Notraditional Needing Advice

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ME2MD

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I apologize for the lengthy entry so here it goes.

Since high school I have been at crossroads as to whether to pursue engineering or medicine. Considering that my father was an engineer and that there was a field that combined both subjects (biomedical engineering), I decided to go to the engineering route. I got a scholarship to a small state school and decided to get my degree in mechanical engineering. I have had a handful of internships, all being in different industries. I was always bored and wasn't satisfied with the work. I decided to go to graduate school for biomedical engineering for a year at a top 10 university and I come to find I do like the research aspect of grad school. Unfortunately, I was put on academic probation (that's a story for another day) and my PI and I decided it was best for me to go work for a couple years until I figured what I really wanted. I realized I wanted to become a doctor during grad school. I immediately got a job as a biomedical engineer at a bio-tech start up company. Although there are some "high's" with the job, I find myself miserable most of the time. Although I do design medical devices, I would prefer to be the one to use them on patients. I have always considered being a doctor but thought that engineering would be a "comfortable and less stressful" career.

I decided to take initiative and go back to school while I work as an engineer. I do live in an area with a high cost of living, so I am currently going to a community college for my first year (Bio1&2, GenChem2, Sociology, Psychology). After my first year, I am gonna go to a university and finish the upper level prerequisites. Although my city has one of the largest medical centers in the country, it is hard to find time to volunteer ( I work 9am to 5pm but could come in as early as 7am). My plan is to get some volunteer hours, shadowing experience, and finish my prereqs and apply during 2019 for the incoming class of 2020.

*I would like to note that I do live in Texas, so post-bac programs are almost out the question.

My questions are:
What should I start doing to prepare myself for this process?
Do you guys have any advice on how to make myself a more attractive applicant?
Do you think my job experience would look good on my application?

My Stats:
Age: 23
sGPA: 3.42 ( Not including engineering classes, it would be higher)
cGPA: 3.58
Volunteering: None
Shadowing: None
Research: 1 Year

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First of all, do some shadowing and get some experience in the environments that you think you want to work in, to see if that's really what you want. Don't commit all of the time, money, and energy it takes to get there without really knowing what it's like.

This will either count toward things to put on your application (hours, LoRs, etc), or save you a lot of pain later on.
 
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