Tech to medicine. Seeking advice.

[techy]

Hi there !

I'm an engineer few years out of uni. I want to serve the community more directly with my roots in STEM. Thinking of applying to official Post Bac program few years down the road.

Pros:

• High ugrad gpa
• work at Facebook as a software engineer

Cons:

• Never taken Chem/Bio
• No shadowing/volunteering

What can I do to speed process to med school if I want to matriculate in my late 20s?

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[crazyotter]

What should I do to best expedite the process to med school since I'd want to matriculate in my late 20s. Should I try applying to competitive Post Bacs with linkages? I want to play to my strengths in my ECs in tech (which I enjoy), but am wondering if it'd be wiser to take up more traditional ECs because I have a nontrad background?

No responses since yesterday so I thought I'd chip in...

I think your GPA is stellar (especially from a top school and FB, no less) and I'm envious of your stats. If it were up to me, I would apply to a formal post-bac with linkage (ex. Bryn Mawr, Temple). That's your most straightforward shot to medical school. I am unfamiliar at how truly competitive it is to get into those programs, but I can't imagine a 3.9 GPA from a top CS school and FAANG experience would somehow put you at a disadvantage.

Start applying!

Edit: As a former worker in IT who has friends at FB, only true medical passion would steer you away from the free food, free laundry, valet, yoga classes, an arcade, gym, barbers...

 

[Kardio]

No medical experience

No shadowing/volunteering

You've got the academic chops for medicine, but address the quoted quickly. Not for purposes of your application - but to get a realistic picture of the work and lifestyle. There are some in the medical student forums here who would happily trade their seat for your tech gig. It's worth verifying this isn't a case of 'grass is greener' syndrome.

At this point some shadowing would be great for you. You'll walk away with both a starter EC for your (potential) application and a clearer image of the field.

 

[crazyotter]

You've got the academic chops for medicine, but address the bolded quickly. Not for purposes of your application - but to get a realistic picture of the work and lifestyle. There are some in the medical student forums here who would happily trade their seat for your tech gig. It's worth verifying this isn't a case of 'grass is greener' syndrome.

At this point some shadowing would be great for you. You'll walk away with both a starter EC for your (potential) application and a clearer image of the field.

I'm an IT guy with friends who work at FB. You bring up a good point. FB is outlandish in how great they treat their employees. I visited there once and had my mouth open the entire time. These pampered techies!

 

[Kardio]

I'm an IT guy with friends who work at FB. You bring up a good point. FB is outlandish in how great they treat their employees. I visited there once and had my mouth open the entire time. These pampered techies!

Yup - livin' in the beautiful SF Bay Area in their mid-20s with only undergraduate debt. I'm happy with my choices, but I'd be lying if I said the aforementioned lifestyle didn't make me do a double take.

@efle may have thoughts to share.

 

[techy]

Thanks both for the great advice! I will shadow when opportunities open up to see if this is the right path for me. I am also wary of "grass is greener syndrome". Shadowing will let me know if this is something I just can't not take a chance on and follow my gut.

 

[crazyotter]

Thank you both for the great advice! I plan on shadowing when opportunities open up to really get a sense of whether this path is right for me. Of course the idea of helping others more directly and building personal relationships with patients over their life seems like an amazing opportunity. Personal events recently in my life have made that really clear and I plan on volunteering/etc. in my spare time regardless of whether I pursue this path professionally. However, I'm also wary of "grass is greener syndrome". The perks are great but tbh I got bored pretty quickly after the novelty of it all wears off a bit if that makes sense (maybe I'm just taking it for granted lol). I just can't see myself job hopping FB -> Google -> Amazon -> repeat and enjoying that for rest of my career. My main concerns are not so much around income since physicians are compensated great/deservingly anyways after all is said and done, but time. I'd be starting much later and the prospect of delaying lots of potential personal milestones (i.e. family/home/etc.) is the most nerve-wracking part. I think shadowing will let me know if this is something I just can't not take a chance on and to follow my gut.

FWIW I definitely think it's significant that you want and are interested in medicine DESPITE already having all the perks of FB. I wouldn't ignore that feeling in your gut.

I also think no one's going to accuse you of chasing physician income, either. I think E5-E6 gives you 400k-600k at FB? Maybe more? So definitely the income sacrificed more than indicates a strong sincerity to pursue medicine.

I would still recommend going for the formal post-bac linkages and seeing how that goes. You have a nice problem to have on your hands!

 

[hamiltonnyc]

My main concerns are not so much around income since physicians are compensated great/deservingly anyways after all is said and done, but time.

You're around 24?

 

[crazyotter]

You're around 24?

I think Techy is still in the hypercompetitive mindset of working in Silicon Valley where everyone's a millionaire by 30

Or he/she is just talking about opportunity cost of income, which is quite substantial...

 

[techy]

You're around 24?

just planning ahead needing couple years to complete prereqs then 4 years med school, 3 years residency starting few years from now could take up to mid 30s. But this is something most nontrads grapple with so nice to see those who made the jump and are close to the other side!