What Career/Life did you give up for med school and do you regret it

[helpfuldoc2b]

Being a non-trad student and giving up a career at certain ages when you got financial and family responsibilities is a tough decision that I will be making soon as well. What jobs, careers, and family decisions did you guys have to make to go to med school? What age did you enter med school? Anyone quite their job and give up their life for medicine regret it? Anyone wish they would of stayed in there job? Anyone quite/or know someone who quite med school and went back to their previous career?

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[DrMidlife]

I "gave up" a big fat lucrative cushy 15 year software engineering career. More like ran screaming from it.

I gave up my mortgage on a beautiful 1915 sun-filled charm-dripping house. As long as I'm in school, there's no chance I want to have that on my shoulders. It was too much house to deal with by myself even with a nice constant salary.

Which brings me to the giving up of the happily-ever-after story where I'd meet a guy and we'd be perfect together and have babies and support each others' careers. (Not to mention share the work of restoring the 1915 sun-filled house.) I went through a couple fiances in my 30s, and finally, really, gave up on having any kind of traditional family. Specifically, I gave up on prioritizing husband-finding, child-bearing and child-rearing over finding meaningful work, which hopefully will be medicine, given the choice of doing one or the other at age 40. Got my tubes tied because I'm not kidding around with this.

(Oh puhleeeze, dear SDNers, must you jump all over whether it's appropriate to surgically alter oneself and defy God's Special Grace in order to pursue a younger person's career, especially if you feel compelled to convince me that it's not too late at all to still have babies? I'm 40, for chrissakes, and I got the OB to take some really cool pictures of my ovaries while he was in there.)

If I have any regrets, I wish I would have believed in myself earlier, bailed out of software earlier, not tried so hard to get married & pregnant, been quite a bit smarter with money, and studied harder whenever a GPA was on the other side. I also regret not taking advantage, as a child, of my mother's complete willingness to teach me Spanish and piano. She's fluent at both; I largely suck.

It's always going to be weird, if not specifically a regret, to be the old chick in the program. I expect to be too busy, and quite possibly too happy, to regret much.

Hope this helps somebody. Best of luck to y'all.

 

[DrMidlife]

The OP's not getting any help, so I'm sorry I cathected.

I suggest this post might get more interesting regret data in the forums for actual med students and actual doctors. We've not yet begun to regret here.

 

[Law2Doc]

The OP's not getting any help, so I'm sorry I cathected.

I suggest this post might get more interesting regret data in the forums for actual med students and actual doctors. We've not yet begun to regret here.

There are people of all levels of career development who pop on here.

But FWIW, I suspect that nontrads who toss aside prior careers in favor of medicine do not do so lightly, and spend on average a whole lot more time considering their decision and getting the real deal about the field they are changing to. If you have a realistic view of what you are getting yourself into, you tend to regret less. Also some of us have worked very long hours previously, and so the average hours worked by physicians is not going to be as shocking as it is to some of the traditional crowd.

 

[pingouin]

actually, I believe that the OP's questions have already been addressed here:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=287353

 

[NonTradMed]

There are people of all levels of career development who pop on here.

But FWIW, I suspect that nontrads who toss aside prior careers in favor of medicine do not do so lightly, and spend on average a whole lot more time considering their decision and getting the real deal about the field they are changing to. If you have a realistic view of what you are getting yourself into, you tend to regret less. Also some of us have worked very long hours previously, and so the average hours worked by physicians is not going to be as shocking as it is to some of the traditional crowd.

Yup, that's me. I'm glad I actually worked for a few years before embarking on the medical track. I think I lost my perspective back in college when I was premed. It was hard to feel motivated to study orgo when I'm questioning my commitment to medicine.

I worked as a software IT engineer (was a computer science major) for a couple of years and made a little over $50k---not too shabby for the midwest. I was also offered a job at a major consulting firm in Chicago but I blew it off because I knew medical school was where I wanted to be and I needed to focus my attention fulltime on it. I admit my choice was a bit easier than most other nontrads in that I had no family and little debt and a family who was willing to let me move back with them. The only obstacle for me was my stats, I needed to retake the MCAT since my old score expired and I hadn't touched a bio text in four years!

I understand what nontrads are going through...we are stuck in a weird bind. The medical world is geared towards the traditional 'freshe from college' applicant. People often think you're weird to give up a nice income to go back to school (my friends were quit shocked when I announced my intention). And the application cycle is definitely geared towards traditional applicants---recs from profs, composite letters etc are all made easier if you came straight from college. However, if this is what you want to do, there is plenty of ways to make it happen.

I'd say that Law2Doc is about correct that nontrads are probably more confident with their choices in part because we spent so much time thinking abuot it.

Also, since many of us have already worked in the work world, we know what the hours are like, the tediousness, the politics, the paperwork! 🙂 Traditional applicants whose closest thing to holding down a job is working at the GAP may think medicine is such a horrible, horrible career may just not know that the work world sucks in general. 😀

 

[ShyRem]

Not only did I chuck my career as a paramedic (ok, it was chucked for me when I got injured), but my husband basically chucked his career by being willing to give up a senior spot on his police department (after 13 years he could have his pick of assignments and had a ton of time off) to start all over with 5 days off a year, bottom of the totem pole, permanent graveyards, and about a 50% pay cut.

So here we are, living in a place with higher cost of living, higher energy bills, higher residence costs (I can't believe how expensive housing is here - more to the point, housing was cheap where I came from), and living on about half what we lived on 5 years ago when we were both working. Yes, that half includes loan money. We've learned to live well cheaply.

Would I have chucked my medic career had it not been chucked for me? Eventually. My plan was to wait a few more years until my children were both in school. My plan got accelerated. No regrets. My husband is hating his job right now, we're hating only having 20 minutes a day alone together (I'm not kidding - our time is from 9:10 pm to 9:30 pm, the rest of the day time is for children and most importantly for him, sleeping), but we know the rewards will be worth it in 4 years. (yes, resident pay is more than he's making right now. It's sad, really.)

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Also, since many of us have already worked in the work world, we know what the hours are like, the tediousness, the politics, the paperwork! 🙂 Traditional applicants whose closest thing to holding down a job is working at the GAP may think medicine is such a horrible, horrible career may just not know that the work world sucks in general. 😀

Good point. I think some of us nontrads might be happier just because we realize how much lots of jobs suck. In law school, I had the notion that law was the cr@ppiest profession out there because I had no freaking perspective. My trad med school friends had the same thoughts about medicine.

As for me, I miss the city where I lived, and I miss making money. I don't miss my job, though. I'm new, but I'm still excited about being a doctor.

 

[jjmcentee@hotma]

I try to always be honest with myself regardless if it supports a decision i've made. So I am still on the fence with this question.

I miss my old life. I had a beautifull house, across from the park we married, a good job as an optician. I could have bought into the franchise that I was working at, set myself at a 50k a year salary, my wife would finished school just the same and made about 50K as well. I worked 5minutes from my home (this dynamic can not be underestimated). And I felt I was rooted in my community. I am a very grounded person.

I traded it to go to med school. Sold the house, the money is now all gone, my wife still graduated but the only job is an hour and half away, so she rents a room and I see her on the weekends. I'm 110 k into student debt and probably another 10k into new credit card debt. Car is about to bust down, and I don't have a plan.

But I still don't regret it, but I am one disaster away. I think I will be happy in my life pursueing a vocation that can change my families life and others in mission medicine. But I think I would have been just as happy at home, sitting in the park, driving my minivan and having a 2 kids by now (which we do not because of school)

I think when your a bit older you have to think of the time that is left. How do you want to spend it. And maybe personal dreams are a bit more selfish than what they appear.

However, don't think I am a cynic. I am happy, med school is good, the learning is wonderfull, everyday I find a library and study for 10+ hours on a subject that's not hard to understand, just hard to get all the information in.

I also enjoy the comroderie, the students are great, I have about a 100 people give you high five a day, everyone struggles and there is always something to do.

sorry about the long answer, but it was a very good topic.

 

[BitingPlates]

I walked away form 150,000 tax free dollars a year doing personal security details overseas, plus it was dangerous work. I know were my niche is, and nothing is going to stop me from getting there. No regrets

 

[Law2Doc]

I walked away form 150,000 tax free dollars a year doing personal security details overseas, plus it was dangerous work. I know were my niche is, and nothing is going to stop me from getting there. No regrets

If you are a US citizen then money you earn overseas is not tax free.

 

[ShyRem]

Not true, Law. If you spend less than something like 30 days in-country (as in physically in the USA) during that year, then the income is indeed tax-free. But if you spend even one hour more, then it's all taxable. I know a LOT of folks who worked for places like DynaCorps who did exactly that. Made a pile of money, paid off all their debts, came back and found a new career. Tax-free.

 

[Law2Doc]

Not true, Law. If you spend less than something like 30 days in-country (as in physically in the USA) during that year, then the income is indeed tax-free. But if you spend even one hour more, then it's all taxable. I know a LOT of folks who worked for places like DynaCorps who did exactly that. Made a pile of money, paid off all their debts, came back and found a new career. Tax-free.

Fair enough, my bad, there's appears to be an exemption for those who meet specific criteria and file the applicable IRS filings. But it appears for US citizens, to get an exemption you need to be in the foreign country for 330 days in the current year. And there are numerous exceptions. See IRS Pub 54 for anyone who wants details.

 

[RxnMan]

I was an engineer in a former life (26 y/o now). I worked with kids, trying to find ways to help them walk better. Do I miss it? Yes, I worked with a fantastic team of professionals and the kids were a treat to work with everyday. Do I regret the switch to medicine? Well, if I had a bad day of classes or I didn't do as well on an exam, then yes, I sometimes idealize the job I had. Things were definitely simpler and safer there. But I also know that I wanted to be on this path for many years and I would have regretted it had I not taken the plunge.

 

[BitingPlates]

Fair enough, my bad, there's appears to be an exemption for those who meet specific criteria and file the applicable IRS filings. But it appears for US citizens, to get an exemption you need to be in the foreign country for 330 days in the current year. And there are numerous exceptions. See IRS Pub 54 for anyone who wants details.

I was a U.S. Marine for five years and anytime we stepped foot on foreign soil that was considered a combat zone or extremely dangerous, it was tax free. If you work for a private security consulting company, it is all tax free overseas. That is a fact, I have seen my friends W2 forms.

 

[Law2Doc]

I was a U.S. Marine for five years and anytime we stepped foot on foreign soil that was considered a combat zone or extremely dangerous, it was tax free. If you work for a private security consulting company, it is all tax free overseas. That is a fact, I have seen my friends W2 forms.

Military has its own funky tax provisions and expats can't rely on those.

W2's are not prepared by the IRS and thus do not tell you what one's actual tax obligations are, as far as the US is concerned. I've seen many people owe more than their W2's provide, after audit. If you are an expat, you have to follow the applicable tax code and regs, which are summarized in IRS Pub 54, available on the IRS website. It's best to consult an accountant for complicated tax return issues. So, if you qualify under those provisions as a private security consulting company employee then you may be right. If not, maybe not.

 

[BitingPlates]

Well they might have not been the W2's, but I remember my friend showing me what he made, and there were no taxes taken out...although there might have been SS, I am not sure, and it would not make a big difference anyway.

The whole point is, it's a ton of cash. I was going to leave and work a few years overseas, come back buy a condo, a new civic, not work and go to school full time. No loans and everything would have been paid for. Then when Iraq started having problems, insurgent groups started to target the security companies, plus I was not getting any younger, and I eventually want to start a family. I sure in the hell would not be pursing medicine for the money, cause there is better ways to make money. There is a place in my heart that tells me that I am doing the right thing, even when people in my family say it's not. I will never regret the choices I have made.

 

[cfdavid]

There are people of all levels of career development who pop on here.

But FWIW, I suspect that nontrads who toss aside prior careers in favor of medicine do not do so lightly, and spend on average a whole lot more time considering their decision and getting the real deal about the field they are changing to. If you have a realistic view of what you are getting yourself into, you tend to regret less. Also some of us have worked very long hours previously, and so the average hours worked by physicians is not going to be as shocking as it is to some of the traditional crowd.

Amen. I'm constantly seeing posts about the rigors of a physicians life. But, there are many, many other professions that require a lot of hours and sacrifice (as you know..).

 

[ForbiddenComma]

I gave up a career as a journalist with crap pay, evil bosses, no benefits and no real reason to get up in the morning.






oh and... i guess that means no, i do not regret it.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

I will only regret leaving my previous career if I never get into medical school.

 

[little_late_MD]

I will only regret leaving my previous career if I never get into medical school.

Amen.

 

[rewopswaj]

not in med school quite yet, but nope, don't think I'm going to regret a thing. i hate living in nyc, and publishing sucks.

 

[Beau Geste]

applying next year. I'm a SLP and have a private practice. I have the potiential to make great money, and it's a great job, but not my dream job. I can always keep working in this field if med school doesn't work out, but I at least had to try.

 

[Law2Doc]

Well they might have not been the W2's, but I remember my friend showing me what he made, and there were no taxes taken out...although there might have been SS, I am not sure, and it would not make a big difference anyway.

That may be totally so, and I have no reason to doubt you. But I would caution that the amount "taken out" and the amount one actually owes may not be the same thing. It's not uncommon for foreign entities to not follow US withholding requirements. You owe what the tax provisions say you owe, not what your employer determines you owe and withholds.

 

[jjasper]

* Cliff notes - Currently an engineer, going to enter medical school in a few years, and very excited about it.


I am an engineer by trade, but never by heart. I graduated with an BS in electrical engineering in 02 and started grad school the following semester. I hated it so I stopped after 1 semester and got a job as a defense contractor designing radars. I hated that too. I spent my days behind a computer screen programming and programming some more, thinking there's no way I can spend the rest of my life doing this.

So after a year I went back to school thinking that more education would lead me to a better job. I received my MSEE in December of 2004 and set off into the "real world" again. Different job same results. This time I was working for a different defense contractor in San Diego, CA designing biological threat detection hardware. In short I spent my days, once again, behind a computer screen.

After 9 months of this my wife and I left the madness of San Diego to move back to the mid-west where I am currently employed. It's a small IT company that was started by friends I met as an undergrad. The pay is excellent but I am again sitting behind a computer screen programming. I get no personal satisfaction from this job and it's time to move on.

The next 2-3 years will be spent saving for medical school, volunteering, shadowing physicians, and making up a few premed. courses I lack. It's going to be tough. I will be 35 when I enter medical school and have a family, but the support I am receiving from my wife is amazing and I am truly excited about the road that lies ahead.

 

[Cobragirl]

As a non-trad myself who has actually made it through med school and into residency, I'll be curious to see how many of you feel the same way after your internship. 😉

 

[Beau Geste]

I've seen first-hand what medical school and residency are like from a non-trad perspective - I watched my mom go through it when I was in jr-high/high school.

She survived with two kids and a husband (and lived 2.5 hours from us in med school and 4 days a week away during FP residency). It was hard, but she'd do it again. I asked her that tonight, actually!

 

[LifetimeDoc]

As a non-trad myself who has actually made it through med school and into residency, I'll be curious to see how many of you feel the same way after your internship. 😉

So you regret becoming a physician?

I'm sure that I will not regret becoming a physician. But, if I'm not, I'll suck it up and continue on. Once you go into medicine, it's kinda hard to get out, especially if you are older.

 

[Law2Doc]

Once you go into medicine, it's kinda hard to get out, especially if you are older.

Not sure the Michael Corleone philosophy is the best approach.

 

[1Path]

As a non-trad myself who has actually made it through med school and into residency, I'll be curious to see how many of you feel the same way after your internship. 😉

Pathology doesn't have an internship year, so I'm predicting that I'm gonna feel just fine!😀

 

[Transvaal]

Entrepeneurship (I participated in an event-organising company) and I was on my way to be an economist. Nice, but not the intellectual challenge I wanted to have until my retirement, let alone the altruistic aspect (making money as the greatest goal as an entrepeneur or healing people as a doctor) of it.

I have no regrets, although I have to be more careful when I want to schedual time for my hobbies.

 

[Non-TradTulsa]

I left a twenty-year career as a healthcare CPA to enter medical school at age 44. I had a very secure 10-year job as a planner for a large health system.

Do I regret my decision to change careers in mid-life? It depends on when you ask. It definitely was the hardest decision I've ever made. I felt good about it until the workload of medical school fully hit me around October of my first semester this year. Then I very, very much regretted leaving my secure job, comfortable income, and free evenings. I couldn't go back, though, because they'd already hired someone to replace me.

Which was a good thing. I got through the semester, did well, and - now that I'm on Christmas vacation, I feel very good about my decision and about my future career in medicine.

Bottom line: Life is a crapshoot. If you want to make a difference in medicine in the second half of your life, do it. I spent years of my life working very hard on being comfortable and secure - but I finally realized that security is pretty much an illusion, so I might as well go for it. I want to have as few regrets as possible at the end of my life, and you do regret what you left undone more than what you did. I can tell you this much - when you leave a secure job and career to go to medical school, your mid-40's friends who are stuck in their careers will find you terribly interesting at Christmas parties (and the ones who criticize you the most are the ones who are most jealous!).

 

[MtnGntx]

Great thread guys.

I get very contemplative reading the negative rants here on SDN. Not really discouraged or disheartened, but contemplative. I had a lucrative position in construction management for years before turning my attention to health sciences. I quit my job, took two years to accomplish 60 hrs of undergrad prereguisites and then jumped into a graduate degree program for 6 years... all as pre-cursor to applying to medical school. There were mornings in construction when I awoke on Mondays dreading another week of tedium. The only rewards were monetary and would only always be monetary. I imagine had I stayed where I was, I would be easily be bringing in what the average contented physician is making already. Had I sacrificed my morals, I could have become a developer and made $hitloads over the past few years, far more than the average physician. But life was never about the money for me. I want and need emotional challenge and intellecutal stimulation. I would like to look back on my life knowing that I made real contribution to the lives of others and I cant think of a better career to have undertaken in this regard. I dont wake up regretting work on Mondays. And I suspect that in our lifetimes those now in medicine for the money will be heading for the doors as the political and economic nature of the US undergoes drastic changes. There will always be intrinsic value in being a physician regardless of these changes. I still have a long road ahead of me, but the path under my feet is the correct one and that makes the trip a lot easier. 😎

 

[foolish26yrold]

NonTradTulsa: I find your quote very inspriring. Although I'm 26, I still can really identify with everything you're saying. I guess those feelings you're talking about don't change no matter how much older and wiser you get. But what do you mean by "security is an illusion"??


Bottom line: Life is a crapshoot. If you want to make a difference in medicine in the second half of your life, do it. I spent years of my life working very hard on being comfortable and secure - but I finally realized that security is pretty much an illusion, so I might as well go for it. I want to have as few regrets as possible at the end of my life, and you do regret what you left undone more than what you did. I can tell you this much - when you leave a secure job and career to go to medical school, your mid-40's friends who are stuck in their careers will find you terribly interesting at Christmas parties (and the ones who criticize you the most are the ones who are most jealous!).[/QUOTE]

 

[LeapofFaith]

I am really grateful to see other people sharing their experiences on this site. I'm taking a leap of faith... 32 year old white mail departing $100K, 40 hour week, 5 week vacation, cushy-work-at-home government computer security job... Yes, people think I am crazy...

I was young and immature so my transcripts look pretty bad from my first college experience, and of course I dropped out...

I've been getting ready for this leap of faith for a full year. I cannot overexagerate the amount of time I have spent contemplating this decision. I concur with the thoughts of the folks who have shared with us here. I am a wiser, more mature, and more intelligent person than I was as a traditional student. It's not about the money... I will lose 1 million dollars in income over the next 10 years for this choice, and that does not include tuition. I am going all-in.

I don't want to look back on my life and wish I had the courage to make difficult choices. I already do that now, so I can imagine that it would be very difficult to look myself in the mirror at 60 if I were to take the easy road from here on out.

I will spend the next 2 years finishing up my undergraduate degree. I will take the MCAT in April. I will achieve a 4.0 from here on out, and I will have a great MCAT score. I will do the best I can, and the decision as to whether or not I get accepted into medical school is out of my hands.

I can live with that. I can sleep at night. I wish you all the best.

 

[LeapofFaith]

make that male -not mail ;o)

 

[Deepa100]

I "gave up" a big fat lucrative cushy 15 year software engineering career. More like ran screaming from it.

I gave up my mortgage on a beautiful 1915 sun-filled charm-dripping house. As long as I'm in school, there's no chance I want to have that on my shoulders. It was too much house to deal with by myself even with a nice constant salary.

Which brings me to the giving up of the happily-ever-after story where I'd meet a guy and we'd be perfect together and have babies and support each others' careers. (Not to mention share the work of restoring the 1915 sun-filled house.) I went through a couple fiances in my 30s, and finally, really, gave up on having any kind of traditional family. Specifically, I gave up on prioritizing husband-finding, child-bearing and child-rearing over finding meaningful work, which hopefully will be medicine, given the choice of doing one or the other at age 40. Got my tubes tied because I'm not kidding around with this.

(Oh puhleeeze, dear SDNers, must you jump all over whether it's appropriate to surgically alter oneself and defy God's Special Grace in order to pursue a younger person's career, especially if you feel compelled to convince me that it's not too late at all to still have babies? I'm 40, for chrissakes, and I got the OB to take some really cool pictures of my ovaries while he was in there.)

If I have any regrets, I wish I would have believed in myself earlier, bailed out of software earlier, not tried so hard to get married & pregnant, been quite a bit smarter with money, and studied harder whenever a GPA was on the other side. I also regret not taking advantage, as a child, of my mother's complete willingness to teach me Spanish and piano. She's fluent at both; I largely suck.

It's always going to be weird, if not specifically a regret, to be the old chick in the program. I expect to be too busy, and quite possibly too happy, to regret much.

Hope this helps somebody. Best of luck to y'all.

That's interesting. I have had a successful career in software engineering that I ran from too. But I did not give up my hopes of getting married and having kids. I got married 2 years ago (and it was my 2nd marriage). It may take me longer to get to med school but I think it is doable. I am in no hurry after working and studing for so long. If you meet some one nice (which I am sure that you will), give it a chance. These things don't have to be mutually exclusive.👍

 

[billydoc]

I often see lots of nontrads who are "crossing over" to medicine from unrelated fields i.e hi-tech, IT, Finance and many others. My hat is off to you guys. It really takes guts to make a move like this one. But I'm in the same boat with you only from the allied health. I've been an RN for the last 16 yrs. Worked in many different fields not only hospital bedside immage that's usually associated with nursing, though that too. I've worked in case management, utilization review, managed care, home care, and recently tossed a job that pays base $90k with all the perks, and stock options. It was a publically traded national health care company. But there is a lot more opportunity for an experience RN to do home care, and really make a few serious bucks on the side. I also have a partnership as a licensed Acupuncturist. So as you can see I'm not really "curious" of what it would be like to help ppl. That's my job (s) now, and more than in one way. I wonder if any of the nontrads who actually went through school and residency, and are out there practicing could share their take on it. I don't have any illusions of what being a doctor is like. We work side by side and wind up doing a lot of things that overlap (*No, I'm not practicing medicine without a license, in case you're wondering). I already ventured out to one of a better known Carib school almost 3 years ago. But my health did not allow me to continue at that time. So, i will try U.S. I should've done it first. But that's Hx.

Thanks

 

[sketcham]

I am a new member at this site and I am so glad to see that there are so many people out there in the same boat. After speaking with several rather negative med school advisors I had begun to think I was an idiot for switching careers.
I am a 28 year old Nurse Practitioner (womens health). I always wanted to be a doc but I let other things get in the way and took my secondary career choice. I have to say that I really feel much better now that i'm soing what I've wanted all along. I doubt that I will feel much regret for leaving this profession....nursing just isn't me. I love science, healthcare and taking care of patients but the basic tenets of nursing are still a little archaic for me.

Even if I don't get in...i'm not going back so I guess that means I definitely don't regret it.
😀

 

[Non-TradTulsa]

NonTradTulsa: I find your quote very inspriring. Although I'm 26, I still can really identify with everything you're saying. I guess those feelings you're talking about don't change no matter how much older and wiser you get. But what do you mean by "security is an illusion"??

Wow, 26, I'm flattered that you asked. Not only am I much older, my parents had me late in life - my folks were World War II generation. My dad was a tail-gunner on B-17 bombers in the Pacific, and my mother worked at Hughes Aircraft in Los Angeles helping to build airplanes for my dad to fly!

When my dad returned from the war, the idea was to get a good job and to stay there until retirement. My dad stayed at the same company for over 30 years and that's the world I grew up in during the 1960s and 1970s (although, interestingly, he changed his career from engineering to patent law at the same age that I started medical school - I guess this late bloomer thing is genetic in my family).

That world no longer exists - that's what I meant. There are no defined-benefit pension plans anymore - either you save money, or you're out of luck. Nobody stays at the same company any more. I thought about staying at the hospital where I worked and in the same house until retirement. If I'd been serious about my career - well, my boss had decided not to retire soon and, despite good raises, I hadn't had a promotion in several years. Actually, after 10 years, it was really getting to be time for me to leave - unless I wanted to stay in the exact same job from here on out - after 10 years, you're no longer "promotion material". If I'd left, I would have had to move out of state, because the work I did as a financial planner for a large health system is pretty specialized.

I'll be working longer and harder hours as a physician, but I'll have much more control over where I live. I don't have to worry about climbing the ladder - and, although physicians do get tangled in office politics, your life doesn't depend on it.

Hope that helps! (And you are exactly right - you'll still be pretty much the same person inside in 20 years - cool insight!)