Jessica
How do I know which career path is right for me?
I am interested in medicine and going to medical school but I have a deep rooted interest in forensics and criminal justice. How do I know what choice to make? #medicine #forensics #forensic-science
9 answers
Alana Kinard
Alana’s Answer
If possible seek out an internship in both fields to get first hand experience.
If there are no internships available in your area, do as much research as possible on each field. Read articles, watch YouTube videos, and reach out to people who currently work in each field and ask them about the pros and cons of the job. Reaching out to people who the job titles you're interested in could also lead to job shadowing opportunities.
Alana recommends the following next steps:
James Constantine Frangos
James Constantine’s Answer
Exploring Career Paths: Medicine vs. Forensics
Choosing a career path can be a challenging decision, especially when torn between two fields as diverse as medicine and forensics. Here are some steps you can take to help determine which path is right for you:
1. Self-Reflection and Assessment: Begin by reflecting on your interests, values, strengths, and long-term goals. Consider what aspects of medicine and forensics appeal to you the most. Think about the type of work environment you envision yourself thriving in and the impact you want to make in your career.
2. Research Each Field: Take the time to thoroughly research both medicine and forensics. Understand the educational requirements, job responsibilities, work settings, salary potential, and career growth opportunities in each field. This will help you gain a clearer picture of what each profession entails.
3. Gain Practical Experience: Consider gaining hands-on experience in both fields through internships, volunteering, or shadowing professionals. This practical exposure can provide valuable insights into the day-to-day realities of working in medicine and forensics.
4. Seek Guidance: Consult with mentors, career counselors, professors, or professionals working in the fields of medicine and forensics. Their guidance and advice can offer valuable perspectives and help you weigh the pros and cons of each career path.
5. Consider Your Values and Passions: Think about what truly motivates you and aligns with your values. Are you more passionate about helping individuals through healthcare interventions (medicine) or solving complex puzzles through scientific analysis (forensics)? Understanding your core values can guide your decision-making process.
6. Evaluate Long-Term Goals: Consider where you see yourself in the future and how each career path aligns with your long-term aspirations. Reflect on factors such as work-life balance, job satisfaction, potential for advancement, and personal fulfillment.
7. Keep an Open Mind: Remember that career paths are not always linear, and it is possible to transition between fields or specialize in interdisciplinary areas that combine aspects of both medicine and forensics. Stay open to exploring hybrid career options that may allow you to pursue multiple interests simultaneously.
Ultimately, choosing between a career in medicine or forensics requires careful consideration of your individual preferences, skills, values, and aspirations. By taking the time to self-reflect, research each field thoroughly, gain practical experience, seek guidance from professionals, consider your passions, evaluate long-term goals, and keep an open mind to alternative pathways, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your unique strengths and interests.
Top 3 Authoritative Sources Used in Answering this Question:
American Medical Association (AMA): The AMA is a leading professional organization for physicians in the United States. Their resources provide valuable insights into medical education pathways, specialty options within medicine, and current trends in healthcare.
American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS): AAFS is a multidisciplinary professional organization dedicated to advancing forensic science practices worldwide. Their publications offer comprehensive information on various forensic disciplines and career opportunities in the field.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): The BLS provides reliable data on occupational outlooks, job growth projections, salary information, and educational requirements for careers in both medicine and forensic science. This source can help individuals compare key metrics between different professions to make informed decisions about their future career paths.
God Bless You,
JC.
Rachel Gamblin, EIT
Rachel’s Answer
Rachel recommends the following next steps:
Mike Jones
Mike’s Answer
Jessica, defining your career path comes from within you, your interest, your desire, your experiences. Medicine, Forensics, and Forensic-Science are or can be related and interlaced. Continue looking within yourself to determine what you want to accomplish with your career path. Do you want to work in helping resolve and finding results as to what happened to victims, thus strong developed Forensics skills with a medical background or do you want to work with individuals in determining the "rational," "reasons," or "whys" as to what is happening in the lives of the individuals you are wanting to help, as these disciplines are helping fields. I find when I work with students who have done their "homework" and then arrange a time to engage in dialogue are the ones for whom I'm more willing to advocate and can be better prepared to help them as they make their decision concerning the career goals.
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Anna Traykova
Anna’s Answer
Jessica, There are many tools to help inform your decision. Some may look into your interests (such as Holland Code or Strong Interest Inventory) or into your personality (MBTI, 16Personalities.com). As an academic advisor, my preferred tool to offer students is YouScience.com - it tests your aptitudes as well as your interests and personality, and then suggests good career paths where you will feel capable and fulfilled. If you are already in college, do reach out to your academic and/or career advisors on campus - they may be able to offer you free access to YouScience. If not, it is not that expensive. You may combine several of these tools to get to know yourself better and make an informed decision.
https://www.truity.com/test/holland-code-career-test FREE
https://www.16personalities.com/ FREE
https://www.youscience.com/ $29
It will help to talk to people in the career fields you have chosen, as well as look at some hard data on job growth, salaries, etc, which you can find through YouScience as well as https://www.onetonline.org/ and https://www.mynextmove.org/
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Completely agree with the Holland Test. Not a fan of making any real-life decisions using MBTI. It lacks reliability when people don't have extreme feelings on things.
Excellent resources otherwise.
Curtis Halford
Curtis, I am not a fan of MBTI at all - which 16personalities.com pretty much is. It does lack reliability. Yet doing the test seems to help people introspectively look at themselves.
Anna Traykova
Julia Giannandrea
Julia’s Answer
With an interest in medicine, forensics and criminal justice it sounds like you will have a rewarding career. Have you thought about being a forensic medical examiner? Check out his link https://www.crimesceneinvestigatoredu.org/medical-examiner/.
Everyone has natural skills and strengths. A fun tool to use is the StrengthsFinder 2.0. They have lots of tools but the least expensive that will give you your top 5 strengths is here https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/product/en-us/10108/top-5-cliftonstrengths-access?category=all-products. You can use this information to compare against the natural inclinations needed for success in your career.
Whatever career you choose, I always recommend speaking with at least 3 people who are in the line of work you're considering. Use the tool of informational interviews to have a 20 minute conversation with each of them.
Whatever you choose as a career, remember you don't have to do that forever. Most people change jobs several times and switch careers during a lifetime.
Julia recommends the following next steps:
Curtis Halford
Curtis’s Answer
https://study.com/articles/Forensic_Medicine_Careers_Job_Options_and_Requirements.html
The comment to try to interview people and find internships is an excellent idea. Taking the Holland RIASEC personality test is also a good tool to find out where your interests lie. Sometimes the idea of a career is quite appealing, but not being aware of parts of it that are extremely tedious, manual labor that was unexpected, exposure to elements, hazards, or blood can be a nonstarter for some people despite their extreme interest in the field. I would steer clear of the MBTI (Meyer's Briggs Test). It lacks reliability and consistency. It also has almost no actual scientific basis. It was designed based on observation and perceptions and then clustering people into one side or the other. If you are more moderate in your personality traits your MBTI can change week to week or month to month. The RIASEC test is not infallible, but it is application based... it compares how you feel about doing certain things to the likelihood of those matching a certain career aspect. It's not 100% either, but it can give you a good idea of where your strongest interests lay.
http://www.careerchoicer.com/holland-codes-riasec-choose-right-career.html
In the long run, you will need to apply your research, your desires, and your judgment and choose a path. As someone else said, no path has to be permanent, but some paths require more time and dedication than others. It takes years to become a doctor, but if someone decided that was too much school or money or time, etc, they could become a Paramedic in as little as a year and still have the experience of working in Emergency Rooms and caring for patients. It's harder for someone who has been a paramedic for some time to manage to get to medical school and complete the various hurdles for an MD while managing the rest of life that continues around them. Not impossible, just difficult.
Good luck and I hope the RIASEC test helps you identify many of the things you enjoy.
Curtis recommends the following next steps:
kinjal desai
kinjal’s Answer
Unless you work and ask professionals, you will never know.
The key is to evaluate every pros and cons of each career path before jumping into it.
Once you jump, the key is then to not look back, but just keep forging ahead.
