25 yr old banker looking to make a career change...how realistic is it?

[tigerspirit]

I've been working on Wall Street for several years since graduating college. Lately I've been deeply unfulfilled, and know that I won't last in finance and have to switch careers. In considering other options and talking to others in a variety of fields, nothing really stands out to me as something I could be content doing for the rest of my life as much as medicine. I've lurked these forums and seen the warnings about the long road ahead, declining comp, changing landscape....but all in all I think that I would be pretty content treating patients as a career.

• I took two semesters each of bio, inorganic chem and physics back in 2011-2012 and got all A's (at a T25 school). Unfortunately after this I switched to business and the world of finance lured me away for all this time.
• I have NO medical-related EC's at the moment. Due to long hours and laser focus on performing well in my job until recently, I don't have any EC's since I graduated
• I have enough savings where I'm able to quit my job and focus full time for several years on trying to build a second life

My plan would be to quit after getting my bonus in January next year and enroll in a DIY post bacc to take the remaining courses I need (O chem, maybe biochem and genetics). I'd plan to do a lot of clinical volunteering, shadowing and studying for MCAT while taking the remaining classes (hopefully enough schools would accept my six basic science classes from 2011-2012 so I won't have to re-take....).

Ideally I'd complete all this and be ready to apply by summer 2021 (only 1.5 years of work which may be too ambitious...) for starting med school in 2022 at age 28.

Does this sound at all like a reasonable timeline/plan or am I missing something? Am I crazy for thinking I have a chance, given my lack of medical and volunteer activities since college? I'd be fine with going to a DO school as well. In any case, at this stage I want to give medicine my best shot. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, and I realize it may be a pipe dream, but I figure I have 40 more years to work so might as well try to do something I think I could enjoy.

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[esob]

The only thing I would say is that the mantra is generally "only do medicine if you can't stand doing anything else." Medicine is an all-consuming affair and it will eat your soul if you don't have the right motivations for doing it because it takes extreme motivation to get through it. Outside of that, then no, it's not crazy if you can achieve the metrics to get accepted, there are lots of people in their 30's in med school and even a healthy contingent of those over 40.

 

[BTDT]

Do or do not. There is no try.

-Yoda (circa long ago, in a galaxy far, far away).

 

[Bonne Nuit]

.

• I have NO medical-related EC's at the moment. Due to long hours and laser focus on performing well in my job until recently, I don't have any EC's since I graduated

Go actually shadow a physician before you make ANY decisions about quitting your current career. You will have no idea whether this field is for you until you can observe a physician - especially a primary care physician - practice in person.

If medicine is still for you after you do this, then I have no doubt you’ll succeed.

 

[chicandtoughness]

Hi! I used to be a banker too (M&A hollaaaa). The best thing about coming from finance is that you are well accustomed to the long hours and late nights that medicine entails. It's going to be a cakewalk adjusting to call. I'm applying this upcoming year (2020). PM me if you wanna chat more!

 

[HKSZYU]

Your plan sounds perfectly reasonable. I transitioned from management consulting and completed my pre-reqs in a nearly identical timeline to the one your proposed. I'd definitely take the biochem (and maybe a physio course as well) in addition to the ochem.

Don't worry about the lack of volunteering/medical activities since college; you can't change that. That said, I'd try to get started with some clinical and volunteer activities as soon as possible so that you have some longitudinal involvement by the time you begin applying. The generally accepted minimums are 150 hours clinical volunteering, 150 hours non-clinical volunteering, and 50+ hours shadowing (with at least a portion of that being primary care.) More hours beyond the minimums is always better.

 

[AB92]

You’re not crazy at all. I decided this Jan that I wanted to finally pursue medicine after being an engineer for the last 5 years. I’m in the same boat as well- have all the pre-reqs except for organic 1 and 2. The only EC’s I have since college are more hobbies. But in March I began volunteering at a hospital for 4 hrs/week and have gotten involved in two different non-clinical volunteer positions that only require 4 hrs/month. I’m still working full time as well. I have the same plan to apply 2021, to start in fall of 2022 (I will be 30). I thought I might be too old sometimes as well, but I was just shadowing a dr the other day and told her that I thought I might be too old and she said definitely not. She told me that they just hired a new attending who just finished residency and she is 38. You might as well give it a shot! Worst case, it doesn’t work out, and you still have a great degree and great work experience to fall back on! That’s how I’m viewing my situation, at least.

 

[Goro]

I've been working on Wall Street for several years since graduating college. Lately I've been deeply unfulfilled, and know that I won't last in finance and have to switch careers. In considering other options and talking to others in a variety of fields, nothing really stands out to me as something I could be content doing for the rest of my life as much as medicine. I've lurked these forums and seen the warnings about the long road ahead, declining comp, changing landscape....but all in all I think that I would be pretty content treating patients as a career.

• I took two semesters each of bio, inorganic chem and physics back in 2011-2012 and got all A's (at a T25 school). Unfortunately after this I switched to business and the world of finance lured me away for all this time.
• I have NO medical-related EC's at the moment. Due to long hours and laser focus on performing well in my job until recently, I don't have any EC's since I graduated
• I have enough savings where I'm able to quit my job and focus full time for several years on trying to build a second life

My plan would be to quit after getting my bonus in January next year and enroll in a DIY post bacc to take the remaining courses I need (O chem, maybe biochem and genetics). I'd plan to do a lot of clinical volunteering, shadowing and studying for MCAT while taking the remaining classes (hopefully enough schools would accept my six basic science classes from 2011-2012 so I won't have to re-take....).

Ideally I'd complete all this and be ready to apply by summer 2021 (only 1.5 years of work which may be too ambitious...) for starting med school in 2022 at age 28.

Does this sound at all like a reasonable timeline/plan or am I missing something? Am I crazy for thinking I have a chance, given my lack of medical and volunteer activities since college? I'd be fine with going to a DO school as well. In any case, at this stage I want to give medicine my best shot. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, and I realize it may be a pipe dream, but I figure I have 40 more years to work so might as well try to do something I think I could enjoy.

I suggest that you start volunteering with patients and shadow doctors before the coursework. I'm getting the vibe that you're interested in Medicine because you're tired of banking, and if I'm correct, it's a really lousy reason for pursuing Medicine.

in the mean time, read this:
Med School Rx: Getting In, Getting Through, and Getting On with Doctoring Original Edition by Walter Hartwig
ISBN-13: 978-1607140627

ISBN-10: 1607140624

 

[hamiltonnyc]

Lately I've been deeply unfulfilled, and know that I won't last in finance and have to switch careers.

I wouldn't add this in this type of post. I made the mistake of doing this myself and you'll get a bunch of posts questioning your decision.

As an aside, can we just trust that people here will do their own research to see if it's the field for them. I'm surprised at the difference in skepticism from the responses between certain posts. Other posts that either do not have any traces of 'un-fulfillment' in their current career or are from nursing do not have as many questions regarding intentions.

For example

I'm getting the vibe that you're interested in Medicine because you're tired of banking, and if I'm correct, it's a really lousy reason for pursuing Medicine.

There might be a correlation between interest in medicine and being tired of banking, but that does not mean causation. I'm not saying that you're wrong in your assessment, but I find it peculiar that some posts get this skepticism more than others.

 

[Goro]

I wouldn't add this in this type of post. I made the mistake of doing this myself and you'll get a bunch of posts questioning your decision.

As an aside, can we just trust that people here will do their own research to see if it's the field for them. I'm surprised at the difference in skepticism from the responses between certain posts. Other posts that either do not have any traces of 'un-fulfillment' in their current career or are from nursing do not have as many questions regarding intentions.

For example



There might be a correlation between interest in medicine and being tired of banking, but that does not mean causation. I'm not saying that you're wrong in your assessment, but I find it peculiar that some posts get this skepticism more than others.

Maybe because I've been on SDN for some 6+ years and I've seen the "grass is greener" syndrome too many times.
Also, do not assume that all SDNers know what they're getting into

 

[hamiltonnyc]

Maybe because I've been on SDN for some 6+ years and I've seen the "grass is greener" syndrome too many times.
Also, do not assume that all SDNers know what they're getting into

On a forum like this, do you ever get a chance to follow up with them to see if the grass really was greener?

No I don't assume all people here know what they're getting into. Frankly, I assume no one of us really does. But I think it's up to them to find out, and unless they're specifically asking for that advice I would not doubt some more than others. The advice of "shadow and volunteer" which the person was planning on doing anyway doesn't answer there question of if their plan is realistic.

Now I've also told someone thinking of going from software to medicine that what they're specifically looking for is easier to find in software than in the grind of medicine, but that's because they specifically asked for advice on whether it was worth it.

I'm just saying sometimes running away from something does coincide with running toward something.

 

[Goro]

On a forum like this, do you ever get a chance to follow up with them to see if the grass really was greener?

No I don't assume all people here know what they're getting into. Frankly, I assume no one of us really does. But I think it's up to them to find out, and unless they're specifically asking for that advice I would not doubt some more than others. The advice of "shadow and volunteer" which the person was planning on doing anyway doesn't answer there question of if their plan is realistic.

Now I've also told someone thinking of going from software to medicine that what they're specifically looking for is easier to find in software than in the grind of medicine, but that's because they specifically asked for advice on whether it was worth it.

I'm just saying sometimes running away from something does coincide with running toward something.

The problem with the OP's post is that the were definitely running away from banking, but didn't drop a hint that they were running TO Medicine. Hence, my suggestion to volunteer and shadow,
I don't have time or inclination to follow up with people...most SDNers bail on this website once they either get into med school or give up the dream.

 

[hamiltonnyc]

I don't have time or inclination to follow up with people...most SDNers bail on this website once they either get into med school or give up the dream.

Exactly my point. We don't really know if they're confirmed 'grass is *always* greener'.

I'm commenting because this happened to me when I first joined. I posted that I wanted to make a career change to something more fulfilling from tech and asked people if my plan made sense and was showered with doubt and skepticism. Yes, I mentioned where I was coming from and that I was dissatisfied as context but I didn't feel the need to write my 'why medicine?' in that post which is a lot more nuanced.

And similarly, people told me to shadow and volunteer which was in my original plan as well. I personally found reiterating that more critical than supportive, and it isn't the same response everyone gets.

 

[Crayola227]

Hi! I used to be a banker too (M&A hollaaaa). The best thing about coming from finance is that you are well accustomed to the long hours and late nights that medicine entails. It's going to be a cakewalk adjusting to call. I'm applying this upcoming year (2020). PM me if you wanna chat more!

how do you know what a cakewalk call is?

I agree work ethic is a transferrable skill. I know someone very well who went from literally the top of a major corporation to medicine. Medicine is still more stressful. They were used to long hours, but no one is ready for call until they have learned to do it.

 

[Jaxey]

I started med school at age 30, and I am by no means the oldest person in my class (MS2 right now). My prior career was in a related to finance field, and I was so miserable in it that now any time I feel unmotivated or tired from med school, I just need to think back at those days and I immediately feel better even with the mountain of work I have ahead of me. I agree with others that you should shadow a physician, perhaps volunteer at a hospital, and overall assess whether there is anything else that may bring you the fulfillment you are looking for. If after that medicine is still what you want - go for it!

 

[chicandtoughness]

how do you know what a cakewalk call is?

Never said call was a cakewalk. I said it would be easy to adjust to it. Everyone is going to go through an adjustment period, but I figure someone who has consistently worked 80-100 hour weeks and gets pimped on a regular basis will probably have a much easier time than an undergraduate.

I've shadowed a doctor on call, stayed up through 28 hours with them. Granted I wasn't doing the brain work, but I was referring specifically to the lack of sleep, long hours, pulling near all-nighters, and being stuck in a facility with the same people for a long period of time. (as referenced in the previous sentence prior to my "cakewalk" comment).

 

[Meridian32]

I'm commenting because this happened to me when I first joined. I posted that I wanted to make a career change to something more fulfilling from tech and asked people if my plan made sense and was showered with doubt and skepticism. Yes, I mentioned where I was coming from and that I was dissatisfied as context but I didn't feel the need to write my 'why medicine?' in that post which is a lot more nuanced.

And similarly, people told me to shadow and volunteer which was in my original plan as well. I personally found reiterating that more critical than supportive, and it isn't the same response everyone gets.

This is a good point. I switched careers from tech to medicine, so I am sympathetic to the reasons that motivate people to make that switch, and I don't think I was one of the people who was skeptical of your original post, so I can't speak for those people.

However, I think one of the factors at play here is that people who switch careers from tech to medicine may be at higher risk of dropping out of medicine. I don't have great data to back that up, other than my own, admittedly very limited, personal experience - but of the eight engineers I know who applied to medical school:

Three are currently doctors (including me)
One was accepted to medical school, but did not attend
Two dropped out during medical school and went back to industry
One finished medical school, but did not do residency and went back to industry
One dropped out during residency and went into healthcare administration

I think one of the reasons for this may be that, in my opinion, it's impossible to know what medical training and being a doctor are really like until you are actually in the thick of it. Shadowing and volunteering are good for giving you a sense of this and increasing the percentage certainty that medicine is right for you, but I don't think you can get to 100% certainty until you are actually in training, or maybe even done with training. When I applied to med school, I was probably ~80-90% certain that medicine was right for me (though obviously, I didn't tell my interviewers that 10-20% of me wasn't sure I wanted to do this!). It wasn't until later in med school, and during residency, that I fully appreciated how good of a fit medicine is. But I am lucky, in the sense that it worked out for me. There are others who have had a different experience - for example, see this old SDN thread: Listen to the naysayers or why I left medical school. That's why I tell people who ask me about switching from tech to medicine that it's OK to proceed without 100% certainty, because 100% certainty may be impossible before starting training, and you can quit at any point and go back to tech. While obviously not ideal, it is certainly possible.

 

[garryleer]

Life is permanent changes. It's nothing unusual. As more you experience, as more you know about the world and get from the life.

 

[CoitusInterruptus]

I've been working on Wall Street for several years since graduating college. Lately I've been deeply unfulfilled, and know that I won't last in finance and have to switch careers. In considering other options and talking to others in a variety of fields, nothing really stands out to me as something I could be content doing for the rest of my life as much as medicine. I've lurked these forums and seen the warnings about the long road ahead, declining comp, changing landscape....but all in all I think that I would be pretty content treating patients as a career.

• I took two semesters each of bio, inorganic chem and physics back in 2011-2012 and got all A's (at a T25 school). Unfortunately after this I switched to business and the world of finance lured me away for all this time.
• I have NO medical-related EC's at the moment. Due to long hours and laser focus on performing well in my job until recently, I don't have any EC's since I graduated
• I have enough savings where I'm able to quit my job and focus full time for several years on trying to build a second life

My plan would be to quit after getting my bonus in January next year and enroll in a DIY post bacc to take the remaining courses I need (O chem, maybe biochem and genetics). I'd plan to do a lot of clinical volunteering, shadowing and studying for MCAT while taking the remaining classes (hopefully enough schools would accept my six basic science classes from 2011-2012 so I won't have to re-take....).

Ideally I'd complete all this and be ready to apply by summer 2021 (only 1.5 years of work which may be too ambitious...) for starting med school in 2022 at age 28.

Does this sound at all like a reasonable timeline/plan or am I missing something? Am I crazy for thinking I have a chance, given my lack of medical and volunteer activities since college? I'd be fine with going to a DO school as well. In any case, at this stage I want to give medicine my best shot. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, and I realize it may be a pipe dream, but I figure I have 40 more years to work so might as well try to do something I think I could enjoy.

Hi I think you’d be a fantastic fit for medicine. Did you work at a bulge bracket? If so, really milk that and say how reformed you are. That is, you’ve converted to the religion of medicine. A DIY post bacc is for low GPAs but take biochemistry if you don’t have it because you’ll need up to that level for a 515+. The older you are the higher you wanna score on your mcat because as you’ll see when you study the PsS section of the mcat, Fluid intelligence degrades with age 🙁

 

[ToothlessTheDragon]

@tigerspirit

Oh I can answer this!

I am an investment banker. I am still employed. I began as an analyst in 2014. I'm an associate now. I took prerequisite courses online while working (oodles of fun, as you might imagine). I applied this cycle in my state. I've received interviews at each school I applied, and I've already received an offer too.

So if you're wondering "how doable is this?!" please know that it absolutely is. It's a bear to do all of the work required, but it is absolutely doable, especially if you knock the MCAT out of the park to let them know that you can handle the material. I had little to no clinical experience. I've shadowed one doctor twice. That's literally it. I have, however, volunteered consistently for the past three years in a very personal setting (non-medical, it's actually education related).

Please let me know if you have any questions at all, and I'll help you out however I can. It's a rough journey, and I was nervous through the entire process, but it is absolutely doable.

Best of luck!

 

[deleted859689]

Op has been back on the site recently, but I always wonder about people who pop in, get the answers they want, and leave without giving any feedback or at least providing something constructive to SDN. Not just specific to this thread, just the straw that broke the camel’s back, so to say.

OP keep us updated so when someone else with the same situation searches for answers on SDN, they can find this thread by you, and hopefully you will be in medical school by then! Your plan sounds solid, but make sure to have a good motivational story.

 

[tigerspirit]

Wanted to provide an update 5 years out from my original post. I never ended up taking the leap to switch careers from finance to medicine due to the big time and opportunity cost involved / uncertainty that even if I quit and applied to med school, I might not get accepted. Instead, I switched to a finance job with better WLB and don't really enjoy it either, plus have anxiety about the threat of layoffs.

I regret not going into medicine when I was younger. I was enrolled in an 8-year combined BS/MD program back when I started college, but dropped out early on for several reasons (had been pushed into it by parents, felt I never had the chance to explore what I really wanted, thought my interests were better suited for business). One of my parents is in a ROAD specialty and I took for granted the combo of lifestyle, fulfillment and pay medicine can bring compared to other careers. Little did my 18 year old self know that I would regret it a decade later after trying to carve my own path in life and realizing it wasn't for me.

I'm 30 now and it feels like that ship has sailed. The one saving grace about the path I took is that I met a wonderful life partner along the way who I'll be marrying soon. Other than that, I'd push the reset button if there was one.

 

[chicandtoughness]

I know you seem pretty resigned to your decision, but 30 is definitely not too late. It's not as easy as going through in your mid-20s, but if you have savings from a finance job it's doable.

Signed, a 35 year old MS2 <3

 

[hamiltonnyc]

Wanted to provide an update 5 years out from my original post. I never ended up taking the leap to switch careers from finance to medicine due to the big time and opportunity cost involved / uncertainty that even if I quit and applied to med school, I might not get accepted. Instead, I switched to a finance job with better WLB and don't really enjoy it either, plus have anxiety about the threat of layoffs.

I regret not going into medicine when I was younger. I was enrolled in an 8-year combined BS/MD program back when I started college, but dropped out early on for several reasons (had been pushed into it by parents, felt I never had the chance to explore what I really wanted, thought my interests were better suited for business). One of my parents is in a ROAD specialty and I took for granted the combo of lifestyle, fulfillment and pay medicine can bring compared to other careers. Little did my 18 year old self know that I would regret it a decade later after trying to carve my own path in life and realizing it wasn't for me.

I'm 30 now and it feels like that ship has sailed. The one saving grace about the path I took is that I met a wonderful life partner along the way who I'll be marrying soon. Other than that, I'd push the reset button if there was one.

Thanks for the update! It was a nice walk down memory lane.

I say if you're happy with your decision or at least accepted it, it's important to focus on how you can improve your path instead of fixating on other paths. Good luck and congrats on the upcoming wedding!