This site is great, people on this site have most of the same questions/concerns that I have!!
First, I am a well-paid development manager at a major US corporation. At 29 years old last year, I just decided
that I wasn’t getting the spiritual satisfaction that I needed out of my job. Project after project, I was executing, and making
money for myself and the company, but I really wasn’t feeling fulfilled by any means… to me, it was just becoming a job. Moreover, at the rate
companies are cutting and outsourcing, the stability is a joke, and there really isn’t any appreciation anymore for anything. All that to say –
I am not considering going back for the money or status. I want spiritual satisfaction, to work with REAL people again (LOL), and to make a positive impact in the world.
So I decided to try to taking a few classes, and see if I could do it. First, I took Chem I since I got a D in it in high school – if I couldn’t do it
there is no way I could do Med School. Well, I got through it just fine. Next Chem II… again, just fine. Physics I and Biology… just fine.
To make a long story short, I am finishing up Physics II and Org Chem I this semester, and it has been the ultimate test.
Keeping up with my work full time, and taking those classes every night has really taken just about all that I have. Physics II is very difficult. The averages on the exams
in the class are like 55-60 – I don’t know if she wants everyone to get Cs or what. Anyway, I probably made the mistake of taking Calc based Physics, the other one is probably a cakewalk
compared to this one. And Org Chem I… OMG, I can’t even tell you how much I have studied in that one, only to be sitting next to the final with a high B.
I feel that I will be a pretty good candidate for Med School IF I do OK on my MCAT, which is really why I am writing this (Hopefully the committees will see it the same way 
).
My undergrad GPA is OK at 3, but it was in an Engineering Program, in Computer Science; but my graduate GPA is very good at around 3.9, in which I completed a Master’s in Computer Science
/ Software Engineering.
Next semester, I need to concentrate on the MCAT, through a prep study class. The doubts are starting to creep in, which is why
I read the posts at this site… does this make money sense? are the classes going to kill me if I get in? will my family think I am an idiot if I do quit my good paying job and go back to school?
Anyway, your posts are always thoughtful and informative… keep up the good work! I will be around, unless these classes TKO me out this week.
Welcome to OPM! Wow, you’re almost there already and I’m just getting started. LOL. 
There’s another thread on here about having doubts, which I think everyone has from time to time (including me). I think you have to do what’s best for you. Your family & friends may not support you, but you’re the one who has to live your life and if you’re not happy doing what you’re doing…
Good luck on your finals! My math final is next week too. Wish me luck.
Love,
Stacy
Exiting a career that is lucrative will never make “money sense” to those individuals that value doing something for the $$$$, but to those of us pursuing this endeavor for the passion, lifetime of learning, the opportunity to become involved with an individual at a very personal level welll money really does not mean as much. So go with your heart and really do not worry about what friends or acquaintances may think for if you are truly seeking for something more whatever anyone says will not sway you. Now about family, well if you are the sole bread winner it may be an issue and that is something that has to be dicussed in detail for once you start medical school most folks will not be able to work and during residency the pay is not much maybe $33,000-40,000 depending of what PGY you are at.
Dude, good luck on your finals!!
Yeah I have to remind myself that I am nearing the end!!
Thanks for the advice about going with your heart.
It is something I have frankly never done. I have always done the sensible thing, the thing that makes money sense, and the thing that I was expected to do (be corporate). So going to do the pre-med classes under the radar of everyone in my family has been very therapeutic… something that y’all could understand better than any.
It’s good to talk to people that share the same wavelength!
Quote:
First, I am a well-paid development manager at a major US corporation. At 29 years old last year, I just decided that I wasn’t getting the spiritual satisfaction that I needed out of my job.
You sound in a similar position to me. I have been working in the IT&T industry for over 10 years now since graduating with a computer science degree. I also picked up an MBA along the way.
My feelings are the same. Although the job is interesting, it just isn’t fulfilling. It can seem a bit bleak contemplating doing this for another 30 years.
Quote:
Next semester, I need to concentrate on the MCAT, through a prep study class. The doubts are starting to creep in, which is why I read the posts at this site… does this make money sense? are the classes going to kill me if I get in? will my family think I am an idiot if I do quit my good paying job and go back to school?
I have heard that the prep courses are good in general. You can do it on your own through online or self-paced courses, which is what I am planning on doing.
The hard part of it all is that decision to leave a well paid job, especially with a wife, mortgage and a baby. As to people outside of that group - I hope they do think I’m mad
, they will prbably just be secretly jelous that they aren’t following their dreams as well.Craig
I think you summed it all up with this phrase… go with your heart.
For practicality’s sake, quitting your job may not be the best answer… however… for your heart’s sake… and your mind, and your personal well-being, you’ve probably already found the answer.
The world is full of people who wish that they had followed their dreams and regret a lifetime of practicality. Until not that long ago, I was one of those people.
In the midst of it all, a friend send me this quote:
It is never too late to be what you might have been - George Eliot
It’s never too late. (and might I add, never the wrong decision).
Andrea
Quote:
Thanks for the advice about going with your heart.
It is something I have frankly never done.
Isn’t it wild, exhilarating, and scary? My husband has said for years that when I found something I really, truly wanted to do, he’d back me 100%. I think he was surprised at what it turned out to be, though he’s always said I’d be a good doctor.
But such a change from doing the safe thing. It’s not a glorious feeling every day. Some days it’s just scary. Today is a good day. Savor them.
and welcome to the madhouse!
After the death of a 40-something friend, my friend shared with me a mantra that she began using as a .sig on her emails:
"Don’t postpone joy!"
Seems pretty appropriate when thinking about a career that makes you happy and that you have passion about.
Cheers,
Judy
I agree with you guys about never being too old to go for it!
I was definitely one to kind of let myself become stagnant in my late 20’s. The probably was that I was making $$, so on the surface, everything was good… but it was definitely a gratification that couldn’t last.
Anyways, about having a job and taking classes, I think it is the best way. However, this semester has been so rough, I can’t even begin to put words to it! The job has been 40-50 hours/week, and then Org Chem I and Physics II have been at least that added onto it.
The bad thing is, I don’t think I am going to be able to get an A in either class. It is possible, but not likely, in Org Chem I, but Physics II it isn’t going to happen. In hindsight, had I taken JUST Org Chem I, I could have gotten an A, no question.
Lesson learned I guess, I think that the MCAT will be the deciding factor for me. So next semester, I will just be studying for the MCAT, and of course, my job.
I think it is more sensible, although there are a few classes I could take that I have remaining (e.g. BioChem, Psych 101).
Hehe, thanks for giving me a forum to rant 
Good luck. The classes you need will go by quickly and before you know it you will be applying to med school. Just remember the MCAT is really important, so study very hard.
I am now 37 and will start med school mext fall. It always seemed like I was never going to graduate. I started in 1998 and in 2002 was finished. Looking back now it seems so long ago. I hated Physics and was sooooo glad to be done with that class.