Switching from medicine to....what?

I am switching from my current pre-med track (for multiple reasons), and I don’t know what I could study in college/do later in life that will leave me with good pay, a job im satisfied with, and good employment options. What career path should I switch to that will give me the best options? I’m desperate (i’ve been thinking about this for months). I am a good student, so far I have a 3.9 in college (I’m a sophomore), so I don’t want that to go to waste. I considered computer science, but its seems like that field changes every second, so I’m scared about how employable I will be in the future/if it is even worth it since there are people that don’t go to college and still get well payed CS jobs. I considered actuary, but that seems unbelievably boring/there are hard tests to pass that might be too much to handle (for me at least, since I’m okay at math but I’m no genius). I also considered biomedical engineering, but that seems very competitive and will be hard for me to keep up with since I’m a slow learner and I am also a girl and want to have a family later on in life.

Please! any help will go far. I am so desperately lost.

You are not lost, you just haven’t found yourself yet… you are on your journey. I am game to help you but I need more information. Why did you want to go into pre-med? What brings you happiness? Do you like to talk to people (social) or do you prefer to do your own thing? What were your favorite subjects? (these are not necessarily your highest grades.) What did you mean by “i’m a slow learner?” Don’t worry, there are so many careers out there…

What subjects do you like? Are you interested in sciences–nursing? Nurse practitioner? What about medicine did you dislike so that you want to switch to something else? Biomedical engineering? Business? Engineering?

Medicine is a huge commitment, and when it comes down to it, I feel very uncomfortable being responsible for someone’s health. I don’t want that weight on my shoulders, and I know it will make me unhappy to come to work doing the same thing, and not being able to move up in my field (trying different things will not be an option because as a doctor you have to specialize). I will only be practicing medicine my whole life, unless I switch out. Initially I did pre-med because I am smart enough to make it and determined for that matter. I enjoy learning about science but NOT BECAUSE I HAVE A LOVE FOR SCIENCE (I don’t think so at least); it’s because it challenges me and makes me feel like I am capable of complex thoughts (all while proving to my other pre-med classmates I am no one to push over or mess with because I know what I am doing… I really like that feeling). I also did pre-med because of my parents. They provided really convincing points about medicine that made me choose it such as: high pay, job stability, field not changing constantly, and respect. I just honestly want a comfortable life, but I know it can’t be through medicine because I have never really been passionate about it. In general, I like knowing the ins and outs of things, but I spend so much time over analyzing and being afraid of making the wrong decision. For example, choosing my major. I can tell you so many things about different fields and where the economy is headed in terms of jobs, but that’s because I’m spending so much time stressing about what to do in life.

CS does change a lot, but I think good students who are okay being lifelong learners do well. You want to keep learning new skills and keep yourself relevant, but that is certainly doable.

Sorry that was a huge comment. But here’s an addition: growing up I played games, I watched tv, I’m really into music, but I don’t have anything that I’m really passionate about other than that. I enjoy reading, and spending time with family has been a big part of my life. Growing up I tried really hard to get good grades because then I would be smart and capable. In high school, I was involved with 8 co curriculars (I’m not kidding… and one was a sport) and still maintained an above average GPA because I would look good for college, and if I got into a good college then I would be successful. But coming to college was a huge wake up call (which I am grateful for, don’t get me wrong). I just don’t know what I would do. I try hard, I organize well, I am a leader, and I present well. I was part of the executive board of the Future Business Leaders of America club at my school for three years and I loved it because I got to talk to with people and present a lot. But I presented about pointless topics, like how to do well in an interview. Nothing I did was hard knowledge. The only place I felt challenged in was science. Those were the classes I despised but secretly loved. I enjoyed English too. I took a bunch of business classes and hated all of them… I just didn’t care. I hated Spanish with a passion. Math was alright, but I would try to get it done as soon as possible cause I felt like it was a waste of my time. (I tried honors math but it was too hard and then I dropped to accelerated math and it was way too easy… got all A’s). The reason I like science is because I can see it happening in life all the time, and that’s cool and all, but I don’t see a future in science because I hate researching/hard science manufacturing (I’ve worked at a research lab and an industry lab, so trust me I know I don’t like it). The pay isn’t worth it unless you become an engineer, but the engineering field is so complex now that I would have to try really hard to keep up with it (I just wouldn’t be that passionate about it because I’m already not passionate about my science classes at school, I like them because of the genuine people there are in that class and the fact that it challenges me). Plus, like I said, I just want to live a comfortable life where I’m not constantly scrambling to keep up, all while still having a family and such. OK OK I’m done. I am so sorry. This is everything that runs through my head everyday, and it drives me insane.

Have you visited your college’s career center? They are likely to have a number of resources to help you explore your options. My husband found himself wanting to switch out of a pre-med track. He visited career services, did some research, and ended up switching to pharmacy, which happens to be a pretty good profession for women who want to have good work-life balance. If being a doctor isn’t for you, there are plenty of other options for a good student such as yourself

Your husband probably switched to pharmacy before it became over saturated. There are a lot more pharmacists than there are pharm jobs out there because schools have opened more programs. If you work in a hospital it’s a different story (you audit), but at CVS or Walgreens, the pharmacists work crazy hours and don’t get vacations off unless they ask 6-8 months in advance.

I’ll second going to talk with the career center at your college. They will have some interest inventories and other tests that will help you identify your strengths, interests and skills.

If you want to remain in the healthcare area–here are some ideas: biostatistics/bioinfomatics, clinical lab science, radiation therapy, medical & health physicist. All in high demand with regular hours. All have opportunities to move up within the profession.

And here’s an entire website about all sorts of other healthcare careers: [Explore Health Careers](Career Explorer)

BTW, radiation therapy is NOT the same thing as a X-ray tech.

You can also look into careers that combine healthcare with other areas–medical librarian (this is what I do), hospital administration, electronic medical records management, medical case management.

I think you may be looking for a unicorn job–something doesn’t exist in real life. All jobs are going to have some element of repetitiveness and some element of needing to keep current in the field. And to be honest, some BSing and other pointless tasks. It’s just the nature of a job. Also, at some point, every job is going impinge on your home life. (Because as my DH used to say, if the job was all funsies, they wouldn’t have to pay you to do it.)

I think you are actually at a great point in your life! You have figured out that you don’t want to go into medicine and you figured that out earlier than others who regret their choice later in life. What a bonus! I know it’s hard but this is the best time for this type of thought! From your posts I notice that you enjoy challenging academics and communicating with others (verbal and writing), you don’t like bench research, you like presentations, and income potential is important. Have you considered genetics? There are genetic counsellors at major medical centers that love their jobs. (There are other jobs like Occupational Therapist and Speech Therapist as well as Physical Therapist, but that depends on liking that particular type of situation, it’s a calling…) I’m trying to think outside the box for you, but of course I should mention that Physician Assistants will be in ever increasing demand and it takes less time to get through the education plus you have more control over your life (wanting to have children). You may also like law for contracts or intellectual property. I have a friend who does education law who is very happy. What about cyber security? That is an area that will also increase in need, however it will ALWAYS be changing… I will keep thinking. I encourage you to think about what makes you happy (to remember what makes you smile). Is it helping others, is it studying, is it working out… ideally your job should have a snippet of what makes you happy to your core so that you love waking up in the morning. Take three deep breaths when you feel stressed… it will all work out. :bz