<p>Here is the case: a person is in the top 5% of his school with the most rigorous schedule. He is interested in both business and medicine, and would rather choose one now so he can form his schedule, ECs, and programs around that.</p>
<p>He wants to do business because of the immense rewards to be had in a career such as investment banking, but knows that there is a .000000001% chance that he would make more money in business than in medicine. He also has a knack for business and likes the actual practice of it, and would not be bored during his job. He is not taking the job only for the money. He is not taking the job only for the money. He is not taking the job only for the money. </p>
<p>His other choice is medicine. Science is a cinch for him and he has tons of examples around him. To him, getting into medicine and making $300K-$500K annually would be a challenge but would not be a gamble. He would enjoy the satisfaction of helping people and would not have to worry about stability. He is not taking the job only for the money. He is not taking the job only for the money. He is not taking the job only for the money.</p>
<p>Discuss this guy's dilemma, please. Thank you for your opinions. And remember: he is not taking any job only for the money. He is not taking any job only for the money. He is not taking any job only for the money. </p>
<p>And please none of this: "He should do whichever he likes best." Because he wouldn't have this problem if he could choose. </p>
<p>Also, please none of: "He can be a doctor and a businessman at the same time." I think this guy would rather just choose one and stick with it.</p>
<p>Does J13’s “Haha funny guy.” mean that you are most likely to make more than $500k annually if you are smart and you go into business as opposed to medicine?</p>
<p>No it means that the 0.000000001% that said person provided is extremely exaggerated and terribly misinformed. The percentage of doctors that make $500K annually is a lot smaller than this “person” seems to believe. He should also consider the opportunity costs of 8 years of school + residency necessary to become a doctor.</p>
<p>Medicine is a gamble in that you can get sued for everything you’ve got if you do a crappy job.</p>
<p>I’d personally choose business (finance), but medicine comes in at a close second. I think both are equal in terms of excitement, job satisfaction, and responsibility, but I don’t know if I could handle the stress of working with the dying (if I ever did medicine, it’d be in the emergency room or somewhere crazy in surgery). </p>
<p>Personally, I plan on working in the engineering field for a good number of years, after which I will either pursue a PhD in aerospace or an MBA to make my way into investment banking (or whatever else makes its way into my long term plans).</p>
<p>Making $500K in medicine is a lot for most. Most M.D.s only make $100K-$300K in medicine. If you want to make $500K+ you either have to have a private practice that is the only one in that area and/or be a desired specialization like a neurosurgeon, which takes 8 years of school, residency, and fellowship (total 11+ years).</p>
<p>I think people missed the part about ‘He’s not doing this job only for the money’.</p>
<p>Why not do business and pre-med in undergrad and then decide, after you have solid experience with both worlds, on which profession you genuinely prefer?</p>
<p>My personal choice is medicine, because it’s a challenging path with little rewards even AFTER residency. I think I’d like having to work a lot of hours. A 9-5 job never appealed to me as much as a 5-9 job. It seems more… exciting to work a tremendous amount. Besides, I’d be bored quickly in anything else anyway.</p>