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Hello all
I’m new here and looking for advice from anyone who’s been in a similar position.
I’m a 25-year-old non-traditional student planning to start my pre-med journey this fall. Growing up, I never saw myself becoming a doctor. I honestly didn’t know what I wanted to do. I wasn’t a strong student in high school, not because I lacked ability, but because I didn’t put in the effort.
At 18, with guidance from a family member, I started a career in EMS/Fire, and that’s where everything changed. I quickly fell in love with the medical side of the job. The real turning point for me was paramedic school. During ~500 hours of hospital clinical rotations, I realized I wanted to pursue medicine at a much higher level.
My medical journey thus far.
EMT (6 months)
Advanced EMT (6 months)
Associate’s degree in Paramedicine (earned with honors) (~1.5 years)
This is the only area of academics in my life where I’ve truly excelled, and it confirmed for me that I’m capable when I’m genuinely interested in a topic. I'm very excited to learn about biology, physics, chemistry, math. If I knew as a kid what I know, I wouldn't have wasted my high school education. I believe that my maturity now will carry me through the difficulty schooling.
I’ve considered critical care, but in my current system it wouldn’t significantly expand my scope of practice. More importantly, I can’t see myself doing fire/EMS for the next 30 years. I've thought about this deeply for the last year or so.
The question:
Should I continue working full-time while taking classes, or leave my job to fully commit to school?
Context of why I am asking:
My current job has a very demanding schedule (24-hour shifts, inconsistent sleep, limited study time)
It’s a busy service, so downtime is unpredictable and often minimal
Part-time is not an option at my service, and taking time off is difficult
Many prerequisites I need are in-person with labs and academically demanding
I don’t think I would perform well doing online classes while working full-time at my service
Financial Situation:
~$100,000 in non-retirement savings
No dependents
Estimated cost for 2 years at community college: cost ~$8,000-10,000/2 years
Estimated living expenses: ~$1,500/month (with roommates)
Plan to transfer to a state school 4-year: cost: ~15,000/year
Possibly live with parents or pursue merit based scholarships when I transfer to 4-year institution
Open to working part-time (≤20 hrs/week) once I build a solid academic routine
Thank you to those who have gone before me and are willing to share their insight!!!
TLDR
25-year-old paramedic starting pre-med. Discovered a passion for medicine through EMS and clinical experience. Trying to decide between:
1. Working full-time and doing part time school.
2. Quitting job and using savings for full-time education.
I’m new here and looking for advice from anyone who’s been in a similar position.
I’m a 25-year-old non-traditional student planning to start my pre-med journey this fall. Growing up, I never saw myself becoming a doctor. I honestly didn’t know what I wanted to do. I wasn’t a strong student in high school, not because I lacked ability, but because I didn’t put in the effort.
At 18, with guidance from a family member, I started a career in EMS/Fire, and that’s where everything changed. I quickly fell in love with the medical side of the job. The real turning point for me was paramedic school. During ~500 hours of hospital clinical rotations, I realized I wanted to pursue medicine at a much higher level.
My medical journey thus far.
EMT (6 months)
Advanced EMT (6 months)
Associate’s degree in Paramedicine (earned with honors) (~1.5 years)
This is the only area of academics in my life where I’ve truly excelled, and it confirmed for me that I’m capable when I’m genuinely interested in a topic. I'm very excited to learn about biology, physics, chemistry, math. If I knew as a kid what I know, I wouldn't have wasted my high school education. I believe that my maturity now will carry me through the difficulty schooling.
I’ve considered critical care, but in my current system it wouldn’t significantly expand my scope of practice. More importantly, I can’t see myself doing fire/EMS for the next 30 years. I've thought about this deeply for the last year or so.
The question:
Should I continue working full-time while taking classes, or leave my job to fully commit to school?
Context of why I am asking:
My current job has a very demanding schedule (24-hour shifts, inconsistent sleep, limited study time)
It’s a busy service, so downtime is unpredictable and often minimal
Part-time is not an option at my service, and taking time off is difficult
Many prerequisites I need are in-person with labs and academically demanding
I don’t think I would perform well doing online classes while working full-time at my service
Financial Situation:
~$100,000 in non-retirement savings
No dependents
Estimated cost for 2 years at community college: cost ~$8,000-10,000/2 years
Estimated living expenses: ~$1,500/month (with roommates)
Plan to transfer to a state school 4-year: cost: ~15,000/year
Possibly live with parents or pursue merit based scholarships when I transfer to 4-year institution
Open to working part-time (≤20 hrs/week) once I build a solid academic routine
Thank you to those who have gone before me and are willing to share their insight!!!
TLDR
25-year-old paramedic starting pre-med. Discovered a passion for medicine through EMS and clinical experience. Trying to decide between:
1. Working full-time and doing part time school.
2. Quitting job and using savings for full-time education.
