Could you ACTUALLY be theoretically happy in another profession?

[TangoDown]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I hear the phrase a lot, "if you think you could be happy in another profession, don't go into medicine" And I reject that notion. I think someone who is emotionally and intellectually versatile could be happy under a variety of occupational circumstances. And I don't just mean something unrealistic like owning a fortune 500 company and playing golf 4 days a week...I mean professions that one can realistically seem themselves starting in their 20s or 30s - nursing, psychology, small business, social work, engineering, IT, etc.

Now I do think that if you don't truly know if you want to become a doctor, you should probably reevaluate yourself (which may end up strengthening your desire to become a physician). But again, I don't think one needs to be unilaterally satisfied with one choice to be able to conquer the path of most resistance (Med School, Residency, etc).

That's just my opinion, though.

What do you all think?

 

[Frazier]

I would argue that those people that CAN NOT be happy in any other profession have a naive perspective and/or damaged personality.

Maybe medicine is your "favorite" profession (and gives you the highest level of achieved happiness), but it shouldn't be the only possible option that could ever... At all... Grant you a feeling of happiness.

 

[Bangersandmash]

I think this is a loaded question. Theoretically I could be happy in another profession. Would I be happier than if I did medicine? I don't think I'll ever know. In addition to my pre-medical studies, I've pursued studies in Classics. I'd love to learn 3 or 4 new languages and spend my days reading and teaching in a more relaxing (albeit less financially stable) career and I would be perfectly happy. However, I am pursuing medicine because I enjoy the reward of the job and the challenge it takes. Would I then look at my career as a classicist and be unhappy because I am not putting in long working hours and managing people's lives?

Long story short, I'll pursue my dream of becoming a doctor and hopefully have time to pursue my interests in ancient greek and latin when I retire.

 

[Hemorrage]

You should pursue medicine if its something that you know will mentally stimulate you. It doesn't have to be something you absolutely love but if you despise applied science and working with people a 40-50 years is a long time to be miserable. Also chances are you won't ever feel like you accomplished anything If you did a job you didn't like

 

[Doctor Strange]

There are so many other professions that I would be happy with: comic book writer, photographer, actor, artist, and novelist just to name a few. The fact of the matter is, however, that I suck and/or lack the potential to do well in those areas. Medicine just happens to be something that I could feasibly excel in and be happy with.

 

[HughMyron]

I'd kinda like to be a college professor.

Unfortunately, it's a lot easier to become a physician than it is to be a chemist/english prof/historian, just because the Ph.D. glut ain't never gonna go away.

 

[ANATOMYgirl22]

I think I would be happy as a vet/professor/optometrist and probably a lot of other things. I just think that an MD is a versatile degree that will let me pursue many different paths that interest me, so that's why I'm going the med school route (though I'm still considering an MD/PhD)

I should note that I also wouldn't mind becoming a yoga instructor/professional volleyball player 😀

 

[Morsetlis]

I wouldn't mind being a chef.

But they don't get paid that well 🙁

 

[Bangersandmash]

I wouldn't mind being a chef.

But they don't get paid that well 🙁

Good chefs do.

 

[loveoforganic2]

I would argue that those people that CAN NOT be happy in any other profession have a naive perspective and/or damaged personality.

Maybe medicine is your "favorite" profession (and gives you the highest level of achieved happiness), but it shouldn't be the only possible option that could ever... At all... Grant you a feeling of happiness.

This, so much. Pet peeve is hearing this crap

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I'd kinda like to be a college professor.

Unfortunately, it's a lot easier to become a physician than it is to be a chemist/english prof/historian, just because the Ph.D. glut ain't never gonna go away.

Same. I honestly love the feel of academia and honestly wouldn't mind teaching a course or two on a topic within my medical specialty ( e.g teaching advance psychopathology as a psychiatrist or etc.).


Being honest I wouldn't mind doing clinical psychology and focus my research on biological/ physiological examinations of mental disorder.

 

[futureczar]

I think a lot of it comes down to how much I think I influenced other people. I would absolutley love being a photographer or being a chef. But at the end of the day I think being a physician would bring a lot more personal satisfaction than any other job. Sure you can make people feel a whole assortment of emotions with photos, or expose them to exotic cuisine. But I dont think many other jobs allow you to form the special bond of being able to alter an individuals health. And when it comes down to it, whats more important than good health?

 

[darklabel]

I'd kinda like to be a college professor.

Unfortunately, it's a lot easier to become a physician than it is to be a chemist/english prof/historian, just because the Ph.D. glut ain't never gonna go away.

Mind = blown about Ph.D. glut. Then why all this hog wash of us needing more people graduating in STEM majors? 😡

I hear so many crisis, too many kids droping out, but then we have too many qualified applicants, too many PhDs, too many lawyers, too many accountants, etc etc.

It seems as if you may as well not train anywhere for the average American (I would hardly call medical school matriculants average).

And to answer the OP, probably be a PA or something medically related. While autonomy is nice, I honestly just love the health care profession in general.

 

[IslandStyle808]

I would like to be an archeologist and search the world for dinosaurs (more and more are being discovered even now). Problem is they are not paid much and I am sure I would struggle to get funding for the research.

I have always loved sciences since I have been a kid and felt medicine would be one that I would enjoy. You get to understand about the human body in relation to disease, the pay is above the median, and it has great job stability.

 

[Cinclus]

Yes, of course. I think I would have been happy as a high school teacher, professor/college instructor, wildlife biologist...the list goes on. I think medicine will be the most fulfilling career for me (I'll feel like I'm reaching my full potential), but I would have been fairly happy doing several other careers.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

There are plenty of other careers I could enjoy myself in. Professor/PI being one of them, but since I'm planning on doing an MD/PhD I can do that while still being a physician to a small degree on the side.

As far as non-biology careers go, I've often considered something in computer science or IT, like software engineer or sys admin. However, math has always been my weakest subject and those two fields are really math heavy, so I'm happy to keep those things as hobbies and a nice additional skill set to put on my CV.

And then of course there's stuff like bestselling fiction writer, Hollywood movie producer, and astronaut, but I prefer to chase after careers that are actually realistic 😛

 

[FormerPhysicist]

I was pretty good at astrophysics back in undergrad for whatever reason, but the market for that sort of thing after grad school is oversaturated (not to mention the horrendously low pay). I was awful at every other form of physics. Would I have been happy doing it? Probably. Would I have been able to keep a steady job and provide for a family? Probably not.

 

[MedPR]

Could I actually theoretically be something? theoretically sure.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

Mind = blown about Ph.D. glut. Then why all this hog wash of us needing more people graduating in STEM majors? 😡

I hear so many crisis, too many kids droping out, but then we have too many qualified applicants, too many PhDs, too many lawyers, too many accountants, etc etc.

It seems as if you may as well not train anywhere for the average American (I would hardly call medical school matriculants average).

And to answer the OP, probably be a PA or something medically related. While autonomy is nice, I honestly just love the health care profession in general.

When you hear cries about needing more STEM majors what they actually mean to say is "we need more engineers and doctors". Everything else that falls under STEM is severely glutted or otherwise persists in an undesirable job market.

And, yes, you're right, there's very few careers out there these days with the perfect trifecta (high pay + good job security + lots of jobs). This is due to several factors:

1) The echo boomers (people born in the late 70s/early 80s up to 2000) are the largest generation in history
2) There's been a massive push for the last 30-40 years for everyone to go to college. This is especially true for the echo boomers. As a result, the bachelor's degree is the new high school diploma, and an associate's degree may as well not even exist anymore.
3) Over the last 30 years the combo of globalization and mechanization of labor has caused a massive number of careers to vanish. Probably the most notable example is factory jobs which used to be an easy way for a person with minimal education to still earn a middle class income, which in turn encouraged a lot of people to not bother with college.
4) The Great Recession exacerbated all of this by killing off even more jobs and encouraging scores more people to continue onward past a bachelor's and into a master's or even doctorate or professional degree.

The consequence of all of that is that now all careers are far more competitive than they were even in the early 90s. So basically if you want a good job, you've got to bust your ass off for it and get buddy-buddy with the right people. Just do yourself a favor and don't look at what it took to get an entry level job back in the 70s to what it takes today.

 

[darklabel]

When you hear cries about needing more STEM majors what they actually mean to say is "we need more engineers and doctors". Everything else that falls under STEM is severely glutted or otherwise persists in an undesirable job market.

And, yes, you're right, there's very few careers out there these days with the perfect trifecta (high pay + good job security + lots of jobs). This is due to several factors:

1) The echo boomers (people born in the late 70s/early 80s up to 2000) are the largest generation in history
2) There's been a massive push for the last 30-40 years for everyone to go to college. This is especially true for the echo boomers. As a result, the bachelor's degree is the new high school diploma, and an associate's degree may as well not even exist anymore.
3) Over the last 30 years the combo of globalization and mechanization of labor has caused a massive number of careers to vanish. Probably the most notable example is factory jobs which used to be an easy way for a person with minimal education to still earn a middle class income, which in turn encouraged a lot of people to not bother with college.
4) The Great Recession exacerbated all of this by killing off even more jobs and encouraging scores more people to continue onward past a bachelor's and into a master's or even doctorate or professional degree.

The consequence of all of that is that now all careers are far more competitive than they were even in the early 90s. So basically if you want a good job, you've got to bust your ass off for it and get buddy-buddy with the right people. Just do yourself a favor and don't look at what it took to get an entry level job back in the 70s to what it takes today.

Interesting post with a lot of good information. I always keep hearing how much easier it was back in the day. Medical schools weren't THAT competitive and even if you didn't get in, the Caribbean was actually a great back up.

However, should note that as echo boomers, large number of people = consumption and thus = possibly booming economy? And with Affordable Care Act, more people insured would mean doctors not feeling as big of a pinch as others any time soon. Not much of an economist but one has to look at the positives of such a large cohort (80million+).

I'm one of the few optimists that hopes those factory jobs will be replaced with higher paying technical jobs for the common man once the economy rebounds, but some would probably just call me naive.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

Interesting post with a lot of good information. I always keep hearing how much easier it was back in the day. Medical schools weren't THAT competitive and even if you didn't get in, the Caribbean was actually a great back up.

However, should note that as echo boomers, large number of people = consumption and thus = possibly booming economy? And with Affordable Care Act, more people insured would mean doctors not feeling as big of a pinch as others any time soon. Not much of an economist but one has to look at the positives of such a large cohort (80million+).

I'm one of the few optimists that hopes those factory jobs will be replaced with higher paying technical jobs for the common man once the economy rebounds, but some would probably just call me naive.

You would think so, but unfortunately what's happened is that thanks to the miracles of science, computers and robots have been able to automate a lot of jobs, and they're replacing more every day (next up on the chopping block are truck drivers, taxi cab drivers, bus drivers, etc. once self-driving cars become mainstream). It also means that even jobs that can't be replaced by computers are at least made much more efficient by them, such that companies don't have to hire nearly as many people (see: corporate office workers).

For those jobs that can't be performed by a Turing machine, there's outsourcing to whittle them away. Why pay an American $20/hour to do a job when there's a guy in India or China willing to do it for $2/hour?

So what's happened over the years is that the population has exploded but the number of jobs has been relatively stagnant while the number of types of jobs has been steadily dwindling. So while there may be more economic demand, the system has evolved to a point where it no longer needs additional manpower to satisfy that demand. To make a gory analogy, it's like how the invention of the machine gun rendered an army's size irrelevant.

 

[Josh7]

I'd kinda like to be a college professor.

Unfortunately, it's a lot easier to become a physician than it is to be a chemist/english prof/historian, just because the Ph.D. glut ain't never gonna go away.

Same here. I'd rather not deal with the work and politics that it would take to become a college professor though. The amount of publications and work that it takes to become a tenured university professor seems so much more stressful to me than more schooling.

 

[ShenanigansMD]

Well, THEORETICALLY I'd be my happiest as a garbage man. But that's just a theory...

I would LOVE to be a science academic/travel writer, but that's not practcial. Or at least it's a bit overrated and super duper competitive.

BUT medicine is practical, and it incorporates scientific, cultural, and economic factors which would allow me to pursue a lot of interests at once. And I'm not big on the family thing, so my time isn't too much of an issue.

OR what I just posted is the most naive thing ever stated on SDN.

 

[HughMyron]

Mind = blown about Ph.D. glut. Then why all this hog wash of us needing more people graduating in STEM majors? 😡

I hear so many crisis, too many kids droping out, but then we have too many qualified applicants, too many PhDs, too many lawyers, too many accountants, etc etc.

It seems as if you may as well not train anywhere for the average American (I would hardly call medical school matriculants average).

And to answer the OP, probably be a PA or something medically related. While autonomy is nice, I honestly just love the health care profession in general.

Well, the hogwash about needing more STEM majors mainly comes from the companies that employ the STEM majors. If they get more of them, then increased labor supply means more job competition and lower salaries.

Also, another part of it comes from discouraging people to enter liberal arts fields, because they encourage people to think, and the powers that be don't like it when people think.

 

[ShenanigansMD]

Well, the hogwash about needing more STEM majors mainly comes from the companies that employ the STEM majors. If they get more of them, then increased labor supply means more job competition and lower salaries.

Also, another part of it comes from discouraging people to enter liberal arts fields, because they encourage people to think, and the powers that be don't like it when people think.

Labor supply issues aside, the US lags waaaay behind a lot of countries in STEM education in secondary schools. Plus, any STEM major can go to the bookstore, pick up a copy of 1984, and then start "thinking" before the Thought Police come knocking on the door.

But liberal arts is important too.

 

[HughMyron]

Labor supply issues aside, the US lags waaaay behind a lot of countries in STEM education in secondary schools. Plus, any STEM major can go to the bookstore, pick up a copy of 1984, and then start "thinking" before the Thought Police come knocking on the door.

But liberal arts is important too.

Yeah this is another point, a lot of people don't understand the exact purpose of the liberal arts, mostly because there isn't one. A liberal arts education is a tool, it's up to the wielder to decide how to use it. I used it to get into medical school. Some people don't use it, and end up making coffee for years instead. But a good craftsman doesn't blame his tools!

Oh, and reading random books is not what lib arts majors do. I wish it was, would have made my life a lot easier. But in all honesty I prob spent more time on courses like American Diplo History than on 400-level Biochem coursework.

 

[Aerus]

Seeing as how I (nor nobody else) have never actually tried every single profession outside of medicine, it's very likely.

 

[EnergyDrink]

I could see myself as a mathematician or math teacher. Even dentistry is interesting to me.

Both would probably get boring.