16 replies to this topic

[Nihilated]

Hello, guys.

I'm going to be a high school senior next year and was contemplating my different options for choosing a major and college.

I've basically narrowed it down to two passions:
Finance (at mccombs, olin, or wharton)
Chemistry (so that I can go on to med or pharm)

But, considering the fact that the world is changing so quickly these days, and especially technology, do you think it's a smart investment to go into med school? For med, it just seems so intimidating to look 10+ years down the road, with 100Ks of debt and loans, wondering if my other passion may be the more "stable" choice, finance. To me, neither of them seem very stable at all.

What are your thoughts?

Edited by Nihilated, 10 August 2009 - 02:24 AM.

[niner]

Pharmacy (assuming you would be pushing pills across the counter at Walgreens) is a soul-killer. Medicine is a bit of a crap-shoot at this time. I think if you really want to help people, you should go for it. I suspect that it will still be possible to make a good living, but I suspect that certain routes to wealth may be blocked, for example, the game of physicians owning expensive diagnostic facilities then referring their patients for unnecessary tests might (I hope) go away. Medicine and Finance strike me as diametrically opposed*, so you might want to try to sort out where you want to be on the Right Livelihood / Getting Rich axis. The future of someone with a finance degree is also up in the air. It's easy to outsource, while medicine is a lot tougher (but increasingly easy) to outsource.

* Yeah yeah, I know that it is possible to do good with a finance degree; I just think that it's pretty rare when you get down to it.

[lunarsolarpower]

The future of someone with a finance degree is also up in the air. It's easy to outsource, while medicine is a lot tougher (but increasingly easy) to outsource.

Medicine may not be so easy to outsource - with the exception of things like radiology - but medical tourism is expected to pick up over time. I've said it before, you can't expect to rationally decide these kind of things without going out and meeting many people doing many different kinds of things and seeing how what they do would work for you. I personally went to a ENT tumor conference two weeks ago and was overcome with gratitude once again that I didn't go to medical school. On the other hand going through undergrad as a competitive pre-med student is a great idea. It leaves many options open for you including most kinds of graduate and professional school. However there are probably other fields that you may not be as knowledgeable of that might hold appeal for you. Then there are those who are 40 years old and hold multiple advanced degrees and certifications and still haven't figured out what they want to do in life.

Medical school like all extremely difficult challenges should only be undertaken if you understand what it is and see it as the right thing for you to be doing. In my case dental school has never been easy, but I have never doubted that I made the right choice of career. Some of my friends in medical school can say the same thing regarding their program and I'm happy for them.

Make friends in many fields and endeavor to learn as much as you can about the options out there. With a better idea of what the different paths look like a good plan will be easier to formulate. I also have to agree about the PharmD being way too boring for me.

Last I checked Canada still offered pharmacy as an undergraduate degree and it sounded like you could even use such a degree to become licensed in the US. It might be worth looking into as it would make a fairly good undergrad degree to expand on later.

Edited by lunarsolarpower, 10 August 2009 - 04:33 AM.

[Cyberbrain]

Hello, guys.

I'm going to be a high school senior next year and was contemplating my different options for choosing a major and college.

I've basically narrowed it down to two passions:
Finance (at mccombs, olin, or wharton)
Chemistry (so that I can go on to med or pharm)

Couple questions first off which are important:

1. Are you in the US?
2. Which college are you thinking of going to? - Do plenty of research on which college is best for you!
3. What exact field is your dream job in? - Do some searching on this as well, it may turn out you like engineering or physics too.

If you're in the US, that gives you plenty of flexibility since most colleges allow you to have a flexible schedule and pick your own electives.

Recommended majors (but this depends on where you go):

If you like life extension or want to get involved in biotech research then you could go in

Biochemistry
Molecular Biology
Biomedical Engineering
Bioengineering
Biotechnology

Go into premed or medicine only if you're sure you want to be a medical doctor (which will be very hard, take a long time, and cost a lot of money).

Finance is a great major especially now-a-days, but you'll want to supplement it with perhaps a minor in computer science or industrial engineering. It's always good to know several trades.

Likewise if you take some other major, then do a minor or take some courses in business.

Also be aware of the top Paying College Majors (the past 5 years these have always been on top):

Computer Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Computer Science
Chemical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Economics/Finance/Accounting

[Lufega]

I think it's a great idea. If you have an inclination towards it, work for it. I'm entering my 4th year in med school and I came into it having all kinds of cognitive problems and such. Many of those have improved with the right supplements but I made it very far without them. Let us know what you decide.

Since you're on this board and you're into supplements and life extention, focus heavy on biochemistry and nutrition. It will pay off later down the line.

[treonsverdery]

Dermatologists earn the most of any kind of physician I do not remember the reference on that It was more than 400K per year average
Now just think if as a dermatologist you could see ten times as many patients with online webcam presentation of symptoms Dermatologists treat just a few conditions overn n over You could have a person prescreen all the client images then deliver your professional licensed prescribing version

basically visiting a dermatologist made me having a social life possible Thus I'm appreciative of their profession

physicians might be a little more effective at things like this

[Nihilated]

Also, this is just a thought-question, but it may become a concern.
What happens when the singularity comes around and you don't have any money??? Does it matter?

[lunarsolarpower]

Dermatologists earn the most of any kind of physician I do not remember the reference on that It was more than 400K per year average

I would have to disagree that dermatologists make the most but they certainly have a desirable specialty - one of the 2 or 3 most competitive to get into from what I hear. Other desirable specialties include ophthalmology and ENT. However radiologists and orthopedic surgeons are more likely to be able to make high six figure to low seven figure sums. Pediatric physicians are on the other end of the scale with many making in the range of $80,000 per year.

[erzebet]

i am a student in med school but not in usa.
i am an engineer today and i chose med while i was still an engineer student, and i have understood a lot of things since then. i chose medicine because it is a field that i can not study on my own and i became more interested in robotics. i still love to build robots and the biological approach has been an immense help. but i hate the clinical years in med i preferred the first ones where i did a lot of lab work and basic sciences.

financially though i never thought if it is a good investment or not. but finances can be learnt from distance - there are a lot of degrees while med not. why did you think about med and finances? what do you want to accomplish?

[erzebet]

i forgot to say that if money are your concern that they can be made in any field if you come up with something original and useful.

[treonsverdery]

I just read that during 2004 the Chair n CEO of SGI only made 800k per year during 2004 SGI had a few thousand employees plus they actually make things yet the CEO only makes twice the earnings of a dermatologist It is note worthy the SGI was doing poorly yet it appears to me that a dermatologist could earn more than the CEO of SGI if they assertively advertised to just a particular treatment group plus had a nurse practicioner screen all the online clients

Then again fun is important One thing I wanted to do but haven't had the opportunity to do is candyflipping combining MDMA plus LSD at the same time

Its her very favorite drug combination

[platypus]

Is it interesting being a dermatologist? My local dentist drives a Ferrari but I doubt I'd want to spend my working years staring down people's throats. YMMV.

[eternaltraveler]

Is it interesting being a dermatologist?

Usually not. Some of them deal with burn victims and rare things that are interesting.

If your goal is to make lots of money there are a hell of a lot easier ways to do it than medicine. Even derm takes 8 years before you start making any real money (4 of med school plus 4 of residency).

[Nihilated]

What do you guys think about pharmacy?

[lunarsolarpower]

My local dentist drives a Ferrari but I doubt I'd want to spend my working years staring down people's throats. YMMV.

He's not this guy is he?

[ensun]

Most dentists average only a 4 day workweek so it's not that bad.

[lunarsolarpower]

Most dentists average only a 4 day workweek so it's not that bad.

One of my friend's dad is down to 22 hours a week a couple decades into his career. Not quite the Tim Ferriss lifestyle but yeah, pretty good.