4 answers
Eunice
Student
Artesia, California
1
Question
Updated
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Should I pursue what I'm good at, or what I deeply want to do?
Personally for me, money is a big concern- especially with my financial background. I want to pursue med-school but the costs are making me deter from this passion. #suchislife #healthcare #advice #career-counseling
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4 answers
Jessica Montgomery
Youth Employment and Training Advisor | Helping Young Adults reach Personal Best
27
Answers
Indiana, Indiana
Updated
Jessica’s Answer
Anything worth having is worth working towards. Yes, the costs of it are enormous and can detour anyone, but if it is your passion and what you want to do, it will pay off in the long run. You will be happy where you are in your career as well as what you are doing every day. If the cost of it is detouring you, start off small and work your way up to it. Maybe be a physician assistant first and see where that takes you. Overall, my advice would be to follow your passion!
Jaycee Walsh
call center rep
4
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Conway, Arkansas
Updated
Jaycee’s Answer
I would go for what you love to do and what your passionate about as your seeking profession and not think about the money. If you love your job and are good at it, then money will never be an issue.
Vojtěch Křesala
Business analyst/PM
2
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Prague, Czechia
Updated
Vojtěch’s Answer
Hi, I see two questions, one I can relate to. Also answering from EU, not US, so some of my perspectives are bit different.
1) Should you do something that you are good at+want to do it (medicine) if it is expensive? I have no direct experience with this, but I think in medicine field in US if you are average you will make good money and be able to pay off the debt in a few years. It is not like some art or politics degrees where you will struggle to find a job. You can think about the school as business investment. There is extra cost and probably extra income compared to some other option. So you can calculate how fast (years) you will break even again. Then you might be more wealthy in long run. Be aware that if you commit you will really need to follow through, finish the school and work the job to make this work. So this is a higher risk/higher reward strategy in terms of money. Ofc this also assumes the same lifestyle as with the low cost/low pay option and that you will use your extra income to pay off debt instead of buying fancy cars etc. (Disclaimer - this is just my impression from what I read about US. Here universities are for free, so study costs are not a concern.)
2) Second question is that there is something you are good at and something different you think you want to do where your natural abilities are not so strong. I was really good at mathematics and physics, but I thought I want to do medicine. I went to medicine uni and was average student. Because the medicine study is about remembering a lot of stuff and almost no thinking, which is the opposite to my abilities and nature. In the end I decided to switch to economy and now work in IT (projects, processes) and enjoy it. So...
2a) if you are super sure about your passion and want to spend endless hours on it, go for passion instead of talent. You will be able to power though parts that will be hard for you. And you will most probably enjoy the job even if you are average in it. Later you can take advantage of your talent in different area and be top because of unique and interesting combination of skills.
2b) if you are not so sure about the passion, I would go with field you have talent for. When you have talent, it will be easier for you to be successful, and it is more fun to be successful then to struggle.
1) Should you do something that you are good at+want to do it (medicine) if it is expensive? I have no direct experience with this, but I think in medicine field in US if you are average you will make good money and be able to pay off the debt in a few years. It is not like some art or politics degrees where you will struggle to find a job. You can think about the school as business investment. There is extra cost and probably extra income compared to some other option. So you can calculate how fast (years) you will break even again. Then you might be more wealthy in long run. Be aware that if you commit you will really need to follow through, finish the school and work the job to make this work. So this is a higher risk/higher reward strategy in terms of money. Ofc this also assumes the same lifestyle as with the low cost/low pay option and that you will use your extra income to pay off debt instead of buying fancy cars etc. (Disclaimer - this is just my impression from what I read about US. Here universities are for free, so study costs are not a concern.)
2) Second question is that there is something you are good at and something different you think you want to do where your natural abilities are not so strong. I was really good at mathematics and physics, but I thought I want to do medicine. I went to medicine uni and was average student. Because the medicine study is about remembering a lot of stuff and almost no thinking, which is the opposite to my abilities and nature. In the end I decided to switch to economy and now work in IT (projects, processes) and enjoy it. So...
2a) if you are super sure about your passion and want to spend endless hours on it, go for passion instead of talent. You will be able to power though parts that will be hard for you. And you will most probably enjoy the job even if you are average in it. Later you can take advantage of your talent in different area and be top because of unique and interesting combination of skills.
2b) if you are not so sure about the passion, I would go with field you have talent for. When you have talent, it will be easier for you to be successful, and it is more fun to be successful then to struggle.
Julianna F. Fortain
Copywriter/Proofreader/Content Creator
5
Answers
Buffalo, New York
Updated
Julianna’s Answer
Hi Eunice,
I understand your concerns. Money was a big barrier to my college education as well. I took a year off to work - between high school and college - to hopefully have enough money to offset some of the costs.
I fortunately had almost all of my education paid for (an associate degree and BA) through government grants for students.
The grants helped pay for tuition, books, and even money for food on campus. In a nutshell, you do not have to pay back grant money. Loans, you do.
I would suggest looking closely at loan terms (if you choose to go that route) - including interest rates. This can help you compare which loans would work best for your financial situation.
There may also be grants designed for students who want to get into the medical field. Try looking at your chosen college's website, or other local organizations that have grant funds to support students.
Here is a site to check out some grant options: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid
A work-study program is also an option. Have you considered taking any general education classes at a community college? That way, you don't have to pay university costs for courses you need to have for your major. That is the route I took. Many people thought I was taking an 'easy way out' going to community college first. But, I received a quality education, and I saved so much money in the process. It was absolutely worth it.
Best of luck!
I understand your concerns. Money was a big barrier to my college education as well. I took a year off to work - between high school and college - to hopefully have enough money to offset some of the costs.
I fortunately had almost all of my education paid for (an associate degree and BA) through government grants for students.
The grants helped pay for tuition, books, and even money for food on campus. In a nutshell, you do not have to pay back grant money. Loans, you do.
I would suggest looking closely at loan terms (if you choose to go that route) - including interest rates. This can help you compare which loans would work best for your financial situation.
There may also be grants designed for students who want to get into the medical field. Try looking at your chosen college's website, or other local organizations that have grant funds to support students.
Here is a site to check out some grant options: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid
A work-study program is also an option. Have you considered taking any general education classes at a community college? That way, you don't have to pay university costs for courses you need to have for your major. That is the route I took. Many people thought I was taking an 'easy way out' going to community college first. But, I received a quality education, and I saved so much money in the process. It was absolutely worth it.
Best of luck!