am i picking the wrong career?

[YouMDbro]

here's my story:

I commited to a BA/MD program, just finished first year (i did extremely well in HS). honestly went into medicine mainly for job security/money and prestige (though i do like helping people). and i dislike the chemistry/physics/biology i'm learning in undergrad. maybe the science will get better in med school? idk. i'm good at it but i just don't enjoy learning it.

next, from what i read here it seems like doctors are doomed to a middle-class lifestyle. i'm always reading stuff on SDN about how becoming a doctor is a terrible choice if making money is any priority at all. i even read some article about how doctors and teachers make the same money in the end with the cost of time/education factored in. well i'm not prepared to work my ass off through undergrad/med school/residency, get top grades and test scores, just to be compensated on the same level as some pothead who breezed through school and got mediocre grades. i want my hard work to pay off financially. i do enjoy helping people and i really like the idea of healing people with science, but honestly can't get myself to follow through if it means i'll live the same lifestyle as your average college undergrad. i don't see the point of working so hard if there is no payoff. a lot of my high school friends are planning on going into finance. the idea that they'll be much better off than me financially just does not sit well with me, especially b/c i did much better than them in my academics.

so help me SDN. am i overreacting here? should i just tough it out and become a doctor? am i misinformed about the financial situation of doctors? i really don't want to drop out of the program, i think it might be too late to do so anyway and pursue a different career. i know i sound like a douche. but honestly i can't motivate myself to study hard when these thoughts keep popping in my mind.

this is NOT a troll thread. serious.

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[ComradeDoktor]

know i sound like a douche

Wise words.....



Doctors don't make the crazy money they used to, but it's still plenty. Most of the doctors I know are the sole providers of their families and still live in houses and drive BMW's. Try doing that on a teacher's salary.

 

[thlaxer]

I think you are over-reacting, most of the doctors I know don't live a "middle-class lifestyle." Do they get compensated as well as the top earners in finance? Not really, but doctors still live a very comfortable lifestyle and have more job security. If you have good business sense (which is required for finance anyways), you could further increase your income by seeking out those opportunities. You are right though that medicine requires a lot of sacrifices, whether its advantages are enough to compensate its disadvantages is something you'll have to decide for yourself. And it isn't too late to switch careers when you're in college. Many people decide to change fields post-graduation.

 

[911 Turbo]

You will never have this!








Well maybe if you pick the right specialty. I'm sure plastics in cali and a lot of spine surgeons are swimming in the $$$

 

[rubisco88]

I don't know much about cars. I'm not sure about the price difference in Ferrari vs. Porsche. I know a pediatrician that specialized and a couple (two family docs) that both own Porsches. Although you probably won't be able to afford a luxury car with all the upgrades, from my observation it seems like it is possible to afford a luxury car without going into the most lucrative specialties. I guess having another spouse who makes a over $100k helps as well.

 

[NonTraditional3]

You shouldn't be a physician if these are your priorities. You clearly show that helping others is secondary to your self-serving wants. Go work on wall street. Go to Wharton or Stern or Booth or Johnson. Medicine is the field where you put the needs of others ahead of your wants. I like porsches and muscle cars - I don't plan on getting either until I'm 25 years post-residency, at least. You will not be rolling in dough 2 years after medical school, not 6 years, but maybe ten years - and by then, you will be paying off tremendous loans. So if you are so materialistic that you worry that you wont be able to afford these luxuries, and that you are somehow entitled to the, because you managed to beat all your friends in HS academically (bfd, btw) then you will be miserable in medicine.

Go work for an exotic car dealership.

 

[YouMDbro]

You shouldn't be a physician if these are your priorities. You clearly show that helping others is secondary to your self-serving wants. Go work on wall street. Go to Wharton or Stern or Booth or Johnson. Medicine is the field where you put the needs of others ahead of your wants. I like porsches and muscle cars - I don't plan on getting either until I'm 25 years post-residency, at least. You will not be rolling in dough 2 years after medical school, not 6 years, but maybe ten years - and by then, you will be paying off tremendous loans. So if you are so materialistic that you worry that you wont be able to afford these luxuries, and that you are somehow entitled to the, because you managed to beat all your friends in HS academically (bfd, btw) then you will be miserable in medicine.

Go work for an exotic car dealership.

not to add to the hate, but i don't need to take out any loans. does this change my situation? the thing that scares me about wall street is lack of job security. but if you can prove to me that it's a much better path to good money then i may consider it. the problem is i'm already provisionally accepted to med school in a ba/md program. it's not that easy to change my career path at this point.

 

[gettheleadout]

The fact that you would consider abandoning medicine altogether based on money or job security is a sign that you probably aren't passionate enough about this profession to go through the 7-10+ years of high debt, low pay schooling and training required without wanting to jump ship or just turn into that person no one wants to talk to.


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[NonTraditional3]

not to add to the hate, but i don't need to take out any loans. does this change my situation? the thing that scares me about wall street is lack of job security. but if you can prove to me that it's a much better path to good money then i may consider it

Really glad that you know how to focus on the central point of an argument.....

It doesn't change a thing. It just means you'll be able to have a nicer apartment - I'd say you'd also be able to afford to go out more, but the truth of the matter is - the hospital owns your schedule.

Wall street beckons you.

 

[JESSFALLING]

What do you want to be doing when you're are 30? 40? 50? 60? 80? Write those things down so you can laugh at your teenage priorities when you hit those milestones...

 

[Captain Fantastic]

i'm not prepared to work my ass off through undergrad/med school/residency, get top grades and test scores, just to be compensated on the same level as some pothead who breezed through school and got mediocre grades. i want my hard work to pay off financially.

Steve Jobs, pot smoking drop out, likely made more money in a year than you'll make in your lifetime. I could name a hundred more billionaire rejects if you're not a Jobs fan.

And then there is medicine, where reimbursement doesn't make any sense between specialties and there are no promises what the future holds. Would you be okay getting top scores in medical school, only to have the guy who graduated last in the class out earn you because the Medicare rules change during your lifetime? I know a guy who was "forced" into ortho in the late 70's because he didn't have the scores for medicine. Back then ortho was basically fracture care. It didn't pay so well and it was not competitive. Then came new technology for joints and scopes and with the procedures came crazy money (and with money came increased interest in the field). Internal medicine totally stagnated (last I looked, inflation adjusted wages are down 10%). Think something like that won't happen again?

Stop worrying about what others are doing and just pursue what you want. Do medicine if you like medicine. Do finance if you like finance. Either way you'll be spending the vast majority of your life working, i.e., not enjoying the things you purchased. Might as well spend the time doing something interesting.

 

[NickNaylor]

not to add to the hate, but i don't need to take out any loans. does this change my situation? the thing that scares me about wall street is lack of job security. but if you can prove to me that it's a much better path to good money then i may consider it. the problem is i'm already provisionally accepted to med school in a ba/md program. it's not that easy to change my career path at this point.

No one is going to prove anything for you. How about you do something else for the sake of your own happiness? Your immaturity is stunning. I suggest you worry about more important things than cars and the size of your house.

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos)

 

[Law2Doc]

not to add to the hate, but i don't need to take out any loans. does this change my situation? the thing that scares me about wall street is lack of job security. but if you can prove to me that it's a much better path to good money then i may consider it. the problem is i'm already provisionally accepted to med school in a ba/md program. it's not that easy to change my career path at this point.

1. BA/MD programs are slowly being phased out precisely because too many people who sound like the OP end up funneled into the profession, and end up hating it because it was not what they thought when they were a mere high schooler.

2. If your primary interest in the profession is money and prestige, and working with patients is more of a distant afterthought, then yes, you will hate medicine, and are in the wrong field.

3. The fact that you have no loans suggests to me that you are less locked in, and can take the time to pursue something else you actually enjoy.

4. No, it's not a "much better path to good money". It's not as high risk, but significantly lower reward than many other paths. You simply will be working so many hours for so many years at minimal salary that if money is your big focus it's not worth it. By the time you get out of residency and start earning, the economy will have likely improved and all your friend will be making bank again.

I don't really buy this post, but if true, base on your story I would run from medicine -- it's not for you. You have to really enjoy the job first, and the other stuff -- money, prestige, etc needs to be more of a happy perquisite if it happens.

 

[WorldChanger36]

The fact that you would consider abandoning medicine altogether based on money or job security is a sign that you probably aren't passionate enough about this profession to go through the 7-10+ years of high debt, low pay schooling and training required without wanting to jump ship or just turn into that person no one wants to talk to.


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This 👍

 

[BoondocksDoc]

i dislike the chemistry/physics/biology i'm learning in undergrad. maybe the science will get better in med school? idk. i'm good at it but i just don't enjoy learning it....
well i'm not prepared to work my ass off through undergrad/med school/residency, get top grades and test scores, just to be compensated on the same level as some pothead who breezed through school and got mediocre grades.

I understand you're attracted to the money (which isn't bad overall) and the prestige (which is great.) The big red flag to me is that you're questioning the curriculum and the workload already.

Imagine the moment in a couple years when you're getting up at 4 am for the 5th day in a row on surgery rotation. Or perhaps in your intern year when you're up at 3:30 am every third night answering ridiculous pages. Ask yourself: Do I have enough of a passion (patient care, science, money, etc) to keep waking up and putting myself through this hellish training?

It sounds like money and science don't do it for you, so shadow some folks and see if you actually like patient care. If not, I would guess that you will drop out of this path at some point and you might as well drop now. Not too difficult to just send an email, go talk to an advisor, and start looking at your other options.

 

[sciencebooks]

not to add to the hate, but i don't need to take out any loans. does this change my situation? the thing that scares me about wall street is lack of job security. but if you can prove to me that it's a much better path to good money then i may consider it. the problem is i'm already provisionally accepted to med school in a ba/md program. it's not that easy to change my career path at this point.

If you'll finish with no loans, you'll start flat-out earning even in residency albeit not much compared to the potential down the road. Some senior teaches only make what residents (at the lowest pay level of doctors) make. It actually is that easily, also; you merely drop out of the program. What's not easy is if you drop out, decide you want the prestige after all, then have to explain to everyone on your application trail why you dropped out.

 

[Doctor Strange]

You can't go into medicine without having some love for any of the basic sciences, in my opinion. You don't have to want to dedicate your entire life to research or anything, but you should have at least an appreciation for it all. Moreover, your dislike for the sciences will probably make you a whole lot more miserable than the average pre-med when studying for the MCAT.

Bottom line: If you hate science, medicine is not for you.

 

[3176401]

Man, you guys give terrible advice. It seems like people on this forum are trying to screw this guy's future over. OP if you're thinking about going into high level finance/wall street/etc. you better transfer out of the school you're currently in. Most BS/MD programs (with the exception of Northwestern) are not in "Target Schools" or schools that are heavily represented on wall street. If you decide to switch your major to finance in your current school, you're chances of breaking into wall street are slim to none. So, the question is what other options do you have?

1. Transfer into a target school (Harvard, Yale, Upenn, Columbia, etc.) after your third semester. Since you're a rising sophomore, its gonna be harder to get into some of the top targets like wharton or harvard. Consider transfer friendly schools like Cornell AEM or Georgetown's business program. Both are decent schools with a heavy representation on wall street. If you decide to go this route, make sure stay with your pre med route and add on some finance courses in your current school.

2. Stick with medicine. Probably the most safest route you can take. You're medical school is going to be paid fully for? Really, what more than you want? If you stay single you can probably own the ferrari you've always been dreaming off. I saw a ferrari california lease for 2k a month the other day (lets say 3k a year with taxes, maintenance, gas, etc). 36k per year isn't too much if you're making 400k as specialist.

3. If you really really hate science and cannot transfer into a target, get a high gpa/lsat and go to a top law school (T14). First year law associates in big law start off at 160k per year. Only consider law school if you can get into a good one.

I personally choose a target school over a bs/md program because I knew that if I didn't like medicine, I'd have many more options such as wall street.

Hope this helps OP.

 

[MossyFiber]

2. Stick with medicine. Probably the most safest route you can take. You're medical school is going to be paid fully for? Really, what more than you want? If you stay single you can probably own the ferrari you've always been dreaming off. I saw a ferrari california lease for 2k a month the other day (lets say 3k a year with taxes, maintenance, gas, etc). 36k per year isn't too much if you're making 400k as specialist.

Go into derm or plastics.

 

[mmmcdowe]

The fact that you would consider abandoning medicine altogether based on money or job security is a sign that you probably aren't passionate enough about this profession to go through the 7-10+ years of high debt, low pay schooling and training required without wanting to jump ship or just turn into that person no one wants to talk to.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN Mobile

Agreed

OP if you're thinking about going into high level finance/wall street/etc. you better transfer out of the school you're currently in. Most BS/MD programs (with the exception of Northwestern) are not in "Target Schools" or schools that are heavily represented on wall street. If you decide to switch your major to finance in your current school, you're chances of breaking into wall street are slim to none.\.

I agree, one of the big negatives for me about BS/MD programs is the fact that you typically are going to a less competitive school (with a few exceptions obviously) than you otherwise would be eligible to. This isn't a big deal except in cases such as the OP, when there is significant doubt about becoming a doctor.

 

[YouMDbro]

can i ask you guys why money is an afterthought? most of you guys are much older than me. maybe i'm just being too immature, but to me money brings respect. it's not that i'm dying for that ferrari or whatever, but whenever i hear of a guy pulling in 1mil+, i automatically have a lot of respect for him regardless of what he does to get it. so why do you guys not care about money?

 

[mmmcdowe]

can i ask you guys why money is an afterthought? most of you guys are much older than me. maybe i'm just being too immature, but to me money brings respect. it's not that i'm dying for that ferrari or whatever, but whenever i hear of a guy pulling in 1mil+, i automatically have a lot of respect for him regardless of what he does to get it. so why do you guys not care about money?

Doctors do get respect, but doctors get respect from other sources than just money. Compassion and good work bring a much more meaningful level of it from people you actually care about (colleagues, medical staff, family, friends, patients) than random people at a bar when they see you pull out your platinum amex card.

That being said, respect isn't a good reason to become a doctor either. If quantity of respect is your goal, then I agree that making as much $$ as possible will bring you more superficial respect than being a doctor, where you tend to get "quality" respect in small increments.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

can i ask you guys why money is an afterthought? most of you guys are much older than me. maybe i'm just being too immature, but to me money brings respect. it's not that i'm dying for that ferrari or whatever, but whenever i hear of a guy pulling in 1mil+, i automatically have a lot of respect for him regardless of what he does to get it. so why do you guys not care about money?

You want money and respek? Ditch the med school plan and sell crack.

 

[Doctor Strange]

can i ask you guys why money is an afterthought? most of you guys are much older than me. maybe i'm just being too immature, but to me money brings respect. it's not that i'm dying for that ferrari or whatever, but whenever i hear of a guy pulling in 1mil+, i automatically have a lot of respect for him regardless of what he does to get it. so why do you guys not care about money?

#firstworldproblems

Seriously, though, with the crap that you have to go through before you actually start making substantial amounts of money as a doctor, most people see money as an afterthought. People go into medicine because they have an intense interest in it and, for the most part, don't mind having to work eighty hour weeks and having to continually read up on the latest in science and medicine.

 

[Blaughable]

I'm not sure what kind of background you're from, but at least for me, money doesn't equal respect at all. If you have a million+ dollars, I could care less if you made it by taking advantage of people and doing dirty business. For me at least, becoming a doctor is not about money, respect, fame, or prestige. It's about the beautiful science that goes on behind it all, about how much of an impact you can make on people's lives, about a career of life long learning, about being part of a solution to our nation's health care system. Go and shadow. Go and volunteer. Read a blog or two on medicine. If you don't have the passion, if you can't find the passion, my suggestion is medicine is not the right career for you.

Check out this blog for some awesome motivation: http://surgeonsblog.blogspot.com/

 

[KevAquarius]

here's my story:
i don't see the point of working so hard if there is no payoff. a lot of my high school friends are planning on going into finance. the idea that they'll be much better off than me financially just does not sit well with me, especially b/c i did much better than them in my academics.

Dude, who the f cares? I mean, I know it's nice to get compensated and noticed for your hard work, but if that's going to be your lifeblood through the entire process, you're fighting a losing battle. It's how YOU define success and finding happiness independent of others' outcomes.

If your gauge of success is money, then great. But no one here is going to convince you to stick with something that you already seem to have a growing dislike for.

 

[5HT3]

can i ask you guys why money is an afterthought? most of you guys are much older than me. maybe i'm just being too immature, but to me money brings respect. it's not that i'm dying for that ferrari or whatever, but whenever i hear of a guy pulling in 1mil+, i automatically have a lot of respect for him regardless of what he does to get it. so why do you guys not care about money?

Really? The big-shot CEO's who are involved in tax evasion and fraud earn your respect? It would be hilarious if you had to interview for med school and one way or another your interviewer knew about the thoughts you posted in this thread. You'd sink in your seat and feel embarrassed, wouldn't you? Save the seats for this profession for the people whose hearts are actually in it.

 

[Ost3oclast]

This is just young kid talk. When I was 18 and just starting college I felt the same way (except it faded...quickly)

Listen man, as the years go by you will learn that respect doesnt come from having money....at least to most people. Too many people take advantage of others to get their money. You think they are respected? Please. I respect 90 year old walmart greeters before those guys.

You will learn in time that you will never earn everybody's respect, especially through money. You need to do what you love in life and forget respect, money, prestige. Going home happy at the end of the day is much better. Trust me, you're young right now, hopefully there will be an event that happens in your college career that makes you realize what really matters in this life.

Why dont I care about money? I worked 60 hours a week through undergrad, just to pay bills. I scraped by everyday. Yea money brings security, but it never brought true happiness. Going home to my daughter and fiance was much better than pulling 300 a night bartending.

 

[K M R]

I still laugh when people say there's no money in medicine. The formula for success is well defined: Get educated, marry later in life, find a spouse who will contribute financially, have 2-3 kids max, life modestly. It's not that difficult.

I know a general pediatrician who married an RN. They have two kids. They live well but not lavishly. They have a couple of rental properties. They live in a nice suburb, in a nice (but not extravagant) 3-br, 2.5-ba brick house. It's easily doable.

 

[TriagePreMed]

You do seem to be a total douche that's interested in money and prestige. I don't get this "healing with science" vibe as more than just a passing thing. If you're really not enjoying what you're doing and your goal is to make money, don't go into medicine. Seriously, if this isn't what you see yourself as being, why put yourself through all the bs associated with it?

No other career with guarantee job security. It's up to you to have the balls and do the hard work necessary not to fall into the bottom of the ladder. Right now they advice people not to go to law school because only 50% get a job, but guess what? There will still be those that make bank over 400k and be in the upper echelon. Again, it all falls on you.

 

[Law2Doc]

can i ask you guys why money is an afterthought? most of you guys are much older than me. maybe i'm just being too immature, but to me money brings respect. it's not that i'm dying for that ferrari or whatever, but whenever i hear of a guy pulling in 1mil+, i automatically have a lot of respect for him regardless of what he does to get it. so why do you guys not care about money?

If you have respect for someone merely because they have money, that's not a function of being immature, it's a function of being dim witted. You aren't the type who is going to slave through 4 years of med school and 3-7 years of residency to earn a paycheck that might not be that amazing by the time another decade of reimbursement cuts run it's course, so stop wasting everyone's time.

 

[YouMDbro]

If you have respect for someone merely because they have money, that's not a function of being immature, it's a function of being dim witted. You aren't the type who is going to slave through 4 years of med school and 3-7 years of residency to earn a paycheck that might not be that amazing by the time another decade of reimbursement cuts run it's course, so stop wasting everyone's time.

i know i can make it through med school and residency if my heart is in it. but right now it isn't...i'm just looking for help. i don't want to just make a rash decision and drop out of the BA/MD program because of how i'm feeling right now. you're right, maybe money isn't as important as i think it is. i don't want to look back 10 years from now, being in a diff. field, earning a fat paycheck but saying i knew i shouldn't have left medicine for the money. but right now i want the money. i just want people with more experience and wisdom to guide me through this...please just stop flaming me and give me some advice

 

[kpcrew]

you guys are being kinda harsh on the teenager.

 

[Rezonance]

"Stop worrying about what others are doing and just pursue what you want. Do medicine if you like medicine. Do finance if you like finance. Either way you'll be spending the vast majority of your life working, i.e., not enjoying the things you purchased. Might as well spend the time doing something interesting."

^ That hit the spot.

Think of life like running the mile with other people, if you keep worrying about how far how so and so has progressed in the mile you'll never get a chance to finish yourself or see what you are capable of doing.

Do what you love and success will follow you.

And OP, please take what everyone here is saying with a grain of salt, seriously, everyone is being very kind to be straightforward, but its the truth!

 

[NonTraditional3]

can i ask you guys why money is an afterthought? most of you guys are much older than me. maybe i'm just being too immature, but to me money brings respect. it's not that i'm dying for that ferrari or whatever, but whenever i hear of a guy pulling in 1mil+, i automatically have a lot of respect for him regardless of what he does to get it. so why do you guys not care about money?

You sound exactly like an old friend of mine; all they were concerned about was money, but they were also so god damned entitled, that they didn't feel like they had to make any sacrifices to make loot. They started out as a finance major, pulled half decent B's and a handful of C's at a small school with zero reputation for it's finance and accountancy programs; I ordered a pizza the other day, and this same friend was the person that I ended up tipping for delivering my food.

The point here is - if your pursuits are motivated by cash, you'll never come out on top. The only people who feel that money commands respect are the people who don't know the value of a dollar. If you don't know the value of a dollar, what makes you so sure that your dollars will bring you the happiness that you seek? The answer is, nothing, because it won't. I doubt you've ever worked a day in your life where you were accountable to someone else and not yourself. People get jobs when they want money and careers when they want happiness. So what do you want? Money or Happiness? If the former, leave your program because medicine is the wrong field for you. If the latter, leave your program, because there are people more deserving of your seat who have a genuine passion for helping others and stand to achieve the self-actualization and professional fulfillment in medicine where they otherwise wouldn't in another field.

I hear honda's are good on gas. Will make your net earnings greater when darting around town with Pizza.

 

[Doctor Strange]

i know i can make it through med school and residency if my heart is in it. but right now it isn't...i'm just looking for help. i don't want to just make a rash decision and drop out of the BA/MD program because of how i'm feeling right now. you're right, maybe money isn't as important as i think it is. i don't want to look back 10 years from now, being in a diff. field, earning a fat paycheck but saying i knew i shouldn't have left medicine for the money. but right now i want the money. i just want people with more experience and wisdom to guide me through this...please just stop flaming me and give me some advice

As good as your intentions may have been, coming on a forum consisting of a bunch of gunner pre-meds saying that you don't think you have the heart to pursue medicine/science and are considering it because of the money/respect was probably not the best idea.

 

[Ost3oclast]

I think the perception that medicine=tons of cash is still prevalent in high school kids. They watch shows like House M.D and think thats the way doctors work as well.....rude awakening on both parts.

 

[YouMDbro]

So what do you want? Money or Happiness? If the former, leave your program because medicine is the wrong field for you. If the latter, leave your program, because there are people more deserving of your seat who have a genuine passion for helping others and stand to achieve the self-actualization and professional fulfillment in medicine where they otherwise wouldn't in another field.

I hear honda's are good on gas. Will make your net earnings greater when darting around town with Pizza.

so i should leave the program and deliver pizzas? strong advice lol. why are people on this forum so bitter? keep taking comfort by convincing yourself that i can't survive in this field hahaha, i'm perfectly capable of completing this path, whether i like the material or not. i disliked the science material i learned first year but still enjoyed my college experience and scored at the top of those classes. right now i'm just hanging on to the belief that the science will get more interesting. the science is easy but just so boring. did you all thoroughly enjoy taking physics/chem/bio in undergrad? if doctors are supposed to enjoy learning about E&M and crystal field theory then i'm almost 100% sure i'm in the wrong field, regardless of the money factor

 

[NonTraditional3]

so i should leave the program and deliver pizzas? strong advice

If I give a dog a bone, I don't want to know if it tastes good or not.

The point is not can you survive - if you're in it for the money, your going to try and squeeze in as many patients per unit time as possible, so you can net maximal insurance reimbursments....this is not beneficial to your patients, it is self-serving. You can try contest this, but that's really what all doc's who are in the field for unsavory reasons are after.

Repeatedly saying "I know I can survive," is not helping your case, son. It makes you seem more hubristic than you would like. Noone here cares if you can survive or not; you shouldn't be trying to convince us - but we're pretty much on point here in asserting you will not make it. You're hearts not in it for the right reasons, and you're going to fall by the wayside. Wait, who is that? OH EM GEE it's the CEO of the company that owns our hospital? I'm gonna shake his hand, because I hold more respect for him and his $1.7M wallet than I do for the jobless uninsured patient I need to manually dis-impact. That's just the tip of the iceberg of why you wont make it.

You talk about "well this is how I feel right now, but maybe later I'll have a change of heart" - that won't happen unless you remove yourself from your current situation and take the time off anyway - if you go searching for justifications of pursuing medicine, that is all they will be for you - justifications; not new meaning, but a (deluded) self-rationalization that being in it for the money is okay, just as long as you're doing something for someone else too.

and yes, you should have a strong interest in the chemico-physical underpinnings which drive life processes....because their manipulation is how you sustain those processes in your patients, and you can't manipulate if you don't comprehend.

 

[YouMDbro]

If I give a dog a bone, I don't want to know if it tastes good or not.

The point is not can you survive - if you're in it for the money, your going to try and squeeze in as many patients per unit time as possible, so you can net maximal insurance reimbursments....this is not beneficial to your patients, it is self-serving. You can try contest this, but that's really what all doc's who are in the field for unsavory reasons are after.

Repeatedly saying "I know I can survive," is not helping your case, son. It makes you seem more hubristic than you would like. Noone here cares if you can survive or not; you shouldn't be trying to convince us - but we're pretty much on point here in asserting you will not make it. You're hearts not in it for the right reasons, and you're going to fall by the wayside. Wait, who is that? OH EM GEE it's the CEO of the company that owns our hospital? I'm gonna shake his hand, because I hold more respect for him and his $1.7M wallet than I do for the jobless uninsured patient I need to manually dis-impact. That's just the tip of the iceberg of why you wont make it.

You talk about "well this is how I feel right now, but maybe later I'll have a change of heart" - that won't happen unless you remove yourself from your current situation and take the time off anyway - if you go searching for justifications of pursuing medicine, that is all they will be for you - justifications; not new meaning, but a (deluded) self-rationalization that being in it for the money is okay, just as long as you're doing something for someone else too.

and yes, you should have a strong interest in the chemico-physical underpinnings which drive life processes....because their manipulation is how you sustain those processes in your patients, and you can't manipulate if you don't comprehend.

alright, i can't make it because you said so. do you suggest dominos or pizza hut?

 

[NonTraditional3]

alright, i can't make it because you said so. do you suggest dominos or pizza hut?

You cannot make it, because a lot of people here suggest that - not just because I assert this, but it's the popular opinion of people with a lot more experience than you. You really have a comprehension issue.

 

[YouMDbro]

You cannot make it, because a lot of people here suggest that - not just because I assert this, but it's the popular opinion of people with a lot more experience than you. You really have a comprehension issue.

you're clearly too mad to be giving advice lol, typical bitter nontrad, you mad i'm getting my MD way younger than you?

 

[Yoseph101]

Why don't you start by taking finance classes or learning about business. Maybe even trying to create your own start up. Try new things before you drop out of your program. Go join you're local investing club. Don't drop out just yet. If you decide you don't want to pursue medicine you can just go for a prestigious MBA and then you'll get some prospects.

I tried to learn how to trade currencies my first semester of freshman year, it was very informative and cool and gave me a new perspective on economics but I realized that the barrier to entry was too high and there weren't enough opportunities for me.

Also remember, just because you work harder then someone else doesn't entitle you to anything. A lot of financial success is about being able to leverage the right opportunities and managing risk. If hard work = success, then certainly there would be many poor people who work three jobs to put their kids through college who would be billionaires. But life isn't like that. Pursue interesting and difficult things and that will be the best for your life and for your happiness(but then again i'm just 18 😀)

 

[YouMDbro]

Why don't you start by taking finance classes or learning about business. Maybe even trying to create your own start up. Try new things before you drop out of your program. Go join you're local investing club. Don't drop out just yet. If you decide you don't want to pursue medicine you can just go for a prestigious MBA and then you'll get some prospects.

I tried to learn how to trade currencies my first semester of freshman year, it was very informative and cool and gave me a new perspective on economics but I realized that the barrier to entry was too high and there weren't enough opportunities for me.

Also remember, just because you work harder then someone else doesn't entitle you to anything. A lot of financial success is about being able to leverage the right opportunities and managing risk. If hard work = success, then certainly there would be many poor people who work three jobs to put their kids through college who would be billionaires. But life isn't like that. Pursue interesting and difficult things (but then again i'm just 18 😀)

solid advice, i think i'll start doing this. take some classes to get an idea about finance/business. might just stick with the guaranteed MD acceptance and get an MBA later if i really dislike clinical work. i figure there are a lot of possibilities, but at the very worst i'll be safe with an MD and no debt

 

[Rezonance]

alright, i can't make it because you said so. do you suggest dominos or pizza hut?

Well since you've asked Pizza Hut

Real talk,

"As good as your intentions may have been, coming on a forum consisting of a bunch of gunner pre-meds saying that you don't think you have the heart to pursue medicine/science and are considering it because of the money/respect was probably not the best idea"

Look, of course there is a drive to be financially stable, of course there is, no doubt about it - money is a necessity and a currency but realize this, anyone can take money away from you, or burn your degree, but your intellect, your intellect no one can take away from you, so realize this friend money isn't everything, it never was - the bigger picture, the true currency is knowledge, and believe me when you have enough knowledge to aid in the care of others you will have an infinite amount of knowledge and that's the currency that will be worth spending and spreading.

Just my two cents, oh wait, you know what I mean though 🙂

Btw with the post above, you can definitely try to get a combined MD/MBA, real talk, ask your college if they will allow you to join the program..

 

[YouMDbro]

Well since you've asked Pizza Hut

Real talk,

Look, of course there is a drive to be financially stable, of course there is, no doubt about it - money is a necessity and a currency but realize this, anyone can take money away from you, or burn your degree, but your intellect, your intellect no one can take away from you, so realize this friend money isn't everything, it never was - the bigger picture, the true currency is knowledge, and believe me when you have enough knowledge to aid in the care of others you will have an infinite amount of knowledge and that's the currency that will be worth spending and spreading.

Just my two cents, oh wait, you know what I mean though 🙂

great post.

 

[circulus vitios]

The point is not can you survive - if you're in it for the money, your going to try and squeeze in as many patients per unit time as possible, so you can net maximal insurance reimbursments....this is not beneficial to your patients, it is self-serving. You can try contest this, but that's really what all doc's who are in the field for unsavory reasons are after.

Going into medicine for the money does not mean one will be an unethical physician. You people are ridiculous.

 

[NonTraditional3]

you're clearly too mad to be giving advice lol, typical bitter nontrad, you mad i'm getting my MD way younger than you?

Typical...bitter...non-trad....do you even realize how dumb that sounds? Guess what, while my friends went straight to medical school to slave away what little remains of their youth, I was in Australia, Paris, Beijing, London, Argentina, among many others. I've seen the world. I've gotten perspective. Made friends outside my field, and have enjoyed a litany of experiences that poise me well to work in a field, at the core of which a blind eye is turned to ethnicity and race. I've learned 2 new languages, and I've gotten to work with some brilliant people in an exciting laboratory. I would seriously advise against making snap judgements and not assert that people telling you things you don't want to hear are just "bitter". You seriously need to get over yourself, because you have a narrow minded outlook on life and what people in this field value, typical for a college sophomore, you are clueless and hubristic.

Yes; I am mad that you are getting your MD before me - it has nothing to do with the fact that shallow people such as yourself will one day be my colleagues, or the fact you so relentlessly argue even though tha majority of people on this thread are not in your corner....how arrogant are you, son? You should go talk to the dean of your medical school about these concerns if you think they are so meritorious. See what they have to say.

Hurry up before my pizza get's cold champ. You've got 30 minutes.

 

[YouMDbro]

Going into medicine for the money does not mean one will be an unethical physician. You people are ridiculous.

finally. a poster who doesn't think he's some sort of righteous god for choosing medicine solely to help people.

 

[campbellsoup29]

alright, i can't make it because you said so. do you suggest dominos or pizza hut?

I vote pizza hut.

On a serious note, there were parts of the pre-req courses that I thought were really boring and parts that I really enjoyed. Take a physio course or a psych class and see if you find those interesting. I would also advise you to take a finance/business course and see if you would enjoy that path more than your current one. Money isn't everything. Go volunteer in a poor underserved area and see if that changes your outlook. Good luck to you.