Christopher
How many times have you changed your career path?
As a person who wants to become a doctor, I sometimes think about the road ahead. I know that it is a very demanding and hard road so sometimes I wonder if I can even make it. So, to anyone reading this that is pursuing the path of medicine, how many times have you changed your career path and do you regret any of those decisions?
#medicine
2 answers
Richard A.
Richard’s Answer
When I started medical school I thought I might want to do internal medicine . But the first time I saw an image guided procedure. I was fascinated by the intersection between medical imaging and treatment. I decided that I wanted to become an interventional radiologist. Now I get to perform image guided procedures every day including angiograms, TIPS, radioembolization of tumors with Y-90, and thermal ablation of tumors.
Ms. Cartographer
Ms.’s Answer
Hi, Christopher!
As someone who thought they'd someday become a pediatrician (and switched between majors six times), here are my thoughts...
Yes, becoming a doctor can be very demanding and challenging. You might take classes that aren't necessarily your favorite. You may find it to be a very competitive (and costly) process when it comes to applying to medical school. You may find that it takes up way too much of your time and too much commitment that you don't know if you can afford. Insert your own reasons here... However, there are many, many doctors in the world (which is proof that it CAN be done!).
Often when I have students who are thinking of the medical field, one of the biggest hurdles is getting a high enough GPA to be a competitive candidate. If students are struggling in their courses, sometimes pulling in academic resources can be enough to keep them going. Sometimes we need to discuss time management skills. What works? What's not working? What can be better?
Other times, unfortunately, we have to have the conversation of whether or not we need to go another route. If you want to work in the healthcare setting, becoming a doctor isn't the only thing available. There are many, many other (and very important) roles in healthcare. If you're not tied to healthcare but still want to stay in a helping profession, again, there are many, many different career paths!
I switched between majors six times, and I have no regrets. I loved many classes I took, and the ones I didn't like as much were just as helpful. In fact, those were the ones that gave me that "Aha!" moment, realizing that perhaps I wasn't where I needed to be.
The other thing too (and I promise I won't ramble much longer) is it's perfectly okay to not know what you want to do for the rest of your life (heck, I know I don't!). It's okay to switch between majors. It's okay to find a career path, think it is the "right" one, graduate with it even, and realize it's not. It's okay. Think of these opportunities as stepping stones for the next thing that you want to do, and remember that what you want to do 5 or 10 years from now might be very different you get actually get there. And yes, that's okay too. :)
For next steps, consider an informational interview with someone in the medical field to learn more about their day-to-day tasks. What do they like? What don't they like? What were some of the challenges they had during their education? What words of wisdom would they have for someone in your boat?
Best of luck to you!
-Y