Split between career paths

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

<p>Hi all,
I just need to vent and get some feedback, </p>

<p>I'm torn between two completely different career paths. On one end, there's finance/banking, on the other there is physical therapy. Allow me to elaborate.</p>

<p>I've always done sales/business jobs b/c they were always easy for me to snag, and it's something I'm naturally good at. (schmoozing people, being charismatic and selling) And as it also turns out, i'm good with numbers. When I learned about finance/banking and the high salaries, naturally it seemed like the obvious route for me. </p>

<p>the pros include high pay, amazing learning opportunities, a fast-paced environment, competitive environment, like minded peer group, exit opportunities, life-long skills, and the list continues with similar advantages.</p>

<p>then I started thinking about some of the cons and it concerns me that,
it might get boring, I might get boring, I've heard of many dry burnouts after only a couple of years, I sacrifice A LOT of my time/social life/youth, there is more to life than just working, lack of sleep, physical harm to the body (lack of sleep, excessive sitting, lack of exercise, HIGH stress, etc.) may lead to extreme arrogance.</p>

<p>now with that being said, I grew up playing sports. when I was 18 I became a personal trainer, loved it, still love exercise and love helping people reach their goals.
pros to PT: more free time(obviously any career, especially owning my own practice will require a lot of my time--but nothing like IB), something less stressful, I get to help people recover from injuries, my weekends are more of my own, healthier lifestyle, I can continue to work out regularly, it's not "finance", I can be my own boss, and (somewhat) set my own schedule. </p>

<p>cons: it's not "finance" and neither is the pay. I understand the doing what you love thing, but not for a 70k salary, my peers likely won't be as driven as i am, it's a slower-paced environment with more down time, not the same type of networking opportunities, </p>

<p>Now, my long term goal is investing in/funding biotech research. Research for cures mainly. PT directly puts me in the health field, but doesn't provide opportunities necessarily for funding, Finance doesn't put me directly into the health field, but allows me to network more easily with investors etc. </p>

<p>So what the hell do i do? How do I go about deciding. Your feedback is appreciated, thanks</p>

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<p>You say “not for 70k” as if that’s some egregiously low salary or something. I know finance people make more but most starting consultants make around that much (anecdotal evidence from my friends working at Bain & Co. and Deloitte). That’s an extremely nice salary… Especially for a young twentysomething… and especially if this is not what you want to do forever… the choice seems obvious. You’re not going to have time to make the use of the extra money that finance gives you, why not live a cushy and pleasurable life as a PT? you will <em>not</em> be struggling lol</p>

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<p>Your peers will be as driven as anyone else. There are scales of physios from the new grad rising to management. The more you earn, the more distant you are from the hands on clinical work. </p>

<p>You could also go into business after a few years setting up your own clinic. Or working for a big sports team. </p>

<p>However, if biotech finance is your real interest, how about a joint major in biochem and finance? Or a biochem major and finance minor or vice versa? An internship with a biotech company would help cement the two. I’d be making yourself know as early as possible to beat the crowds. </p>

<p>A salutory reminder though…the dotcom bubble burst. New technology does not mean a continually increasing salary or career opportunity. At least in health care, people are always going to get ill…</p>