Work or not to work...

[howabout]

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So here's the dilemma...

I have an opportunity to either work for AmeriCorps or a Company that pays a lot more. I mean I would absolutely love to do AmeriCorps and experience its interaction with the community. One problem is, I am beginning feel a bit of a financial pressure with the application cycle well underway..

On the other hand, I can work for a company and make enough to pay for the applications and the travels that may hopefully follow in the near future. Would it look really bad if I did just worked and did volunteer work while doing so? My advisor didn't seem to like that idea.. but I'm not made of money and my parents aren't either

 

[tiedyeddog]

So here's the dilemma...

I have an opportunity to either work for AmeriCorps or a Company that pays a lot more. I mean I would absolutely love to do AmeriCorps and experience its interaction with the community. One problem is, I am beginning feel a bit of a financial pressure with the application cycle well underway..

On the other hand, I can work for a company and make enough to pay for the applications and the travels that may hopefully follow in the near future. Would it look really bad if I did just worked and did volunteer work while doing so? My advisor didn't seem to like that idea.. but I'm not made of money and my parents aren't either

Your advisor isn't the one under financial strain.... I would do what makes you the most happy. If having cash and not having to struggle for the next few months will rest your mind then do that. No reason to suffer for a year just because your advisor said you needed to.

 

[261766]

Well obviously if you tell your advisor your decision to pick one over the other primarily because of financial reasons, he/she would not like that. How would medical schools know you did that though? All they would see is that you have work experience; they would not know you had different choices lined up. In addition, for practicality's sake, take the work. You do not want to set up a facade for doing volunteer work. If work is more meaningful to you at this point, do that.

 

[Luun]

I don't see why it'd be a problem to work, especially if you're still doing volunteer hours on the side.

 

[LizzyM]

Work. AmeriCorps is good but it isn't better than a good paying job as long as the job has some relationship to medicine, science, or health care delivery (e.g. working in an accountant's office or as a barista would not look as good as AmeriCorps). But looking good on paper isn't the only thing. Obviously, we won't get a look at you at all if you can't afford to dress up and get here for the interview. Go for the $.

 

[howabout]

Ok .. my application has been submitted already so whatever I do starting now won't show up on it. I guess it may come up during an interview. If it does.. let's say I'm an engineer and started working for an engineering company during the year. Would the adcom question my motives for doing so? Question if I'm really interested in pursuing medicine or not? Or am I just analyzing this way out of proportion?

 

[tiedyeddog]

Ok .. my application has been submitted already so whatever I do starting now won't show up on it. I guess it may come up during an interview. If it does.. let's say I'm an engineer and started working for an engineering company during the year. Would the adcom question my motives for doing so? Question if I'm really interested in pursuing medicine or not? Or am I just analyzing this way out of proportion?

No. Adcoms don't expect everyone to save african babies before they are medical student material. You are super-over analyzing it.

 

[LizzyM]

You will be asked at inteviews what you are doing now. You may even be asked on secondary applications. You need to be prepared to answer the question why you want to leave a well-paying job in a field in which you have a college degree in order to pursue a career in medicine. (I wish someone had asked Panda Bear that question back when he was a cub.) You'll need to incorporate your work history into your answer to the ubiquitous question "why medicine?".

The opportunity cost of giving up a good job to go to medical school has to lead to questions that you should be prepared to answer.

In that regard, it is much easier to answer the question, if it comes up at all, if you are working for a modest stipend in a short-term service program. In that regard, your advisor may be wise in advising you to choose AmeriCorps over a regular job.

I'm not saying you shouldn't take the job, just that you should have a good, but unrehearsed, answer to the question that is going to come up.

 

[witness23]

It will definitely be asked in interviews. While Americorps sound like a great experience, working a 9-5, paying bills/loans, and grinding on a daily basis made me mature a whole lot. It also helps you realize to just "play the game" sometimes instead of overthinking things like in academia.