Feel like I'm not excited to do medicine?

[maxxpricey]

*TITLE ERROR - Sorry, should be 'Feel like I'm not excited to do medicine?'*

Since a young age I wanted to be a doctor. My father is an ob/gyn and I really liked health. I liked Science and Medicine in general. Helping people was always a passion. However, I feel like I am not motivated to become a doctor anymore. I have often battled with deciding between medicine and investment banking because I also adore business, stocks and finance. For some reason when I see myself in the future I see myself in an office in a suit, having conferences, meetings, working long hours, discussing/advising clients and studying the stock markets. I don't feel as excited as I used to with doing any specialty related to medicine now. There was one time when I was set on becoming an I-Banker and for that period of time I worked really hard in my studies. I work hard in my studies regardless but I just had more of a motivation during that period. Salary isn't the issue at all, since not all I-bankers will be getting top salaries and even some specialties in medicine will outperform them.

I feel like I belong in that high-pressure office environment. I have even been told by a couple of friends that they never really 'saw me as a doctor', they believed that I would have been perfect in law or I-banking. That I belong there. Even my brother said the same. I just don't understand why I have suddenly had a change of heart.

Do you know why I might be feeling this way? What do you think I should do?

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[Total180]

A lot of people have a change of heart while in undergrad. I thought I wanted to be on broadway and ended up going to medical school. Right now take whatever classes you need to take for the business career as that is where you heart looks to be. However, don't let people tell you "they never saw you as a doctor". People change a lot in undergrad and med school and by the time you graduate you would probably look and feel like a doctor. If you want to keep your options open you can double major and shadow a few doctors to see if you get that passion back, but it seems like you know what direction to go in. Just because you have always wanted to be a doctor, doesn't mean you actually have to become one, interests change.

 

[scarshapedstar]

Changing your path in college doesn't have to be a total loss, either. My heart wasn't in computer engineering, my grades went south, things got much better when I returned to my childhood dream of becoming a doctor. I make the use of what I learned, though; Android app development is a pretty unique extracurricular.

It sounds like finance is your dream and science is a strong interest. That's not a bad combination at all, given that tech and especially biotech are the future. You never know when that will make you the smartest guy in the boardroom.

 

[johnisles2011]

Dude this happens to tons of pre-meds. They just have a change of heart. Every doctor (residents especially say this) says that you have to be pretty sure you want it, because it you aren't the hours and stress will crush you. I don't want to speak for you, but it sounds like you just don't want it anymore. If you see yourself in business, go into business.

Do some soul searching.
Good luck

 

[Stumpyman]

Do what you want to do. Shadow doctors if you need to, or try an internship at a law firm. Investment banking is super tough to get into (it makes med school admissions seem like a joke).

 

[hiyaman]

Dude, go into finance. Judging from your post, you will be happier.

 

[asecondtolife]

Do what you want to do. Shadow doctors if you need to, or try an internship at a law firm. Investment banking is super tough to get into (it makes med school admissions seem like a joke).

This I walked into my undergrad swearing I would have a career in animal care or social work, but now I'm a fully committed premed. Sometimes you just need to experience things - really go out, commit to an internship or volunteer position for a few months or more - to really figure out what you want to do in life. People have change of hearts all the time. You thought one thing was your major interest and then the topic of your dreams pops into your life. It's kind of like dating hahah

 

[thepoopologist]

Whatever you do, keep your GPA sky high. It will keep your options open: finance, medicine, art history, writer, whatever.

 

[JonteMD]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but your envisioned "office environment" sounds a lot like what you would face as a doc--especially during residency. There has to be something that you're not mentioning.

I say that you continue to investigate your interests in medicine. You may be surprised.

BTW, my opinion is based solely on what I have observed/read--I'm no physician -or- medical student.

 

[plumhill]

Do what you want to. Just make sure you aren't picking one field as a way to run away from another.

I had a phase where I wasn't doing very well in science classes so I convinced myself I wanted to go into I-banking (I used to go to school in NYC so I was surrounded by people who'd done internships at Goldman Sachs, Barclays, etc). But I realized that I had only convinced myself to go into I-banking because I was running away from medicine, since at the time it seemed too hard and out of reach. I did a good amount of soul searching this past summer and I know that medicine is the one profession that I truly want to do, and so I'm doing everything I can to make that dream a reality.

If medicine doesn't give you that "spark" to keep going every day, then find the career path that does!

 

[Neurosis]

what is with all these self pitying/defeatist threads lately?

 

[plumhill]

seasonal depression? extended time to reflect on slight bumps from last quarter/semester? the approaching new year?

 

[Desensitized]

Not telling you what to do, but judging from what I read, I think investment banking would be the better option for you. You just seem to have a stronger desire for that, than medicine.

 

[medbound13]

Why not combine the both? Starting your own medical practice as an MD will not only give you respect from the doctors you hire but also, will allow you to combine your love of business and your strong interest (as many have called it above me) for medicine/science. I am with you, I absolutely love the business aspect of life but, by combining the financial stability of medicine alone with that business passion, the limits are endless as to how far you can go into your career. And mind you thats without all your personal portfolio investments

 

[MilkmanAl]

Don't do medicine if you feel like you're losing interest in it. It sucks badly enough when you really enjoy what you're doing. In your case, I'd choose finance.

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

*TITLE ERROR - Sorry, should be 'Feel like I'm not excited to do medicine?'*

Edited your title for you.

Don't do medicine if you feel like you're losing interest in it. It sucks badly enough when you really enjoy what you're doing. In your case, I'd choose finance.

+1. If you feel you're losing interest in it, it's going to be that much harder to motivate yourself to study, etc.