Engineers in Past Life

[ThreatLevel_12:00AM]

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Were any of you engineers in a past life, or study it in college? I find it interesting to see where people with different backgrounds end up, and engineering -> FM doesn't seem to be very common in my experience. Would love to hear your stories!

 

[FrustratedFamDoc]

Undergrad in computer information systems. Lived in cubicle for 3 months before I realized it wasn't for me. Graduated in 2001, 1 year after Y2k and the world did not end as predicted. Had a sweet gig lined up at IBM before they sold network hardware to Cisco. IT jobs being "outsourced" left and right. Salaries tanked. Job market flooded with unemployed IT people. Wanted job security, am a people person, and wanted to be able to reflect on a life that actually meant a damn some day. Spending the next 3 decades of my life in a cubicle wasn't it.

Weekend course for my CNA certificate. Worked on a rehab floor for the next 2 years while I did all my prerequisite classes and MCAT. Worked at Sears selling tools/lawn garden/sporting goods while on the interview trail. Started med school in 2005 and rest is history.

 

[ThreatLevel_12:00AM]

Undergrad in computer information systems. Lived in cubicle for 3 months before I realized it wasn't for me. Graduated in 2001, 1 year after Y2k and the world did not end as predicted. Had a sweet gig lined up at IBM before they sold network hardware to Cisco. IT jobs being "outsourced" left and right. Salaries tanked. Job market flooded with unemployed IT people. Wanted job security, am a people person, and wanted to be able to reflect on a life that actually meant a damn some day. Spending the next 3 decades of my life in a cubicle wasn't it.

Weekend course for my CNA certificate. Worked on a rehab floor for the next 2 years while I did all my prerequisite classes and MCAT. Worked at Sears selling tools/lawn garden/sporting goods while on the interview trail. Started med school in 2005 and rest is history.

That is really awesome. I love hearing people's stories who take the winding path into medicine. I bet that was a difficult transition from nearly working for IBM to being a CNA! That is a real change of pace. Do you ever wish you would have waited the market out knowing what you know now?

 

[FrustratedFamDoc]

Worked for big blue all through college in the summer and was all ready to slide in until they sold off that dept to Cisco. All things happen for a reason.

I've never been above any job, nor have much of an ego so CNA work didn't bother me too much. Definitely tough work for low pay. My heart goes out for those who try to raise a family off of it.

Don't regret anything I did and have learned many life lessons along the way. I've never been turned down for any job nor have I ever been fired... until Best Buy. Guess I checked the wrong boxes on the online psych eval. They never called me back. That one tripped me out a bit. Would of hated a career in IT.

 

[ThreatLevel_12:00AM]

Worked for big blue all through college in the summer and was all ready to slide in until they sold off that dept to Cisco. All things happen for a reason.

I've never been above any job, nor have much of an ego so CNA work didn't bother me too much. Definitely tough work for low pay. My heart goes out for those who try to raise a family off of it.

Don't regret anything I did and have learned many life lessons along the way. I've never been turned down for any job nor have I ever been fired... until Best Buy. Guess I checked the wrong boxes on the online psych eval. They never called me back. That one tripped me out a bit. Would of hated a career in IT.

Agreed. I didn't mean that it was a step down in prestige as much as it was a pretty radical change of scenery! I think for me the transition wasn't so abrupt, more of an evolution. I am glad everything has worked out for the better for you, you have an interesting story!

 

[FamilymedMD]

Marine Engineer in the Coast Guard for six years, now a family doc for 19 years.

Dealing with the uncertainty involved with diagnosing (Baye's theorum), risk/benefit of treatment was the biggest thing I noticed in the transition.

I like that medicine is so broad that there are always things to learn and frequent changes so relearning is constant.

Lately, I'm fascinated with the cognitive psychology of dealing with patients, marketing my practice and public health and medical/political campaigns.

 

[deleted87716]

Computer science major, former IBM-er.

 

[FrustratedFamDoc]

Computer science major, former IBM-er.

Worked for Big Blue in the summers in the late 90s in RTP, NC. They had an ATM machine that would dispense any denomination you so desired. If you wanted $37.26, You'd get a 20, 10, 5, 2 ones, a quarter and a penny. It was pretty cool, if grossly unnecessary.

 

[BigSib]

My entire family tree is made of engineers with a broad spectrum of professions. I worked for my state's dept of transportation as a tech doing surveying and such in the summers and I was in the college of engineering at a top ranked university in the midwest for mechanical engineering. I was offered a full ride at a primarily engineer-focused college in my state but declined to go because I wasn't sure about medicine vs engineering. I learned that I hated physics and calculus. I eventually transferred into molecular biology late sophomore year; I had to have at least 3 meetings with various university counselors and then the dean of the college who told me "once you leave you can never come back." My parents were pissed but it all worked out in the end.

Residency buddy of mine was a licensed civil engineer for the state for several years who quit and went to medical school. Graduated from FM residency but now does ER shifts.

 

[docdaddie]

I am an engineer (BS Chemical Engineering and MS Industrial Engineering) who made a mid-career change to Family Medicine. I went to medical school and residency with a few former engineers. I currently work in Family Medicine group that has another former Chemical Engineer and Computer Engineer. I think the engineering background has been very helpful to me, and I do miss some aspects of engineering work.

 

[ThreatLevel_12:00AM]

Marine Engineer in the Coast Guard for six years, now a family doc for 19 years.

Dealing with the uncertainty involved with diagnosing (Baye's theorum), risk/benefit of treatment was the biggest thing I noticed in the transition.

I like that medicine is so broad that there are always things to learn and frequent changes so relearning is frequent.

Lately, I'm fascinated with the cognitive psychology of dealing with patients, marketing my practice and public health and medical/political campaigns.

Nice! That is a pretty broad range of interests, which I suppose is fitting.

 

[ThreatLevel_12:00AM]

Computer science major, former IBM-er.

I took some computer science classes as a chem E in college for some research I was doing. I thought I would step in as a junior and breeze through, but those introductory program classes were some of the most challenging I took, so many hours of frustration!

 

[ThreatLevel_12:00AM]

I am an engineer (BS Chemical Engineering and MS Industrial Engineering) who made a mid-career change to Family Medicine. I went to medical school and residency with a few former engineers. I currently work in Family Medicine group that has another former Chemical Engineer and Computer Engineer. I think the engineering background has been very helpful to me, and I do miss some aspects of engineering work.

Hey, I was ChemE too, and doubled majored in physics. I didn't go to college planning on medicine but wouldn't change my majors if I could go back. Do you feel like FM was a good fit for the engineering brain? Everyone I meet who did engineering seems to be headed in a different direction. What aspects of engineering do you miss?

 

[nimbus]

Best friend from med school.

EECS(auxiliary NYPD during college)—>IBM—>med school—>EM—>FBIx20yrs(moonlighted and did a few medically related assignments during that time, then retired)—>EM

 

[septoplasty]

+1, another engineer (Mech.) here. Although I never really worked after getting the degree.

 

[Splenda88]

2 semesters away from getting a computer science degree----> then RN ---> Now a PGY2 IM resident, and I am loving it.