Curious what Jobs and Salaries Did you give up for med school

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Bartender NYC

$500.00 bucks a night and lots of boozin
 
Software Engineer from Wichita, Kansas.
Starting salary: $51,000
14 months later: $00,000

Currently: $10,000 (part-time)

It's been a life changing experience. Societal norms and weird looks piss me off.
 
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Regional Director of a Merchant Service Banking Sales force

150k per year - 6 wks vacation - full benefits - only 28 :)

It does not matter how much you make if you hate what you do!

Hopfully Bryn Mawr will let me in :)
 
IT, specifically SAP. Around 60,000CAD/year (for those of you in IT, yeah, quite low for this field).

Contract ended a few weeks back, would have been nice if it had gone until next June. Currently looking for a job, if you know know of one or need help in this area, please do let me know. :)

Good luck with the application folks.
 
Navy LT, Helicopter Pilot $70-80k

Luckily, I saved millions early on during my lucrative career as a junior officer.
 
Pharmaceutical sales representative. Gave up quite a lot of money. I tell people that if I was not doing this I would own my own house.

I wanted to do this from 1991, but took the scenic route through life and in 2003, God sent me back to where I started.

Paid for the 1st 2 years out of pocket but now borrowing from my parents - quite humbling but I know I am good for it to pay them back...and then some.

So that's that. I am where I have been called.

That's my 2 cents.
 
High school Chemistry and Biology teacher. $45k salary after 5 yrs, but spent up to $6k/yr buying classroom materials.
I was popular with the students, but I couldn't handle the spiritual torment of bearing society's problems.
Entering medicine for the framework it provides to address specific problems in a limited scope.
 
Investment banker then day trader -100 million dollars
 
Professional Modern Dancer -- upto $8,000/year (usually sooo much less)
Part time graphic designer -- $35,000/year

Last year, though, it was mostly dance and I made a total of 18k!!! Woo hoo!
 
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Flight Nurse / Paramedic (dual licensure) - about $95,000 year
 
IT Project Manger w/ Salary ~80K

I was always interested in science. After spending 3 years out of school in the IT industry, I just realized it was time for change. I didn't like sitting in front of a computer all day and filling out TPS reports wasn't really fulfilling ;)
 
I will be giving up about 65K/yr working as an SCM engineer for a Hospital Software company.
 
I've worked for my family's business for the past 6 years. I currently earn $40k w/o a degree and the potential/pressure to someday own the company is huge. I realized I need to get out! I didn't pick my job, my job picked ME! Not cool or satisfying in anyway.
 
I have worked in research labs and am now in hospital administration. I don't earn a huge salary, but it is decent and would make for a pretty solid career. Definitely not as satisfying as handling the heavier responsibilities of medicine though. That is where my true passion lies.


Edit: I just realized that this was my 2,000th post! Yay me!
 
Well, I'm not in medical school yet, but I did give up quite a lot just to get into position to apply.

I have come into and out of making good money in my working career. My time as a computer professional was quite lucrative for me. It wasn't like mucho big bucks, but it was a very healthy salary for someone in his mid-twenties, and I was on the rise. I could buy pretty much whatever I wanted, but I've never had less in my life. :( Money isn't everything, kids. Although I was an excellent technician and even better manager, I really didn't enjoy the business, nor what it was doing to my health.

I moved on to becoming a wellness coach and yoga/martial arts instructor. As a profession, it was a pretty good fit, and I enjoyed it immensely. It was fun teaching large classes and doing one on one coaching sessions. I was able to finally put together everything I learned about facilitating wellness. It wasn't lucrative, though. At times I easily made $150/session, others only $30. But I didn't do it for the money, anyway. I chose it because I was able to use everything in the service of facilitating wellbeing in my students and clients. The role was still too limiting for me, however. As a coach and instructor, I saw a lot of different health-related issues (mental and physical), but felt that I didn't have the adequate tools nor the authority to fully address them to the point that I would have liked. I examined the nature of what I was already doing, and I knew that becoming a physician was the next natural step. So I gave up my practice and my job as an instructor at a cushy spa to go back to school. It was an enjoyable setup, but I know I'm now moving into a position in which I will be able to apply my interests and skills more broadly. :)
 
Hello,

This may be off topic but, I've been thinking about a "career" change. I'm currently in sales came across my position by moving up within the company the only real school I have is Cisco certification (Networking) and it's only CCNA but in sales I make a cool 80k a year, stocks, full benefits, expense account, the free breakfast's and free drinks in the break room yada yada all the other good stuff.

I've been seriously thinking about going back to school but, I have I would say zero college credits other than maybe psych and some art classes. I tried doing the college thing back when I was 18, I'm 25 now I'm at the point where I feel I have done all the partying there is to do and need to do something solid and fullfilling with my life. I've always been interested in the medical field my uncle is an anesthesiologist I was raised by my grandma so he sorta practically raised me and I always looked up to him growing up. I heard it's never to late to go back to school, reading some of these posts makes me wonder because, it seems alot of you have already aquired most of your general college credits. My question: Is there anyone out there who started at my age or maybe older from absolute rock bottom, with zero credits?
 
I gave up a whopping minimun wage job at Tower Records a year before bankrupcy - theres not mine. Hopefully, with enough dedication, hard work, and a elbow grease (I'm not sure where to get it, but apparently my grandpa says its great ) I can one day pick up life again somewhere below the poverty line.:rolleyes:
 
gotmeds? said:
Paramedic -- 70K/yr

(I was making more than an RN?? I guess out union really wasn't that bad, after all.)
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That's a pretty damn good wage for a paramedic! The PM's in Denver are lucky to be making barely over half that much.
 
I'm still in my low 20's. Got a job as a chemist for a mass spec lab right after college. Was making around 45-50k a year. It was kind of boring and mind numbing so back in school now trying to get into med school.
 
Software management (writing/support). Varied between $70K-$110K (bubble years!) and walked away from low mill range in options a few years ago (was a 4-year lock in and living-in-China deal) to take off two years to do post-bacc full time.

Now on $135K doing software consulting (scaled from hourly) during lag year. Looking forward to starting (at last) real med school this summer. Not looking forward to low income again.
 
wow, i was kind of bummed to give up my 33K/year salary as an embryology/molecular biology tech to go back to med school and thought i might be getting too old (now 25, hopefully start med school at 26) until i read this entire thread. Very motivating!!
 
Working as an NP in women's health. Made 80K last year with 3 wks vacation. Luckily my spouse makes a decent salary and is willing to let me mooch for a while.

I've had enough of watching from the sidelines.
 
A big old 25k grad student stipend, which certainly doesn't go very far on the East Coast.
 
///M5 said:
Investment banker then day trader -100 million dollars
Click to expand...

Can u pm me, how did you get into the business, like education, connections, etc..., where did you work and how can I get into the business.
Thanks.
 
Should I actually pursue medical school, and believe me I want to badly, I will give up being the pastor of a church full-time.

I'm not a pastor for the monetary rewards, but for the sake of this discussion the salary where I am at presently is not great. I would be making several times more a year as a doctor.
 
RevGood said:
Should I actually pursue medical school, and believe me I want to badly, I will give up being the pastor of a church full-time.

I'm not a pastor for the monetary rewards, but for the sake of this discussion the salary where I am at presently is not great. I would be making several times more a year as a doctor.
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As a man of the cloth, maybe you shouldn't worry too much about worldly possessions and listen to your heart. Many people consider spiritual well being just as important as physical. If you do go medicine, essentially you will still be helping people. God be with you
 
I was a medical technologist working in a hospital laboratory, making about 36k a year. It's a decent living, since I do not have any children or spouse. It was a very interesting job and I love what I did. But I want to better myself. And I have the GI Bill, so might as well use it before it's too late
 
Starting med school in August and leaving engineering where I currently make over $75K, 4 wks vacation, blah, blah, blah. I'm the opposite of sketcham in that my wife is an NP and I'm going to bum off of her for a while.
 
I WILL (in three years) be giving up a nurses assistant job which pays me 13,000 (+-) I only work three-four days a week. I'm hoping to have a different job by then, one which will pay me slightly more. I'll gladly look on to whatever residency will pay me, it will be the first time in my life that I will actually make "money", and contribute something to the household.
 
I gave up $60k as a paralegal. Wasn't starting from scratch but almost. I had only one year of undergrad completed...and was 33. I'm now 36 and will start veterinary school this fall. I am moving and buying a condo for school. I was reading through some contractual stuff last night and thought, "I can't believe this is how I used to make a living". I don't fell like I gave up anything. Instead I have already gained some incredible opportunities and experiences and imagine there will be many more to come.
 
fortyfourhundred said:
I was a medical technologist working in a hospital laboratory, making about 36k a year. It's a decent living, since I do not have any children or spouse. It was a very interesting job and I love what I did. But I want to better myself. And I have the GI Bill, so might as well use it before it's too late
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Well I still work, so I don't know if this applies to me or not. Similar story as this poster, only my pay was probably better because of the shifts and hours that I covered.

Medical Microbiologist for an academic medical center and a reference lab that services a major hospital network. Salary was a tad over 70K.

Sadly, I still would have taken a long time to pay off my grad/undergrad educational debt.
 
I'll be happily giving up $26K as biology lab tech. I never cared much about the physician's salary until I had to start paying my $60K undergrad debt on a small salary. Now I appreciate that I will have a six figures to help me pay off all that future debt.
 
3Xhelix said:
wow, i was kind of bummed to give up my 33K/year salary as an embryology/molecular biology tech to go back to med school and thought i might be getting too old (now 25, hopefully start med school at 26) until i read this entire thread. Very motivating!!
Click to expand...

Sounds like we have had some similar experiences. Good luck buddy! I am all for techs being able to escape the black hole of the laboratory. It will consume your soul if you stay too long. ;)
 
I was supposed to graduate in 08 now im going to graduate wiith the c/o of 09. So I gave up a nursing career that was near the horizon with only 1 year left to complete my BSN and could of started at 30 dollars an hour! to now a degree in liberal arts with focus in biology/ premed that will take me 2 years to complete but it will be worth it. No matter what people say or think you have to do what your heart wants not what people expect! MD no matter what I have to do!
 
soonereng said:
Starting med school in August and leaving engineering where I currently make over $75K, 4 wks vacation, blah, blah, blah. I'm the opposite of sketcham in that my wife is an NP and I'm going to bum off of her for a while.
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Adding that I just got a raise so now I'm over $80K, etc. Stupid corporations...tell them you are going to leave and they give you more money...like I'm going to stay for $5k after I've already been accepted to med school....
 
This thread is pretty amazing. It makes me so proud to be joining this profession. I can't wait to be a doctor! :love:
 
For the last 7-1/2 months I've been in the back office of a medical/dental practice making $8/hr, about $17,000/yr. I do get free medical benefts for myself, but not dependents. I can't wait to be able to make enough money to pay every bill every month and still have leisure money.
 
sketcham said:
Working as an NP in women's health. Made 80K last year with 3 wks vacation. Luckily my spouse makes a decent salary and is willing to let me mooch for a while.

I've had enough of watching from the sidelines.
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Another nursing friend :hello:

About to go down to $0 in a couple of months when I quit. My husband will have to support the family then.

It wasn't about the money, or about the sidelines issue....I want to do research, and a doctorate in nursing wouldn't get me where I want to go....so med school, here I come(cross your fingers for another old timer :)
 
Orthodoc40 said:
I'm a professional musician....what's a salary?!? ;)
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Truer words have never been spoken. I have no idea what it's like to have a salary. I'm just looking forward to playing music for the same reason I did when I started, fun [not to mention an exicting, new career].
 
Gave up a job at a large HMO in the Pacific Northwest to move (with hubby, two children and two dogs) to the south central region of the U.S. to participate in an MCAT prep program at the med school down here and take some classes, prior to applying next year. Currently making a 26K as a research assistant but get 90% off the cost of tuition for the classes I am taking at the university. Had to get back on track with pursuing my goal of getting in to med school. Sitting in front of a computer all day and sitting in all-day meetings just wasn't cutting it.
 
internetwop said:
right there with ya, Hem/Onc, Infectious Disease RN but my salary is less. i hope to go to med school if i can get through this damn MCAT exam :eek:
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omg only 50 to 60k a year as an RN... ouch.

First year as an ER RN about 108k YAY for OT and cali wages!
 
old_guy said:
Anyone else the primary income in your household, with 2 kids about to enter college, and a mortgage? I'm still almost a year from the MCAT, and trying to figure out how to go from 90K to nothing plus med school, and a junior and senior in HS.
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I'm the primary income. I have kids -- two will be college-aged when I'm in med school and one will be there when I'm a resident.

I'm hoping for lots of financial aid for the kiddies :D
 
NonTradMed said:
But for what it's worth, I believe one's work ethic as an engineer will help one's journey as a premed. And it seems to impress the heck out of adcoms, if only because you can point out that you gave up a very good salary to do medicine so money isn't the top priority for switching to medicine.
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I hope so. I'm another enginerd. To answer the OP, I was making about $80k (but dropped to 80% of that so I can take classes one day/wk). 8/hr days and no weekends (w/o compensation). Five weeks vacation/yr. 401k. Can exercise 3 hrs/wk and call it work.

What am I doing :eek:
 
I am giving up SIX weeks paid vacation, great health insurance for my kids, 100% matched 401k and a six figure(that is huge for the midwest) income to go back to school. Good lord that looks bad on paper.
 
an $80k cushy postdoc. i roll in to work between 9 and 10 and roll out at 5. but........its merely an office job. can't compare with being a doc.
 
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