, less time-consuming one) to have a real chance at successfully completing the pre-reqs and scoring high on the MCAT?
- Finally, are there any others out there who have abandoned a career in a creative field to successfully pursue medicine?