Going through the motions of deciding what I want to do with my life. Hoping for some guidance?
Some background info: I have 2 years worth of credits built up from HS which will transfer to the schools I’ve gotten in to. Mostly gen-ed classes, with high level calc and 2 comp sci classes. I originally wanted to pursue medical as being a doctor and helping people has always appealed to me. However, I was daunted by the amount of time and $$ I’d have to put into it. Thus, I switched focus to comp sci as this industry is vastly expanding, etc, etc.
Bottom line is, I am still very interested in becoming a doctor, but not sure if I will feel the same way in a few years. Would it be worth majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Biology? That way, I’d have a fall back if MCAT/med-school/etc. does not pan out. (I could possibly double major, but not so keen on that).
You don’t have to decide what you want to do with your whole life. You just have to decide what you want to major in, which may be related to what you want to do for the next chunk of your life (but maybe not).
Are you actually interested in computer science/technology/software, or are you just majoring in it because you think it’s a good “backup” for med school? Yes, the technology industry is quickly growing, but there are lots of ways to enter the tech industry. You don’t have to major in computer science for that. There are also other sectors that are growing quickly. And quick growth alone isn’t necessarily a good idea to enter a specific sector, let alone select a specific major.
But if you really want to major in computer science, I see no reason not to do so. You don’t even have to minor in biology; you could just be CS pre-med.
Also, there are lots of other careers in healthcare and medicine that don’t have the same tme commitment as being a doctor, but aren’t a wholesale jump into another industry. You could be a nurse, a physician assistant, a nurse practitioner, an occupational or physical therapist, an epidemiologist, a biostatistician, a healthcare administrator, or many other things.
It is a pretty consequential and urgent decision as there are a lot of pre-med requirements. You mentioned the financial aspect of med school, and while it is more costly in the short term, it will probably pay-off in the long-run (I think most doctors make more than your average worker in the tech industry). You should read up on this, though–I am admittedly not the most knowledgeable here. As a med student you will probably have to take out a lot of loans. You should research these loans and how long it generally takes med students to pay them off. Getting solid numbers and running the calculations will help you make a more informed decision.
There is also a lot you can do with a bio major besides med school. I get the sense that there are plenty of good job opportunities for bio majors.
You should also look into jobs at the intersection between bio and comp-sci. Silicon valley is getting a lot more into medical things these days.