From management consulting to Medecine?

[Albal1991]

Hey everyone,

First time poster here, hopefully I've managed to post in the correct sub-forum.

While I'm quite sure this, or something similar, has been asked and replied to before, I couldn't immediately find anything, so I'll throw it out there.

In summary, I would like to know if there are any people out there that have made the decision to leave the management consulting line of business and choose to go to med school/start studying again.

I'll be very straight to the point here and frame as to why I am asking this question. I will be turning 26 in a few months time and I've worked a little bit more than 2 years in a strategy consulting department of a Big 4. While I enjoy my job on occasion, I do not feel 'fulfilled' and happy about what I do. For a few months now I've been attempting to figure out exactly what it was that was bothering me about my job, and I managed to put my finger on it a few days ago.

I want to help people. I want to give back. I don't want to help companies find ways of optimising their pricing or product strategy, or on HR cost cutting schemes. I want to help people, and I want to make a difference in a way that isn't necessarily financial. I know this probably sounds ridiculous to some, but this is what fundamentally matters to me, and I realise that I am definitely in the wrong line of business for that. Plus, I really enjoyed (and was good at) Biology, while at school, but decided to go into finance as it left me with so many more open doors after graduation.

Am I crazy in wanting to switch my line of business completely and take on studying again, after having spent 5 years picking up a BSc. in Management and an MSc. in Finance?

On one hand I would like someone to tell me I'm an absolute idiot here and I should go back to work on Monday and keep doing what I am doing. On the other hand I want someone to tell me that they've done this before and it's something they haven't regretted until today.

Additionally, is this something that is at all possible? As mentioned, I did take, and love, biology while I was at school, but I doubt that will suffice for an admittance into a med school... Does anyone have an experience in this?

Sorry for the extended post, and any advice/feedback/comment is hugely appreciated.

Alex.

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[Meridian32]

You're not crazy and this is doable in the U.S., where it's possible to take premed classes and apply to med school after graduating from college. However, I'm guessing you are not in the U.S. based on your spelling. Where are you located?

I would do a search on this forum for "consulting" to see prior posts by other management consultants interested in medicine. I would also seek out doctors to talk to and ideally shadow as a first step.

 

[_formidable_]

Nope, not at all. I'm 22 and feel the exact same way. I have a BS in Accounting and I work in Supply Chain (Only been here 6 months) .

Go back to work on Monday lol but plan your exit. I'm starting Pre-Reqs at a CC in the fall and finding a different part-time job. Good Luck and if you find out any info --let me know I can use all of it as well . ( Cheers to being new in the game )

 

[star.buck]

I started over at 29... Your 80 year old self will thank you for living a life that will give you fulfillment and purpose, not the route that gave you more open doors. A life in medicine will give you a great many avenues and options, as well as give you that chance to help people and make an impact in your community. I'm a current M1, and my life experiences outside of medicine have made me a very good student, as have the experiences of other non-traditional students.

You aren't crazy, you are showing wisdom and maturity in my opinion. Yet, that "am I nuts?!" thought will likely linger, and may reinforced by the opinions of others who see you walking away from a great job to start over (in my experience those people usually feel trapped and wish they had your kind of courage). Understand what you want, be decisive and confident in yourself, maybe volunteer at a hospital and see a bit of the medical world... then jump and believe in yourself.

 

[futuremdforme]

I switched from an entirely different field. It's gone really smoothly, actually. The biggest issue is the adjustment to being a student again, as well as in the long run, it is not going to be financial advantageous for me. (I don't think that my physician income will make up for the lost income years.) However, this was not very important to me, and if it was, I might be able to make different specialty choices or tailor my future practice in ways that I don't intend to.

You will definitely need to take more courses, and you can use this as an opportunity to further explore your aptitude for science, as well as your willingness to memorize tedious details (o-chem...). You might want to do some shadowing or volunteer before quitting your job, since you have a lot at stake. Talk to med students, residents, attendings. Make sure this is the change you want. There are a lot of good jobs you can do with a background in consulting, that are not medicine.