Engineer to doctor, worth it?

[namllus13]

Hello,

I am 28 years old. Working as a mechanical engineer at a decent company in Ohio. I make 85K and get 3 weeks of vacation, etc. Im single.

I have lately become tired of the engineering world. The work I do is not too bad. However, I believe I have reached my career peak unless I move into management. I look at the senior engineers here and cant see myself doing this for the rest of my life. Accordingly, you never know when engineers can get laid off. Especially when you start making real money. Our jobs rely on the economy and the mercy of corporate decision making.

I have always been allured with the thought of medical school and becoming a doctor. Not entirely for the whole “helping others” aspect. More for the financial rewards, career flexibility. Doctors will never have to worry about being laid off and make enough money to live a great lifestyle.

I would have to take my pre reqs and take Mcat. Get into medschool at around 31. Graduated at 35. Finish residency at 39.

I know some of you will think Im being an dingus and 85K is a great salary. Attending’s of sdn….would it be worth it to make the switch at this point?

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[HMtoDO]

Well. First, this is SDN not Reddit. Second I believe you are considering medicine for the wrong reasons and have a profound lack of knowledge and/or experience with aspects of what becoming and being a physician is.

Get some shadowing under your belt and then decide if it's something you want to do. You will sacrifice quite a lot down this road and you need to fully understand what you're getting yourself into.


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[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Depends entirely on how willing you are to put up with being miserable and miserable for the wrong reasons at that. If you don't strongly find things like pathology or working with people interesting you'll find yourself likely even more miserable than your colleagues.

In short, go shadow, go volunteer at a hospital. If it feels right and you feel good in that setting then go ahead with it. If you're only thinking about the idea of the career, then I recommend finding an alternative career, one that doesn't require a decade of commitment.

 

[Μοlar Βear]

My cousin did exaxtly what you did, came out at the same age too. Never complained, has tons of time for her kids. I'm certain she's not unhappy about any salary changed either. Get into it for whatever reasons you want as long as you and your patients are happy. Do it x2.

Also, that reddit comment went over my head.

 

[HMtoDO]

My cousin did exaxtly what you did, came out at the same age too. Never complained, has tons of time for her kids. I'm certain she's not unhappy about any salary changed either. Get into it for whatever reasons you want as long as you and your patients are happy. Do it x2.

Also, that reddit comment went over my head.

He edited his original post. He copy and pasted his message from Reddit and spammed and cross posted over non trad/allo/osteo. So I called him out on it.

While your cousin may have gone down the same road were her intentions purely financial?

I think all the replies in the allo thread are accurate and mirror my thoughts. Go shadow and figure out if you want to spend the next decade learning and training on something you obviously have no interest in and see if medicine is truly for you. That's how you'll figure it out.


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[Μοlar Βear]

Ah, thank you. And without disregarding my support, I agree with the above poster on shadowing. Who wouldn't?

 

[HMtoDO]

Ah, thank you. And without disregarding my support, I agree with the above poster on shadowing. Who wouldn't?

Though it seems obvious there are plenty of people who jump right into it with zero knowledge about what being a physician entails and the process of getting there only to realize it's not for them. He sounds like he may be headed down that road.


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[namllus13]

not really trying to spam HMtoDO. Was just trying to get different opinions from across the board. The reddit thing was an honest accident.

 

[AlteredScale]

Closing. Please do not cross post. Continue the conversation here: Engineer to doctor, worth it?