Career Advice, Please Help

[MonkeyDLuffy777]

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[MonkeyDLuffy777]

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[MonkeyDLuffy777]

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[Lost In Transcription]

Definitely cancel your MCAT if you still can. Void it if you cannot cancel.

You have a lot to sort through in general before your head can be clear enough to be a physician...or go to med school. That doesn't mean you can't do it! But it will take more guidance than you have now, a clear head, and a steady path. The career isn't ever really "attainable"...it is a lifelong journey in the field, such as many other professions, like being a scientist.

I'm not a med student nor am I a psychologist, but you can PM me to talk anytime as well.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

If anyone else has anything thoughts that they would like to share, I would really appreciate hearing them. Thank you!

Just read gonnif's post a few times. You are the one living your life. If your motivation is to please your family, you will be miserable. They won't have to work 80 hour weeks and take q3 or q4 call. They won't be in six figure debt.

Do you. That's the only way you'll be happy. Your parents will either understand and support you, or they won't. Either way, you need to follow your own passions.

 

[Goro]

OP, you're an adult now. You're able to vote drink, drive, smoke, work, pay taxes, and fight and die for your country. You're therefore old enough to grow a spine and tell your parents that your career is yours, not theirs, to determine.

The Carib diploma mills will take you as long as you're breathing and will cut a check, and you're the desperate, gullible mark they prey upon. Do you really like being unemployed and deeply in debt? Because that's all that that experience will leave you with.

? Since I have not been consistently doing well on the practice exams, and I still have a lot of content to review, it wouldn't make sense to take it right now, right? I also don't have any medical experience, or much volunteer experience medical related (it was just a few and it's undocumented actually). I was thinking even if I take the exam now, I would still need to work on those other aspects anyways to even think about applying to medical school. If I were to try to apply in January to schools like St. George's University, that would leave me with about 3-4 months of volunteering and trying to gain experience--do you guys think that would even be enough? I also don't have any significant contacts I can ask for letters of rec. from... So I would be trying to do it all in the couple of months after taking the exam... Also, if I end up applying and don't get in, I would feel like I might have wasted my time.

 

[stitch_rose]

There are a lot more people on here who are more experienced when it comes to the med school process (see above posts), but I did see someone who was in a similar situation as you. They were advised to cancel their MCAT test because even if they did well on the MCAT, they would not be able to gain significant clinical or volunteer work before their MCAT score expired.

As for the anxiety and family pressure, I can relate. It's great that you're feeling better, but have you seen a mental health professional? I only ask because you stated that you're "treating yourself" and while the supplements may be working, a healthcare provider might help you to coordinate the best possible treatment for you. Just from my own experience, I found professionals can get to the root of the problem and won't just treat the symptoms. I know you wouldn't want to suffer from crippling anxiety at another point in your life (like if you were to go to med school).

As for family... it's up to you to define who you want to be. I know it can be tough to talk to your parents (especially those with high expectations and/or immigrants), but I've had to have some pretty honest (and sometimes ugly) talks with my own parents about making my own career choices. Especially since you have interests in being a software developer, I would say be open to that. I feel that your parents would come around to your decision if you chose that path (it's not like you told them you wanted to be a stripper, right?). A software developer is a respectable job with very good pay. Even if you can't go back to college, I would see if you could work for a little in a related field, save up some money, and maybe take some community college or online classes in the meantime. Best of luck.

 

[AbuAliIbnSina]

Hi OP,

You got plenty of good advice on here. I understand that family plays a big role in your development as a person, but at some point you have to realize you will be the one that has to live through the consequences of your decisions. If you can only see yourself happy as a software developer then I encourage you to pursue that. If you choose a career, be it being a physician or other, based on what others want, you are just setting yourself up for years of disappointment and misery.

Best of luck. And until you decide, I advise you cancel your MCAT.

 

[MonkeyDLuffy777]

Hi everyone! I just want to take this time to say thank you very much to each and every one of you guys who replied to my post and gave me some of your advice. I am very grateful and appreciate the time you guys took to read what I had to say (and it was long too) as well as give me some feedback. Right now I can agree with you all that I should cancel my MCAT test date; fortunately, I still can. Whether what I want out of a career, I still am not sure... like gonnif points out, my issues most likely lie in my family dynamics. Also, stitch_rose I could probably benefit a lot from seeing a therapist... It seems like I have a lot of things to sort out, but I'm not sure where to begin exactly.. Anyways, my questions have been answered and so thank you guys!

 

[MonkeyDLuffy777]

Hi all,

So I ended up canceling my exam date. And now I am trying to gain shadowing experience, volunteering experience, and I'm trying to find a job to make a bit of money on the side (could be non-medically related as well). Do you guys think I am moving in the right direction here? This way I am actually going to gain some experience to know if this is the right path or not. Also I have just graduated from college. Would anybody have any advice for me to know that I am not doing something wrong here and wasting my time? Also, I applied to a teaching hospital to volunteer which is typically 50 min to an hour and 15 minutes to get there from where I live. Do you guys think that this is worth it? I tried to find something closer that matches what kind of experience I want, but the lady who contacted me back recommended a different place that is more suitable for my needs. However they will take about that long to get there (indicated above).

Thanks!

 

[Dandine]

@MonkeyDLuffy777

Getting in volunteering and shadowing will always be a plus for medical/clinical experience. Make sure when you sign up again for your MCAT that you devote time to that as well.

As for whether or not you are wasting your time, ultimately you find meaning in your life by doing things that you set your mind to, whether or not the path works out or not. Take one day at a time; you will figure out as you go along whether this is the right path for you. But the more you concentrate on doing the best you can in whatever you happen to be doing, the better you'll be able to deal with the work you set out to do.

On a more practical, less-life-advice-y note, you said you wanted to do more things other than study. Have you considered looking for things to do in the community, or taking up new hobbies? I ask because while you have a busy year ahead, there are always opportunities to try new things. I spent my app year community volunteering and developing different skills (e.g. foreign language), which balanced a lot of the stress I was going through. Opps to do fun things are out there; it's just a matter of finding them.

Finally, I'm not sure how much software experience you have, but if you happen to be a beginner there are resources that can help you pick up coding skills (CodeAcademy comes to mind). May not help with the software developer idea directly, but it'll help you see where your interests lie.

This is a lot, I know, but just remember to take it one step at a time. Good luck!!!

 

[MonkeyDLuffy777]

@MonkeyDLuffy777

Getting in volunteering and shadowing will always be a plus for medical/clinical experience. Make sure when you sign up again for your MCAT that you devote time to that as well.

As for whether or not you are wasting your time, ultimately you find meaning in your life by doing things that you set your mind to, whether or not the path works out or not. Take one day at a time; you will figure out as you go along whether this is the right path for you. But the more you concentrate on doing the best you can in whatever you happen to be doing, the better you'll be able to deal with the work you set out to do.

On a more practical, less-life-advice-y note, you said you wanted to do more things other than study. Have you considered looking for things to do in the community, or taking up new hobbies? I ask because while you have a busy year ahead, there are always opportunities to try new things. I spent my app year community volunteering and developing different skills (e.g. foreign language), which balanced a lot of the stress I was going through. Opps to do fun things are out there; it's just a matter of finding them.

Finally, I'm not sure how much software experience you have, but if you happen to be a beginner there are resources that can help you pick up coding skills (CodeAcademy comes to mind). May not help with the software developer idea directly, but it'll help you see where your interests lie.

This is a lot, I know, but just remember to take it one step at a time. Good luck!!!

Hi Dandine, I read your post earlier and I'm sorry for replying to it just now. I was still feeling confused a bit with everything that was going on and I guess I just needed to settle a bit! Everything you had said though makes total sense with me and I can see that I do have a long year ahead However, I am really happy to know that I don't have to try to do everything in a few months... which was what I had in mind before due to some family pressures. Also I'm beginning to feel more and more how there are other people out there who face similar pressures, and it makes me feel better in a way because I know more that I'm not the only one. Also, everyone's voices here has reached me in that in the end it is ultimately my decision for what career I want out of my life. I am grateful for all the advice and wisdom that I received. I hope to start living a happier and more fulfilled life by taking the advice of everyone who has helped me here Also to answer you question, I have been considering doing things in the community (community service) and taking up new hobbies.