Need some advice - Considering Medicine as a Career

[Cicero_]

Hello everyone, I'm a first time poster here and I've heard that this is the place to come to for med school advice.

Here is my situation: I went to a "prestigious" undergrad on full scholarship, but foolishly majored in two humanities because I heard it would be good preparation for law and haven't been able to find work in the year and a half since I graduated. Ever since I was a child it was my dream to become a lawyer, and I was accepted to several T14 law schools last cycle, but they did not offer me enough scholarship money to justify the risk of going. Since the legal employment market is continuing to shrink, I am looking for exit options from the law. I am a URM, suffer from a diagnosed mental disability which makes it difficult to socialize with others, come from a working class household, and have absolutely no connections. After sending out hundreds of applications and still being unemployed, I realize that my chances of finding a job are slim.

I have few options, but I know I need to progress with my life. I have been considering pursuing medicine, but I fear it may be for the "wrong reasons" and I want to know what you guys think. I am not very passionate about anything in my life except law (and even that has died out) and the main appeal of becoming a doctor to me is the fact that it is a stable and well respected and paid profession. Due to my disability, I don't think I'm cut out for the corporate world where social skills are placed at a premium and your skills and position is always at risk of becoming obsolete. I'm looking for something that will always be in demand and where socializing doesn't matter as much. I have also considering engineering, but that seems like a riskier profession. I don't particularly feel a "calling" for helping people or conducting medical research.

What do you guys think? Is medicine worth a shot considering my circumstances?

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[MedWonk]

Hello everyone, I'm a first time poster here and I've heard that this is the place to come to for med school advice.

Here is my situation: I went to a "prestigious" undergrad in full scholarship, but foolishly majored in two humanities and haven't been able to find work in the year and a half since I graduated. Ever since I was a child it was my dream to become a lawyer, and I was accepted to several T14 law schools last cycle, but they did not offer me enough scholarship money to justify the risk of going. Since the legal employment market is continuing to shrink, I am looking for exit options from the law. I am a URM, suffer from a diagnosed mental disability which makes it difficult to socialize with others, and come from a working class household, and have absolutely no connections. After sending out hundreds of applications and still being unemployed, I realize that my chances of finding a job are slim.

I have few options, but I know I need to progress with my life. I have been considering pursuing medicine, but I fear it may be for the "wrong reasons" and I want to know what you guys think. I am not very passionate about anything in my life except law (and even that has died out) and the main appeal of becoming a doctor to me is the fact that it is a stable and well respected and paid profession. Due to my disability, I don't think I'm cut out for the corporate world where social skills are placed at a premium and your skills and position is always at risk of becoming obsolete. I'm looking for something that will always be in demand and where socializing doesn't matter as much. I have also considering engineering, but that seems like a riskier profession. I don't particularly feel a "calling" for helping people or conducting medical research.

What do you guys think? Is medicine worth a shot considering my circumstances?

Are you sure medicine is for you? I have a feeling you would be miserable going down this road. Social skills are eminently important in medicine. If you're not feeling particularly motivated to pursue med school, than don't do it. Go be a civil engineer. This country's infrastructure is crumbling. I'm sure you can find steady employment somewhere.

 

[Apollo1]

OP, if those law schools didn't offer you enough scholarship monies to attend, wouldn't it have made sense to apply to some other ones a bit lower in rank to gain an inverse correlation of offers? If one has a dream, and that dream is not fleeting, it would make sense to pursue it to the fullest extent possible. If your interest truly lies in law, then take a year off, get a job at a law firm & see what attorneys do on a day-to-day basis (meticulous yet boring, & I have an inkling that you haven't witnessed this in detail). While its technically possible to go into medicine for the pay, I agree with the above respondent regarding social interactions. You seem to be grasping onto any perceived life raft nearby because you didn't get the best of both worlds (respected law school & high amount of scholarship monies). IMO, you'd be making a second mistake by blindly charging into medicine.

Final though/protip: avoid using "prestigious undergrad," " T14" etc.; it makes you look like a jerk, plus you haven't actually enrolled in any law program. Just stick with "I was accepted by some great law schools/programs..."

 

[Cicero_]

OP, if those law schools didn't offer you enough scholarship monies to attend, wouldn't it have made sense to apply to some other ones a bit lower in rank to gain an inverse correlation of offers? If one has a dream, and that dream is not fleeting, it would make sense to pursue it to the fullest extent possible. If your interest truly lies in law, then take a year off, get a job at a law firm & see what attorneys do on a day-to-day basis (meticulous yet boring, & I have an inkling that you haven't witnessed this in detail). While its technically possible to go into medicine for the pay, I agree with the above respondent regarding social interactions. You seem to be grasping onto any perceived life raft nearby because you didn't get the best of both worlds (respected law school & high amount of scholarship monies). IMO, you'd be making a second mistake by blindly charging into medicine.

Final though/protip: avoid using "prestigious undergrad," " T14" etc.; it makes you look like a jerk, plus you haven't actually enrolled in any law program. Just stick with "I was accepted by some great law schools/programs..."

Hi Apollo,

In my circumstances, it makes no sense to attend a lower ranked program because to have any shot at the legal jobs I'm interested in doing (biglaw or a federal law job) you need to graduate in the top 50% at a T14 or the top 10% of a lower ranked one. It's is especially true because I have no connections or social skills making getting a law job harder. I don't want to waste 3 years of my life at a T2 or T3 law school, graduate, and end up getting no job at the end of it - that would just bring me back to the situation I'm in now, but 3 years older and with a law degree that no one respects. I am also fully aware of how boring practicing law is. I have no problems working a paper pushing, repetitious, 16 or more hours a day job. I apologize if I sound like a jerk, I'm just trying to communicate the particulars of my circumstances as accurately as possible without "outing" myself.

Also I've been out for a year and half and I have applied for tons of paralegal/legal secretary positions, but no one wants to hire me.

 

[Apollo1]

The upper 50% getting jobs from HYSCCN etc. is a stretch I think. If you feel that strongly about (insert career choice here), you'll do what it takes to be among the high achievers in "X" class year. The firm I work at has hired kids from state schools & not solely focused on Tier 1; granted they were upper 10%, maybe even 5% & were on law review, but the belief that a state school in the second tier is a waste is unfounded if you really want to be in law and have the costs not cripple you after graduation.

There's nothing more "glamorous" about being in Biglaw vs. a regional firm vs. a firm with 40 attorneys (practice wise). You'd still be doing doc review, drafting memos & researching for the partner who handles the client. Smaller firms will more than likely give you a greater chance of client interaction early on in a career; large firms will not, as many of their clients will be Fortune 500/100, and associates are not even zygotes to those clients. Virtually everyone who enters law school wants to be in Biglaw because of its perceived grandeur. Don't fall for this, open your horizons and you might be surprised.

http://abovethelaw.com/2013/03/buying-in-the-pre-law-tour/

 

[Goro]

Assuming you're not a bored troll, the answer is no.


I have few options, but I know I need to progress with my life. I have been considering pursuing medicine, but I fear it may be for the "wrong reasons" and I want to know what you guys think. I am not very passionate about anything in my life except law (and even that has died out) and the main appeal of becoming a doctor to me is the fact that it is a stable and well respected and paid profession. Due to my disability, I don't think I'm cut out for the corporate world where social skills are placed at a premium and your skills and position is always at risk of becoming obsolete. I'm looking for something that will always be in demand and where socializing doesn't matter as much. I have also considering engineering, but that seems like a riskier profession. I don't particularly feel a "calling" for helping people or conducting medical research.

What do you guys think? Is medicine worth a shot considering my circumstances?[/quote]

 

[Cicero_]

Assuming you're not a bored troll, the answer is no.


I have few options, but I know I need to progress with my life. I have been considering pursuing medicine, but I fear it may be for the "wrong reasons" and I want to know what you guys think. I am not very passionate about anything in my life except law (and even that has died out) and the main appeal of becoming a doctor to me is the fact that it is a stable and well respected and paid profession. Due to my disability, I don't think I'm cut out for the corporate world where social skills are placed at a premium and your skills and position is always at risk of becoming obsolete. I'm looking for something that will always be in demand and where socializing doesn't matter as much. I have also considering engineering, but that seems like a riskier profession. I don't particularly feel a "calling" for helping people or conducting medical research.

What do you guys think? Is medicine worth a shot considering my circumstances?

[/quote]

Hi Goro, I am not a troll. lol

The upper 50% getting jobs from HYSCCN etc. is a stretch I think. If you feel that strongly about (insert career choice here), you'll do what it takes to be among the high achievers in "X" class year. The firm I work at has hired kids from state schools & not solely focused on Tier 1; granted they were upper 10%, maybe even 5% & were on law review, but the belief that a state school in the second tier is a waste is unfounded if you really want to be in law and have the costs not cripple you after graduation.

There's nothing more "glamorous" about being in Biglaw vs. a regional firm vs. a firm with 40 attorneys (practice wise). You'd still be doing doc review, drafting memos & researching for the partner who handles the client. Smaller firms will more than likely give you a greater chance of client interaction early on in a career; large firms will not, as many of their clients will be Fortune 500/100, and associates are not even zygotes to those clients. Virtually everyone who enters law school wants to be in Biglaw because of its perceived grandeur. Don't fall for this, open your horizons and you might be surprised.

http://abovethelaw.com/2013/03/buying-in-the-pre-law-tour/

All of the people I've known who got law jobs after graduating from a T2 or T3 were well-connected and had great networking skills. I have no connections and horrible networking skills (its difficult to network when you can't read social cues or facial and body language). I know that there are success stories from graduates of T2s and T3s, but I'm not likely to be one of them. I have to work within my limitations. Some people do what they want and some people do what they can: I'm in the latter group.

Also I know that there is nothing glamorous about BigLaw, but working for a BigLaw firm is one of the few opportunities in law that allows your to pay off your student debt. I am not concerned with client interaction; really I want a job where I can be left alone to do my work.

 

[StBernardsRule]

Hi Goro, I am not a troll. lol




All of the people I've known who got law jobs after graduating from a T2 or T3 were well-connected and had great networking skills. I have no connections and horrible networking skills (its difficult to network when you can't read social cues or facial and body language). I know that there are success stories from graduates of T2s and T3s, but I'm not likely to be one of them. I have to work within my limitations. Some people do what they want and some people do what they can: I'm in the latter group.

Also I know that there is nothing glamorous about BigLaw, but working for a BigLaw firm is one of the few opportunities in law that allows your to pay off your student debt. I am not concerned with client interaction; really I want a job where I can be left alone to do my work.[/quote]

I think you're very smart for not going to law school, especially given that you know you don't have strong networking skills (which would honestly probably be very important even if you did graduate near the top of a T14 school).

I don't think medicine is for you. It's pretty much the opposite of a job that lets you be "left alone to do your work." Keep searching and best of luck on whatever you decide to do.