corrollary to "age" thread

[militarymd]

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Based on the responses so far, it would appear that we have a number of "bent arrows"...

so what did you all do besides college, medical school, and residency?

 

[DrDre']

Had a job since ten. Now 37.

Newspaper boy (of the month! once)
Dishpig
cook
french tutor
store manager
carpenter
taxi driver
paramedic x 4 years
high school teacher
crack slinger
Koolaid stand saleman at the compton swap meet (I was chronically ill back then- some sort of industry-associated pulmonary disease process ...)


YOu have dissed the bent arrows here before. Noyac and JPP are those same people you're talking about?

The best jobs for prep for medicine and anesthesiology? short order cook for multitasking and cab driver for human relations...

 

[Bertelman]

First job- lifeguard
grocery store
lab assist in college
anesthesia tech, research
barback/waiter
harvested/recovered cadaver tissue

...I like the short order cook thought. People barking orders, the "glue" of the system, anticipating what's next, etc.

 

[DrDre']

My wife is an emergency dept NP. SHe says the hardest job she ever had was waitress. this is a great job for medicine- like cook + cab driver. PR skillz and multitasking...

First job- lifeguard
grocery store
lab assist in college
anesthesia tech, research
barback/waiter
harvested/recovered cadaver tissue

...I like the short order cook thought. People barking orders, the "glue" of the system, anticipating what's next, etc.

 

[nutmegs]

The best jobs for prep for anesthesiology?

bartending!!!

I went straight through education wise but have worked since 12:
newspaper assembler
cave tour guide
mickey d's
waitress
research assistant
bartender
freelance news/wedding photographer
stagehand
personal assistant to crazy child psychiatrist
freelance live audio tech

 

[geogil]

Paperboy (never, not once paperboy of the month though) 3 yrs
Lifeguard 3 yrs
Phlebotomist 3yrs
Collegiate rowing coach (forgot)
Research assistant

 

[Noyac]

Mostly played sports, football and baseball. College All-American First team Catcher, Conference MVP.

Brief stint with Mets.

Emergency Room Tech
Weigh Instructor
Carpenter (nail banger)
Landscaper
Research Assistant

 

[cchoukal]

I've done a little of everything from baklava sales at the greek foods booth at a state Renaissance Festival to huffing lead fumes on the 2nd shift at an electronics factory. Even a brief stint as an "appointment setter" for Kirby vacuum cleaners. My main job through HS and college was as a stock boy at a grocery store. After college I was in a PhD program in counseling psychology. I left after the MS ddegree to go to medical school, and had my one "real job" as a market research analyst for the year or so while I was applying/interviewing for medical school.

 

[usnavdoc]

I waited tables in high school and continued that in the summer time in Destin Fl through college. I worked as a Nurse assistant in the MICU at Vanderbilt while I was at school.

Took the Navy HPSP scholarship in 97 for school and subsequently had my residency delayed by 4 years while spending time as a GMO with the USMC. Now Im 36 and finishing residency this year. finally.

 

[DrDre']

Doh!
I forgot phlebotomist!

Paperboy (never, not once paperboy of the month though) 3 yrs
Lifeguard 3 yrs
Phlebotomist 3yrs

 

[QofQuimica]

Got an MS in chemistry. Worked for a while as a chemist and as a chemistry instructor. Went back to grad school and got my PhD. Decided that this wasn't punishment enough, and applied to med school.

On a more serious note, I got interested in anesthesiology during my second stint in grad school. I was thinking about med school but wasn't sure if I really wanted to do it. Someone suggested anesthesiology would be a good fit since my PhD is in pharmaceutical chem. I cold-contacted an MD/PhD in the anesthesiology dept. at the med school about shadowing and meeting to discuss anesthesiology research. It turned out that he had done the same thing I'm doing (i.e., grad school and then med school). I worked with him on one of his research projects on the side for a couple of years and decided I would rather do clinical research than bench chemistry.

usnavdoc, don't feel bad. I'll still be an intern when I'm 36.

 

[nutmegs]

Doh!
I forgot phlebotomist!

haha... I forgot phlebotomist too. must be a trend. I had the pleasure of working at one of the plasma for beer money places, so got lots of practice with 17ga needles.

 

[proman]

Medic in Atlanta for 5 years. 4 of them nights. I hate nights now.

 

[cubs3canes]

32

Caddy 10 years
Waiter 1 year (master's year)
lab tech 4 years (college)
Quality Assurance at a Major Pharmaceutical Company (2 years)

but the best non-medical job was when I was a teacher to 6-7-8 for honors math. I taught a bunch of rich kids. I was a dick. I loved it. It was rewarding. They had the best standardized math scores that year in the history of the school. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was passionate. I also did not tolerate any mis-behaving. They called me the math nazi.

Example of being a jerk--> kid was bad. I was sick of it. I pulled out my cell phone and said give me your mom's cell phone number...and called that sh**. I made the kids tell his mom (in the hallway) why he was being bad. I got in trouble, but it was awesome.

Cubs

 

[Bertelman]

haha... I forgot phlebotomist too. must be a trend.

Ditto here. Just a summer job. Showing up @ 0500 sucked, but leaving at 1330 rocked.

Remember working the clinic one day when a Pt. came in for HIV testing (this was the early 90's). His knees were getting a little too close to mine under the table. I thought that was a pretty inopportune time to make incidental/suggestive contact with another man.

 

[cfdavid]

Based on the responses so far, it would appear that we have a number of "bent arrows"...

so what did you all do besides college, medical school, and residency?

My major was finance with a significant science background in undergrad. Wouldn't change the finance degree for anything.

Took my final exam on a Friday, and started as a trader-trainee the following Monday. Did well and advanced up quickly, but didn't like the "lifestyle". Dark, windows covered, never saw the sun..... (kind of like a hospital! LOL)

So, I had a contact that was hiring sales dudes for industrial automation (basically, just automating any process you could imagine). Spent 2 full years being trained in all aspects of the company (employee owned). Did 30 credits in technology oriented coursework at a local community college. During that time, went to over 10 out of state training programs put on by our vendors, to learn our products/systems.

Went on to manage and grow a 2 mil/year sales territory. Good stuff, but I didn't see a long term future in it.

I was six-figs at age 25 but didn't see being there over the long haul. At least medicine (with all it's flaws) is constantly changing and constantly evolving academically. I like it for IT, if that makes sense. But, if I had a down year in my past life, I was pissed/miserable. Medicine has more intrinsic rewards even though I realize that sounds idealistic.

 

[cfdavid]

Mostly played sports, football and baseball. College All-American First team Catcher, Conference MVP.

Brief stint with Mets.

Emergency Room Tech
Weigh Instructor
Carpenter (nail banger)
Landscaper
Research Assistant

LOL Noy, I did rough carpentry and landscaping all through high school and college winters and summers..... Those rough carpenters are some hard dudes. I remember a dude standing on the roof of a home during January when the ply was seriously like ICE asking me to THROW him up a new saw blade!!!!! LOL LOL

I did, and the dude caught it. F...cking fearless. That and throwing up multiple 2x12 beams (tacked together ofcourse) on second story homes during the winter was just craziness.

I've done over 6k sq ft of brick pavers in downtown Detroit just prior to med school, under a contract a buddy of mine won under his general contractor uncle. Did it after i quit the day job and waiting to start med school...... Again, HARD work, man.

 

[soupcan]

I grew up on a ranch in the northern central plains. I've been riding horse since diapers, driving tractors since I could see over the steering wheel, cars since 12, and semi since 15. My other work experience breaks up nicely into three parts:

College:
Worked at an ag research station.
Night watchman during calving season at the university cattle barns.
Bartender.
Bicycle mechanic.
Research and Teaching Assistant in Economics (MS).

Medical:
Nurse Aid in Emergency Room.
Phlebotomy.
Donor tissue recovery.
Research aid in cardiac lab.

and finally, my favorite jobs...

Fun:
Counted fish for the Idaho Fish and Game. This involved snorkeling backcountry streams and whitewater rivers while living out of a tent for two summers.

Whitewater rafting guide in CO and AK.

Snowcat operator in Vail, work all night - ride all day.....

 

[CambieMD]

Clinical microbiologist 4 years phlebotomist in college
Med school
Took a year off following int. med internship -worked as a clinical microbiologist until my med license came through. Moon lighted in psych hospital.

Fp internship and residency 3 years

Worked as FP doc in small group 1 year

Worked for myself 3 years moon lighted a lot

Completed gas residency

Working in an academic center- present

Cambie

 

[nutmegs]

Snowcat operator in Vail, work all night - ride all day.....

!!! This is one of my secret fantasy careers

 

[Trisomy13]

almost 35 now


the ubiquitous paperboy job (for 6 years, enough to save some serious coin believe it or not)
state park lawn care
maintenance crew at an international airport (i can't imagine doing some of the things we did then with the security changes today)
College (with some crap jobs)
HIV research (wet bench) x3 yrs
Grad school x2 yrs while continuing research
Statistician x1 yr on a different project across the country
Pharmaceutical company clinical trials coordinator x1.5 yrs (the last 0.5 during MS1 in med school -- had to quit)

medicine was never really in the grand scheme, but i landed there and enjoy it enough to stay until fate shakes my snowglobe again.

 

[cfdavid]

I grew up on a ranch in the northern central plains. I've been riding horse since diapers, driving tractors since I could see over the steering wheel, cars since 12, and semi since 15. My other work experience breaks up nicely into three parts:

College:
Worked at an ag research station.
Night watchman during calving season at the university cattle barns.
Bartender.
Bicycle mechanic.
Research and Teaching Assistant in Economics (MS).

Medical:
Nurse Aid in Emergency Room.
Phlebotomy.
Donor tissue recovery.
Research aid in cardiac lab.

and finally, my favorite jobs...

Fun:
Counted fish for the Idaho Fish and Game. This involved snorkeling backcountry streams and whitewater rivers while living out of a tent for two summers.

Whitewater rafting guide in CO and AK.

Snowcat operator in Vail, work all night - ride all day.....

soupcan, you are officially my idol.

 

[DET0897]

Brass Factory: "Bust my ass for (company name) brass". Nothing motivates you to study like a few amputated hands, fingers and ponytails during factory shift work

A few hours of "community service" during my college drinking days

Ph.D.: (the windup)

1st residency (the stretch)

Anesthesia residency (delivery)

 

[coldweatherblue]

first job was cleaning up the jobsite for my bricklayer uncle. He would lay brick and I'd go around cleaning stuff up and helping him out. I worked a couple summers like this when I was 10-12 or so.

next job was volunteering at a goodwill store from 14-15. I was too young to get paid but it was more convenient for my dad to pick me up there than right after school so I hung around for a few hours.

from 15-18 I worked in a dishroom; washing dishes, mopping floors etc.

I think I started teaching guitar when I was 17 too and continued doing that until right before leaving for med school. I miss teaching and I'm thinking about picking up a couple students.

as soon as I was 18 I got a job waiting tables; did that until I was 24 and went to med school. (present-day)

I took a year off somewhere in there and taught English in Prague. Good times, I miss having a job honestly... I know I should enjoy the first two years of med school cause it's the last time I'll be totally free like this, but still it's too much free time... I'd rather be doing something productive with my hands.

 

[VolatileNavyDoc]

This brings back some memories: 36 now... Started at age 12.

Dishwasher
Carwasher
Food stand at the zoo
Shoney's waiter
Laid Concrete
Arabic Linguist
Package delivery man
Waiter (again)
Pharmacy tech
Whitewater raft guide
Environmental Human Health Risk Assessor
Med Student
General Medical Officer
Anesthesiology Resident

 

[mamitch4]

First job scooping ice cream at local ice cream joint through high school, then...

Girl Scout camp counselor
Outdoor recreation reservationist
Whitewater rafting guide in WV and CO
Data entry for industrial pipe company
Ski patroller
Babysitter
Ski boot technician and hard goods sales associate in Vail

Med student
Resident

 

[soupcan]

VolatileNavyDoc: Where did you guide?

mamitch4: Did you guide on the Gualey? I have seen some amazing footage of that river. Several of the guides that I worked with in CO worked the Gualey in the fall. Crazy stuff. What river were you on in CO? Whats your favorite run in Vail? Mine has got to be a bowl tour on a powder morning. Get first chair and head to Game creek, Sun Down, Sun Up, China, Siberia, then to Blue Sky for a couple and out before the tourists take over. Man I miss those days!

cfdavid: I worked with a guy in CO who had a very similar story to yours. 6 figure sales income working out of Reno I believe. He quit it, bought a 15 passenger van - took all the seats out and had himself a "mobile home". He has been rafting and skiing ever since.

It is interesting to see how everyong seems to have worked such a variety of jobs, and so many of them. Must take a certain kind of individual to travel this far down the road that we are all on...

 

[Hawaiian Bruin]

Ski Patroller (Winters in California)
Summer School Geometry & Algebra Teacher (Summers in Hawaii)

Life was good. Broke, but good.

 

[soupcan]

first job was cleaning up the jobsite for my bricklayer uncle. He would lay brick and I'd go around cleaning stuff up and helping him out. I worked a couple summers like this when I was 10-12 or so.

next job was volunteering at a goodwill store from 14-15. I was too young to get paid but it was more convenient for my dad to pick me up there than right after school so I hung around for a few hours.

from 15-18 I worked in a dishroom; washing dishes, mopping floors etc.

I think I started teaching guitar when I was 17 too and continued doing that until right before leaving for med school. I miss teaching and I'm thinking about picking up a couple students.

as soon as I was 18 I got a job waiting tables; did that until I was 24 and went to med school. (present-day)

I took a year off somewhere in there and taught English in Prague. Good times, I miss having a job honestly... I know I should enjoy the first two years of med school cause it's the last time I'll be totally free like this, but still it's too much free time... I'd rather be doing something productive with my hands.

I totally agree with you. Sitting and studying seems so unproductive and frankly unsatisfying. I can't count the times I have come home and wished that I had some good old fashioned manual labor to do.

 

[AK_MD2BE]

Professional hockey player...gave up millions by choosing to become a doctor instead of playing in the NHL...now I am suffering through four years of medical school and a five year residency (I am going to do a peds fellowship)...good call.

 

[Green912]

After undergrad was a career Firefighter & Paramedic for eight years. Man do I miss those 24hr-on and 48hr-off shifts. Five days off every few weeks written into our contract (Kelly Days/ EDO's depending on your dept.) Went back for my Masters in Biology in order to beef up my med-school app. Was promoted to Lt. a few months before resigning.

 

[Noyac]

Professional hockey player...gave up millions by choosing to become a doctor instead of playing in the NHL...now I am suffering through four years of medical school and a five year residency (I am going to do a peds fellowship)...good call.

Ha Ha, very similar scenario. I was planning on a career in baseball and as a catcher I had the best chance of making it as the odds go. I was relatively injury free for years and reliable which just about guarantees a shot. Plus I could play. I was riding in buses for about 5yrs playing in town after town. I went to the movies with some teamates to see "Bull Durham". One of my all time fav's. I watched that movie the whole time thinking thats gonna be me. A lifelong catcher with a few chances at the show here and there (I couldn't hit like Piazza but I could out catch his arse) and then after I couldn't play any longer I'd become a coach in some midwest farm town. I got terrified and went to Med Sch. Best decision I could have made.

BTW, I started playing hockey this year. What a blast. I never skated b/4 and I can't get enough of it. What position were you? I think I'd make a good goalie with my baseball catcher background but right now I'm playing center.

 

[Bertelman]

I totally agree with you. Sitting and studying seems so unproductive and frankly unsatisfying. I can't count the times I have come home and wished that I had some good old fashioned manual labor to do.

Working on my house during med school kept me sane (and kept me out of most gas programs ).

 

[jetproppilot]

Based on the responses so far, it would appear that we have a number of "bent arrows"...

so what did you all do besides college, medical school, and residency?

1)Firefighter/Paramedic...right outta high school....for two years...worked 24 hours on, 48 hours off.....exciting, fraternity like...matured me beyond my years (I was 18 when I got hired)

2)Doorman at PENROD'S BEACH CLUB on South Beach....I actually got paid on Saturday to comb Miami's South Beach for contestants for the 4pm bikini contest!!!.....Great job while I was in med school...back then Penrod's was a premium place to be on weekends....what with the long line to get in, me as wanna the gatekeepers.....

good times, ladies and gentlemen.

Good times.

 

[G0S2]

Hospital dishwasher (college)
Convenience store clerk (college) (night shift )
Scientific research (year fellowships plus grad school)

 

[MacBook]

911 dispatcher
Stable manager
Clerk
Research Assistant
Provincial EMS examiner
First aid instructor
Communications (entered rig sites into the 911 system....boring)

pfffftt...back to being a clerk at the moment...to broken to do anything else...

 

[bluewater]

Ice cream slinger at Baskin Robbins
Tire and Lube Express Tech at Wal Mart
DJ
Physcial Science teacher
Tennis pro-shop racket stringer
Pimp
Resident
soon to be Fellow

 

[UMMS FMD]

Wow... this goes back a few years.

1. Worked in a pet store during high school
2. Worked in my UG admissions mailing room during undergrad
3. Worked as an assistant in feature film development after graduation
4. Post-production coordinator on a feature film
5. Post-production supervisor for an ABC sitcom
6. Waited tables while I did my post-bacc work and applied to med school
7. Sold cars while I waited to hear back on my med school apps
8. Intern! =)

 

[bigdan]

1. Allowance was cut off in my house at age 14; you wanted some cheddar after that, you got yourself a j-o-b. Thus my foray into culinary utensil management (affectionately called "dishwashing" at that time). Did that until they paid my to use my brain tutoring in undergrad.

2. Graduated with Bachelor's in Occupational Therapy. Did that for two years, then moved to Portugal to play roller hockey. Small town, good money, big fish/small pond. Came home after freaking out while watching some cretins fly planes into our buildings - nothing drives home the importance of family like seeing innocent people decide between jumping from a 100 story building vs. burning to death. If it weren't for 9/11, I might still be skating around a hockey rink right now...

3. Returned to USA, did OT again for years - up the ladder, this time. Worker bee --> director of occupational therapy department --> director of clinical services --> executive director of rehab facility. Bumped from helping people to counting beans. Great experience, super-nice resume, but not what I wanted. Took one med school pre-req course at a time to prep for MCAT. Did well enough on that to get the f*ck outta dodge.

4. Now in medical school, happy as a clam. Just turned 31 yesterday. Left OT to get more constant and demanding environment - and thrilled that I did so. Now applying for anesthesia residency...things have worked out almost perfectly, at least from my point of view.

dc

 

[Hawaiian Bruin]

I forgot to pad my resume with the following gems:

Taco Bell Manager

Warehouse Supervisor

24 Hour Fitness Front Desk Attendant

SAT Tutor

Octopus Spearfisherman (well, this is what I would have done if I didn't get into med school).

 

[Bertelman]

I forgot to pad my resume with the following gems:

Taco Bell Manager

Warehouse Supervisor

24 Hour Fitness Front Desk Attendant

SAT Tutor

Octopus Spearfisherman (well, this is what I would have done if I didn't get into med school).

I was snorkeling w/ my wife in maui, near the Black Rock cliff at the Sheraton, near a few yahoos with spears hunting octopus. I wasn't impressed. They seemed to be holding he spears rather loosely. There were many children and tourists around, and all I could think of was one slip of the finger and their spear penetrating my chest.

Not to take away from your alternative career.

 

[geogil]

Dream job if anesthesia doesn't pan out (neglecting of course my 240K in medschool loans):
Ski patroller in Jackson Wy. What's better than getting paid to both blow things up and to ski all day? That, my friends, is the height of employment. Incidentally, a coupla years ago some ski patrollers in Utah overshot the mountain with the howitzer and the shell landed in some guys back yard.

 

[Hockeyguy]

Professional hockey player...gave up millions by choosing to become a doctor instead of playing in the NHL...now I am suffering through four years of medical school and a five year residency (I am going to do a peds fellowship)...good call.

What med school are you at? I played major Juniors and chased the dream for a while. Where did you play juniors?

 

[Noyac]

Dream job if anesthesia doesn't pan out (neglecting of course my 240K in medschool loans):
Ski patroller in Jackson Wy. What's better than getting paid to both blow things up and to ski all day? That, my friends, is the height of employment. Incidentally, a coupla years ago some ski patrollers in Utah overshot the mountain with the howitzer and the shell landed in some guys back yard.

Don't be a patroller. Just a bomber. Patrollers are arses usually b/c they have some authority (I'll confiscate your ticket) and don't seem to feel complete until they stick their chests out. The bombers/avy crew are kool as ****. They know what slopes are good to go and more importantly which ones to avoid. They don't have any reason to give you crap.
Yeah maceo, I'm generalizing again

BTW, what happened to that guy?

 

[Noyac]

What med school are you at? I played major Juniors and chased the dream for a while. Where did you play juniors?

You guys could not have been any good at hockey. Everyone knows that hockey players are only 1 SD above football players which are 3 SD's behind baseball players in intelligence .

Everyone also knows that baseball players are the most intelligent athletes. And then catchers are the most intelligence of all baseball players.

Yes, I'm generalizing again.

 

[AK_MD2BE]

Noyak...I played defense, one of those big, brusing types (6'5, 240)...yeah, guys really didn't want to go into the corners with me.

Hockeyguy...I attend Saint Louis University and played junior for the USA Under-18 National team.

 

[Hockeyguy]

Noyak...I played defense, one of those big, brusing types (6'5, 240)...yeah, guys really didn't want to go into the corners with me.

Hockeyguy...I attend Saint Louis University and played junior for the USA Under-18 National team.

Thats cool I didn't know the under 18 team was a junior team - back in my day it was a developmental team that played various D1-3 colleges. What junior league are they affiliated with?

Do you play over at Brentwood? I played this summer in a league in O'Fallon Il was a pretty good skate.

 

[geogil]

Don't be a patroller. Just a bomber. Patrollers are arses usually b/c they have some authority (I'll confiscate your ticket) and don't seem to feel complete until they stick their chests out. The bombers/avy crew are kool as ****. They know what slopes are good to go and more importantly which ones to avoid. They don't have any reason to give you crap.
Yeah maceo, I'm generalizing again

BTW, what happened to that guy?

here's the story from utah:
http://www.avalanche-center.org/News/2005/2005-03-23-utah-artillery.php

looks like the shell exploded but nobody got hurt. Anyway, I think it'd be pretty fun to send a sled full of fertilizer down the slope and then touch it off.

 

[Hawaiian Bruin]

Our patrol was good people, but I've been at other places where patrol was full of the cop-with-an-attitude types.

We didn't have to bomb our "mountain," unfortunately.

Little known facts of the ski industry: felony DUI apparently does not disqualify someone from driving a snowcat, and it is seemingly an prerequisite of employment for the snowmaking crew to have a detectable serum level of crystal meth at all times (making for spectacular snowmobile accidents I might add).

 

[2win]

1) construction worker
2) door men
3) body guard
4) etoh warehouse
5) neuro surgery resident
6) stock market - day trader