The other side

[Apparition]

Guys...does it bother you that your friends are about to start building their careers, lives, take nice vacations, enjoy their twenties while you will be in med school, living off student loans, just studying all the time.
I know that for most of us, it's worth it as we can't imagine doing anything else...but still??

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[bewitched1081]

all that stuff that you listed means nothing. in fact, im willing to bet that a lot of doctors will look back on their lives and only see loss. of course, there is something rewarding about helping others, but there's something more to life that most people deny and dont ever bother to find. if you find that something, you will never envy anyone else's life.

 

[SarahGM]

Originally posted by Apparition
Guys...does it bother you that your friends are about to start building their careers, lives, take nice vacations, enjoy their twenties while you will be in med school, living off student loans, just studying all the time.

Yes.

 

[CalBeE]

At my school, many people end up going to grad schools for masters or Ph.D before starting to work.

Even though Masters' only takes 2 years, it's still extra school time!

And I doubt that many people who started working after college with have such a nice lifestyle that you mentioned. Vacations are harder to get when you have a full-time job, and if you wanna climb up, you sure have to work hard to get there.

 

[Anka]

Nope, not one bit. But I think it would have if I had decided to be a doctor before college (i.e., spent my entire undergrad existence as a pre-med), rather than a couple years out of college. I know what I'm giving up, but also why. For example, one of my best friends from college went to work for McKinsey and Co. (top management consulting firm), made great money right out of school, great perks, etc. I could have done that, too, but I don't think it would be fulfilling to spend my life making powerpoint slides giving advice to oil companies, telecomunication companies, or whatever rather than acting directly. It's a very special thing to be able to help a person who is at their most vulnerable, and worth a whole lot of work and sacrifice. But then again, I'm an ascetic workaholic. I kinda like hard work and sacrifice.

Anka

 

[LP1CW]

I don't know about you guys, but I like school. I'm sick. I enjoy the process. My life is not on hold. This is what I want to do. I'm excited about it. I'm looking forward to it. Next year, will be new and fun and challenging and tough and bad and good. But my life is not on hold. I'm just thrilled that I'm one of the priveleged few that get to do this. Think about it. We got through premed, MCAT, interviews and now we're going to start medical school. How many people don't go to college, if they go struggle or quit in general chem or bio. It's always about weeding out. We're blessed, lucky and I'm going to be very thankful.


This is exciting for all of us.

 

[thewebthsp]

I think these perks (EXCEPT for time) are like toys -- they seem really cool but once you have them they lose their appeal fast.

I think what satisfies is what you will end up loving. Medicine is one of the rare professions (like teaching) where what you do makes a huge impact on someone else's life. It is truly a selfless profession, and means much more than just "doing your job." Doing your job flawlessly sometimes can't save your patient.

On the other hand, you are MORE than just your patient's doctor, fulfilling a part of the economy-- you are a fundamentally important part of his or her life. And I think that's the most important reason for me to be in this profession.

 

[calcrew14]

Originally posted by Apparition
Guys...does it bother you that your friends are about to start building their careers, lives, take nice vacations, enjoy their twenties while you will be in med school, living off student loans, just studying all the time.
I know that for most of us, it's worth it as we can't imagine doing anything else...but still??

My life alone has been keeping me very busy already. I am thankful that I don't have anything to complain. So I'll just have to let others' be. I would feel fortunate though, if everybody else's interest is different from my own, I wouldn't have too much competition to do then.

May everyone be blessed with good life to each one's own!

 

[jlee9531]

damn what kind of 20 year olds do you know?

all my friends, most of them not premeds, are all working their butts off just to find a break.

while i get to go back to school and get to head towards something that i will enjoy doing for the rest of my life.

 

[calcrew14]

Originally posted by jlee9531
damn what kind of 20 year olds do you know?

all my friends, most of them not premeds, are all working their butts off just to find a break.

while i get to go back to school and get to head towards something that i will enjoy doing for the rest of my life.

Here in this land of equal opportunity, good citizens who work their butts off will eventually be paid off. When it's all said and done, there is a good chance that most of your hard working friends will find themselves in parity with you. I know of small business people of different trades who are as succesful as their fellow countrymen MD. All of them started with $0 or less in their mid 20's.

The way things are going. You can be proud of your friends and still enjoy your luck at the same time.

 

[calcrew14]

I shouldn't hold this back. 4 years from now, your friends may be a few thousand dollars richer. but you will have lost a hundred thousand dollars, or two.

 

[jlee9531]

Originally posted by calcrew14
I shouldn't hold this back. 4 years from now, your friends may be a few thousand dollars richer. but you will have lost a hundred thousand dollars, or two.

ahh if they were only actually doing businessy things.

some are just not enjoying their time doing their phd or masters programs...

 

[~EnnI~]

I started school later than the norm, so as I try to get through my last year of undergrad, alot of my friends are working, playing, shopping, traveling, etc.... it can get pretty frustrating at times. Then again, I try not to dwell on it, since my time will come...

 

[twinklz]

None of my friends have made much money yet (one year out of college) but I'm still jealous of them. I took a year off in between college and medical school and I'm stuck working at a boring job while I have 2 friends in France, 3 in Japan, 1 in China, 1 in Poland, 1 in Hungary, and 1 in Costa Rica. Sheesh!

Now once I actually start medical school, I'll be fine, because I like school and I'll actually be starting this whole process. But now I just feel like I'm spinning my wheels while everyone else is out exploring the world (literally)

 

[lotanna]

come on people, live life a lil, my friends in med schl stull find time to have fun, i mean i went to the bahamas with one for 3days, going to nigeria with another on spring break, and then maybe jamaica in the fall. You can still have a life, all work and no play is going make ur life suck

 

[calcrew14]

Sometime I think that everyone on this board is on trial. How is it possible to assume that soneone else doesn't have a life? Even priests or monks have lives, many of which secret ones.

I traveled to the other side of this world 4 times before high school graduation. Each time I had more than a month to (passively) explore a few countries. I also had another trip to another continent. But I conclude that there is no place like home in CA. Everything seems to be available within a short reach here. With a little give and take here and there, sometime replicas are even better than real things. At lleast it is more convenient (for a lazy one like me.)

Now that I have also gone so deep into a hobby that I am spending most of my life either in the library or in front of a computer, the only thing that I have left now is probably a soul somewhere. But wait a second! These eternal stints in SDN Forum probably are saving my neck now. I do have a lot of life here, don't I?