Quitting your job: serious business

[shezadeh]

I am curious to see how many of you quit your job to pursue your pre-medical journey. I feel like I could definitely study much more (and more effectively) if I didn't have the job, but I am trying to be conservative in case this whole deal doesn't work out (get some job experience under my belt). And I will be honest, it is hard to let go of this salary

For those who did quit or are panning to:

Do you regret it, or think it was the best decision you could have made?

If you have a significant other, did/does he/she work?

Housing situation? (parents, roommates, alone)

Finances? (savings, loans, part time job)

Current status? (accepted, interviewing, applying)

If I had an acceptance under my belt, I would quit my job and take classes like Anatomy and Biochemistry to get some familiarity before med school, but unfortunately things don't work like that. Just want to see what others have done in this matter.

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[Do Something]

I quit my job in January so I could go to school full-time in the spring, finish my prereqs, study for the MCAT, and apply this summer. I knew it was the right decision to make when I walked out of my office for the last time and felt like a weight was coming off my shoulders. And I did great in my spring classes and on the MCAT. It was a really hard decision to walk away from the good money I was making in finance though, but after almost 20 years I just couldn't stay in finance any longer. I'm too old to try keeping all of my options open. I could have continued taking classes part-time while working, but that would have meant applying at 40 or more likely 41 instead of 39, and I really wanted to apply to med schools before I hit 40.

I live with my partner, but he just started his own business, so he isn't making a lot of money. (I know, right? Him starting a business and me going back to school at the same time. But what can you do?) I'm living off of savings. I have enough to keep studying full-time until (hopefully) med school starts next fall if I live frugally, at which time I expect to be taking out lots of loans. I'm terrified about making this leap of faith...what if I don't get in this cycle? I feel my app is strong already. If I need to make it stronger, I would be reapplying at 41 or 42, and right now I feel like I don't want to do that. I guess I just need to keep taking things one day at a time. And if/when I get that first acceptance, I will totally do a Snoopy happy dance.

But no regrets. I am so happy I made the jump and left my job.

 

[Gauss44]

I quit my job to give the MCAT my all. Thanks to a noisy hotel room at the Marriott the night before the test, I don't think it worked. I had been up all night before the MCAT. I'm still in disbelief.

(And I actually took extreme measures for that not to happen: I rented out a block of rooms surrounding mine, informed the front desk staff of my situation, and stayed there all week. It was quiet every night until the night of my test.)

Q: Do you regret it, or think it was the best decision you could have made?

A: I think it was a good decision. Sometimes good decisions go wrong. Hopefully this one won't.

Q: If you have a significant other, did/does he/she work?

A: I'm unwilling to bring another person into my life permanently until I have a stable career. My dream is to have a family, so hopefully this will work out someday.

Q: Housing situation? (parents, roommates, alone)

A: I live alone in a lovely $1000 a month studio apartment, which is a good price for Boston.

Q: Finances? (savings, loans, part time job)

A: All of the above. I'm living off of freelance work and savings. I have student loans from undergrad, but have no other debt.

Q: Current status? (accepted, interviewing, applying)

A: Waiting on MCAT score.

 

[Shjanzey]

I am considering leaving my job in January. I have applied Early Decision for this cycle, but if I am rejected then my chances of getting an out of state spot are very slim. In that case I plan on entering a 1-year Graduate Program so that I can "prove" I possess sufficient "intelligence" to "handle" the Medical School workload.

Hopefully I get accepted an it will be a moot point, but if not I know that at this point in time it is the right thing to do. I have done all the pre-med coursework possible. If I am serious about Medicine then the next logical thing is to take that next big step. I will have to take out school loans (the first I have ever taken out in my life). I currently live with my wife who is also taking classes, and will hopefully match for residency this year.

 

[Courtjester8]

I quit my job, got roommates and lived off of loans for my post-bac and SMP. I was single so I was paying only for my own expenses. I'm currently an M1 and I will tell you flat out I don't think I'd have gotten here if I had to work. Additionally, some SMPs are a lot of work. the SMP I was in had a significantly higher workload than the M1s. We would take whatever class they were taking plus 2 other semester long courses and a research project. The M1s flat out admitted we had more work, so this isn't one of those eye of the beholder type of situations. Doing anything more than tutoring on the side during that program was impossible. That being said, I've spent the first two weeks of medical school stress free because I'm used to more work and I've seen the material in detail already so there's definitely a plus on that end. Look at the SMP as more than a proving ground. Look at it as a ay to make your life easier in medical school so you can get involved in the other opportunities medical school has to offer. Hope this is helpful.

-cj8

 

[ConsultantMD]

I just left my job a month ago! It feels great and I have plenty saved to be able to live off of it while I apply to medical school next year. I admit it does feel weird not doing anything and I do miss getting paid, but that's what I worked for!

I have to focus 100%, so this was my sacrifice.

 

[Aelius]

...but I am trying to be conservative in case this whole deal doesn't work out.....

I'm not answering your questions directly, but part of what you said caught my eye and I'm just providing some friendly insights since I was kind of in your boat.

I read an article that talked about why it's actually good NOT to have a backup plan or something to fall back on. Because when you have your back pushed up against the wall, you'll most likely find ways to succeed.

Sometimes when you play it conservative you won't get what you want, especially in situations when the odds are stacked against you to believe with, which is the case of us non-trads.

 

[jombojuice22]

I'm not answering your questions directly, but part of what you said caught my eye and I'm just providing some friendly insights since I was kind of in your boat.

I read an article that talked about why it's actually good NOT to have a backup plan or something to fall back on. Because when you have your back pushed up against the wall, you'll most likely find ways to succeed.

Sometimes when you play it conservative you won't get what you want, especially in situations when the odds are stacked against you to believe with, which is the case of us non-trads.

You don't hear much about guys who take their shot and miss, but I'll tell you what happens to them. They end up humping crappy jobs and graveyard shifts trying to figure out how they came up short.

 

[Aelius]

You don't hear much about guys who take their shot and miss, but I'll tell you what happens to them. They end up humping crappy jobs and graveyard shifts trying to figure out how they came up short.

You are right. At the same time, there are people that are going to stay in whatever situation they are in and miss their goal, and then regret not taking a better shot.

It really just comes down to individual personality and how much risk one is willing to bear to see if their shot makes it or not. There is no right or wrong approach because one will never know what their alternative choice might have led them.

 

[jombojuice22]

You are right. At the same time, there are people that are going to stay in whatever situation they are in and miss their goal, and then regret not taking a better shot.

It really just comes down to individual personality and how much risk one is willing to bear to see if their shot makes it or not. There is no right or wrong approach because one will never know what their alternative choice might have led them.

I agree with you, I just couldn't resist quoting the movie Rounders

Gauss44 said he thinks quitting was a good decision, but sometimes good decisions go wrong. That got me thinking about poker, and how even if you make the correct play you will still lose a pretty big percentage of the time.

There's another quote that comes later in the movie that says, "You can't lose what you don't put in the middle... But you won't win much, either."

 

[shezadeh]

I am considering leaving after a year. I figured that I have a BS in Electrical Engineering from a great school (US News top eng school list), work experience (at that time, it will be 3 years) at a Fortune 500 company, and money saved up for a rainy day.

Yes, it is risky, but working + studying is tough. I plan to take the MCAT next year, so of course what score I get on that will factor into my decision, so for now, it is MCAT prep + work for me...

 

[phunkeyfantom]

I did the whole quit working thing twice in my pursuit. The first time I quit working a very demanding job to focus on school but I only lasted for part of the summer when I realized that I hadn't budgeted well enough to live off of my savings so I had to start working again. I attempted the whole work full time while going to school thing and while I had high hopes, it was disastrous on my science gpa, managed to get all Cs/C+. There just wasn't enough time in the day for me to focus on school and on my job. I commend all of those on SDN that I read about working full time while still kicking butt and making straight As. I alas, am not one of those people. I've now quit my job a second time and will start retaking my prerequisites. I'm eyeing applying/attending a postbacc program during my gap year while simultaneously filling out DO applications in hopes of getting admitted for the fall 2015 semester.

 

[Five0tomed68]

Quote:
Originally Posted by shezadeh
...but I am trying to be conservative in case this whole deal doesn't work out.....

I'm not answering your questions directly, but part of what you said caught my eye and I'm just providing some friendly insights since I was kind of in your boat.

I read an article that talked about why it's actually good NOT to have a backup plan or something to fall back on. Because when you have your back pushed up against the wall, you'll most likely find ways to succeed.

Sometimes when you play it conservative you won't get what you want, especially in situations when the odds are stacked against you to believe with, which is the case of us non-trads.

I caught the defeatus statement as well.It all has to do with mindset. If you go into something that is going to require the mental fortitude that attempting to get into medical school is going to require, then you can't go into expecting to fail, hence requiring a back-up plan.

It would be one thing if you said that you were going to keep your job for the financial support or something to that effect (which is necessary for many non-trads). However, when you refer to it as a "in case this whole thing doesn't work out" a lot of times that means you already plan on failing. I say if you are thinking about going into medicine and you can afford it, start getting the experience by making (medicine your life through volunteering and a low paying medical job that will give you exposure). If you can. If you need the financial support that's one thing, but erase the back-up plans otherwise you will need them. That is my two cents, which generally is not worth much.

 

[TriagePreMed]

I remember when I started my prerequisites. I had a job that was part-time. It was a temporary position, so I knew it didn't mean anything. The job at first said they'd accommodate to my schedule, but as soon as they saw that reality, they forced me to choose. I simply left my job. It was really hard making it through. I had to work as a tutor, get student loans and from time to time, rely on family.

If I had a real job at the time, I would have had a hard time letting it go. I would have taken longer to do my prerequisites while doing them at night. After having seen so many people crash and burn, I'd recommend anyone considering this to keep their jobs and take it slower. It's better to do it in 3-4 years than to rush into a 1.5 year to 2 full-time, which creates the very true possibility of crashing, burning and not having a career in this economy.

 

[brownbaglunch]

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