I was just curious what type of career everyone had prior to starting their premed or med school journey.
As for me, I enlisted in the US Navy after high school and worked as an electronics technician. Once I completed my enlistment, I decided to go to college and became a nurse. I have been a Nurse Practitioner for a year and a half while taking some of my pre-reqs for med school.
Being in the Navy or having a prior career won’t hurt you. I spent 5 yrs in the Army and that’s all people wanted to talk about during interviews. However, you will need to be prepared to answer how and why you went from nurse to NP and now physician. Welcome!!
Senior Director of Marketing at a large telecommunications company in Canada
Senior Accountant. Just saying the words brings a bad taste to the mouth.
I was a high school English teacher. Now I am a substitute teacher and P/T adult school counselor.
Oooh, BaileyPup, I have the same feeling! I work for a large hospital company. While I’m not an accountant, I manage a group of accountants. (Never have figured out how that happened.) We work with physicians (recruited by the hospital company I work for) to navigate through all the government regs and make sure that both my hospital company and the recruits are compliant with Stark II laws. So I get to liaison with hospital CEOs, attorneys, physicians, and practice managers all day.
Ah well–I am grateful for the job, and for the exposure to the business side of healthcare. I will be even more grateful to move on from it, though! 
I’ve worked as an RN since graduating with my BSN almost 14 years ago. I work ICU and love it, but have become more and more aware of how little I know and how much more I want to know.(I know a LOT and am an “expert” nurse…but my knowledge is very shallow compared with an MD’s.)
Also a Nurse Practitioner.
oldnavygirl,
I have a background somewhat similar to yours. I enlisted in the US Air Force after high school and worked as both an aircraft mechanic (AM3) and as a Russian cryptologist (CT2). Once I completed my 2 enlistments, I decided to go to college and worked as a research associate in 2 cancer & 1 neuroscience (all molecular biology) research laboratories, including 2 years of civil service (GS-0440-09) at the NIH, between college & medical school. Now I am an O-1E in the US Navy HPSP and soon to be MS-2.
It’s mostly in my sig 
I was an ICU nurse (and CSICU) for 13 years, as well as a childbirth educator the last 4 of those and for about 15 more years.
THen a certified nurse-midwife.
Then a labor and delivery nurse from time to time as well as teaching Maternal Newborn Nursing and Community Health Nursing.
Oh, and a public health dept. nurse practitioner.
Now, an MS1.
High school Spanish teacher, volunteer EMT/firefighter, part-time EMT.
Molecular Biologist/cancer researcher
volunteer EMT
Gabelerman and Emergency …my first “medical” job was at 18, volunteer firefighter/ambulance.
Kate
I got my B.S. in journalism in 2003, and have worked in several related jobs since then: newspaper reporter, magazine editor, freelance editor/writer, and high school literature textbook editor. Those of you who read my blog and my OPM diary know that I still love to write, and always will. 
volunteer EMS from the age of 16, became an EMT at 17. Am currently 36. Last time I was on an ambulance was 18 months ago. EMT has since lapsed and I have no intention of getting it back again. Should I decide to be on the ambulance again (as a life member I could), I would just drive.
B.A. in Music, made my living teaching and performing classical guitar, became an EMT/firefighter and then a paramedic/firefighter.
Workplace Safety/HR, construction, building materials industry, volunteer EMT, bunch of random part times.
VP internal audit (no clue how I got that far in a world I cannot stand)
Army.
I ran the IT department in a university library.