Just another mountain to climb?

[ἐφημέριος]

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I'm having a bit of a soft crisis and I like some guidance. I'm having doubts about my commitment to medicine. I've just finished my junior year and I've been extremely successful preparing for medical school (~4.0 GPA, publications, conference presentations, president of clubs, volunteering, etc.). I genuinely love science and medicine, but I'm beginning to realize that a lot of the thrill is in the challenge. I worry that, as David Petraeus once said "I just wanted to climb that mountain," and once I'm successful, the thrill will wane.

I've read SDN threads for a long time and I know the reigning opinion here is that you should only be a doctor if you're willing to Sparta kick your children into a pit of acid for the privilege of giving enemas to the homeless. But, clearly that isn't a realistic expectation for everyone interested in medicine.

I want to be clear that I fully understand the demands of being a physician and the sacrifices necessary to be successful and I am absolutely willing to commit myself to those if this is the path I ultimately choose. My question here is, should I start experimenting with alternative career paths or should I keep moving forward, confident that new challenges will present themselves in my career?

Thank you for your help.

Edit: minor grammer corrections

 

[bannie22]

if you have even a pinch of doubt, quit now.
its just not worth it

 

[longhaul3]

There is no shortage of challenges along the way—what do you mean by "when you're successful?" Depending on what you have in mind, that could be 30 years from now. Can you think of another career for which you wouldn't face this dilemma? For me, that's one of the allures of our profession.

And we all know that David Petraeus has a big mouth and doesn't always think before he opens it.

 

[Gilakend]

I'm having a bit of a soft crisis and I like some guidance. I'm having doubts about my commitment to medicine. I've just finished my junior year and I've been extremely successful preparing for medical school (~4.0 GPA, publications, conference presentations, president of clubs, volunteering, etc.). I genuinely love science and medicine, but I'm beginning to realize that a lot of the thrill is in the challenge. I worry that, as David Petraeus once said "I just wanted to climb that mountain," and once I'm successful, the thrill will wane.

I've read SDN threads for a long time and I know the reigning opinion here is that you can should only be a doctor if you're willing to Sparta kick your children into a pit of acid for the privilege of giving enemas to the homeless. But, clearly that isn't a realistic expectation for everyone interested in medicine.

I want to be clear that I fully understand the demands of being a physician and the sacrifices necessary to be successful and I am absolutely willing to commit myself to those if this is the path I ultimately choose. My question here is, should I start experimenting with alternative career paths or should I keep moving forward, confident that new challenges will present themselves in my career?

Thank you for your help.

Edit: minor grammer corrections

Might just be my new signature.

 

[ἐφημέριος]

There is no shortage of challenges along the way—what do you mean by "when you're successful?" Depending on what you have in mind, that could be 30 years from now. For me, that's one of the allures of our profession.

And we all know that David Petraeus has a big mouth and doesn't always think before he opens it.

By "successful," I was talking about the short-term success of being accepted to medical school.

And regardless of what I may think about the man, I think that quote worked well in context.

 

[longhaul3]

In that case, if you are really just driven by the challenge, you don't have anything to worry about. Getting into medical school is hardly a challenge compared to medical school. The challenges never end, and I offer that they get more rewarding as they go on.