I LOVE this website-so supportive and very much needed and appreciated. I am a 44 yr old single mother of 2 teenagers. My son just graduated HS and moved out.(serious empty nest feelings!!) My daughter is 15. I have been a single mom for about 12 years. When I left my unfaithful husband, he told me that I would not make it without him and to stop trying to save the world. At that time I had no education or career to fall back on. I enrolled at my local CC and finished my paralegal degree, went on to finish my BA in political science and eventually ended up top 5% in my law school class. I have been practicing law for about 6 years and have been miserable the entire time. Being a lawyer has fed my children (barely) but becoming a doctor will feed my soul. (I know that may sound corny but it is how I feel) I have known all along that I made the wrong choice with law but when I got divorced my self esteem was shot and I didn’t think I was smart enough for medical school. Over the last few years I really wanted to make sure that if I were going to invest in another 10 years of education, training, and debt that it was the right decision for me. I have gone on several medical mission trips (Uganda/Haiti), shadowed surgeons (LOVED the op room!!!)& PAs, read a ton of medical related books, and volunteered at the hospital. I have a strong passion for global health/outreach. I have a 3 hr daily commute and have been working 2 jobs (contract atty and adjunct)to make ends meet. I started my prereqs and withdrew several times due to my work schedule. I have NO support other than my daughter who also is interested in the medical field. No one else understands or thinks it is a wise decision (I already have over $100,000 in law school debt and my undergrad loan money is exhausted so I am paying out of pocket for preregs). So for now, I just keep my plans to myself and am taking 2 evening courses per semester at the same CC where I teach (my students generally avoid math and science so I am safe). I created a vision board to keep me motivated and know one day my dream will become a reality. This semester I am knocking out the math requirements I need before I can start my science classes. (I have only finished 1 BIO and 1 Intro CHM) One day at a time. One class at a time. Eventually, one patient at a time…Good luck to everyone on here. We all can do it! Never give up!
Welcome to OPM!!!
Hi lawbuff04! I too am a career jumper. As you say, one class at a time! Good luck!