What made everyone leave their professions for medicine?

[rpost3]

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For me, it was working in Marketing. Sitting around all day trying to convince people that I really care whether some consumer believes our lies about a product or service we're trying to sucker them into buying was mentally exhausting. My job was making rich people richer, basically. Talk about the most meaningless profession on the planet (besides ambulance chaser). But I was told working all day for people you hate and principles you don't believe in was "life" (my father was basically the dad from "The Wonder Years"). The worst part was everyone I was working with had personalities that reflected their jobs, and I didn't. Money and image was everything to everyone around me. I grew up with money and knew it wasn't really anything.

So here I am, getting ready to start Pitt's post-bacc. program in the fall. It's not about money, because I could have come back to school for engineering, taken over my dad's firm in 15 years, and had more green than I'd know what to do with. It's about spending the majority of my life doing something that I've always enjoyed - helping those who need help, not helping those who don't need help, which I was doing before.

I can remember the actual moment I wanted to become a doctor. In college we all showed up for soccer practice after a tough loss, and our coach said "leave your gear here and follow me." He took us to the Children's Hospital oncology unit. You should've seen those kids light up. We stayed for 2 hours of soccer juggling demostrations, songs, coloring, and just general goofing off. I knew I wanted to be a doctor that day, but I p___ed out 'til now, because 2 years of trying to market katsup makes you miss what ya love a lot more.

OK, that and med school chicks are hot.

 

[NotShorty]

I wasn't reaching my full potential.

It's funny how after I decided to go to med school, people come out of the woodwork (especially parents) and say that they've "been waiting years for you to realize this."

Better late than never.

I majored in "Turfgrass Management" and was in line to be the superintendent of a Golf Course. Haha. Funny rediculous me.

-NS

 

[yawmin]

In a nutshell, I'm not satisfied with where I am. Sort of like rpost. I graduated computer science major at the height of the internet bust, with a relatively poor gpa. Didn't relish the thought of doing grunt work in a cubicle for the rest of my life, so I went back to my first love - medicine. I'm actually going to be a radiologic technologist in a few months, and I love the job, but I consider that a stepping stone to doctorhood.

 

[LoneCoyote]

the same story for me. i went to work in the legal profession intending to go to law school and was so bored by legal documents, rotting in my cubilce all day staring at a screen. the work was so shady at times too. even if i worked for non-profits i knew i would never be happy doing law because it bored me so much. so i went to explore science and got hooked on it and medicine. now i am doing policy in a cubicle on my lag year before med school. it's definitely a cut above law but i am just not designed to sit and stare at a screen all day.