I want a career in medicine, but after four attempts I wonder if I should give up
Since graduating with a double degree in economics and political science in 2007, I have been working in the public service in a variety of roles from economist, government relations adviser and now, a senior policy analyst. I have been fortunate enough to work in the more competitive and prestigious central departments with apparently interesting work. However, I have felt severely unfulfilled and demotivated for the full eight years of my career.
At 31 I have an overwhelming desire for a career change to medicine. I have sat the graduate entry test four times, putting in various degrees of effort, but never to the best of my ability. My last attempt yielded a satisfactory score for entry; however due to my lower grade point average I was not offered an interview.
In an effort to change my situation I have also applied for Teach for Australia (which is attractive as it is more hands-on and closer to outcomes). My dilemma is, should I continue to pursue my dream of gaining entry into medicine? And if yes, should I begin a completely new undergraduate degree in order to be more competitive? Or, in the meantime, should I continue to sit the entry test and pursue Teach for Australia which pays close to half my salary (as the extracurricular activities and experience can improve your competitiveness for some universities)? The biggest challenge is giving up my current career, which many may be envious of, simply for an opportunity to pursue gaining entry into medicine.
Jeremy says
I find a couple of things about your letter slightly puzzling. If your desire for a career change into medicine is “overwhelming”, I wonder why you’ve sat the graduate entry test four times, but never, apparently, with maximum effort or to the best of your ability? I’m also unclear about the reasons for your interest in Teach for Australia. It may be more hands-on, but at half your present salary level and with little, if any, connection to medicine, it seems an odd option for you to consider.
I strongly suspect that your disenchantment with your career – you’ve felt “severely unfulfilled and demotivated” for the past eight years – has so coloured your thinking that just about anything that’s different has come to seem attractive. It’s here that you may be making a serious mistake.
I think it is possible that your intense interest in medicine may be more romantic than practical; that you’re more attracted in the notion of being a doctor than becoming a doctor. I’d like you to be certain that this is not the case. If I’m wrong, you’ll know. If your commitment to medicine is total, then you’ll live with the realities and accept the challenges which, as you know far better than I, will be formidable.
Then, before you write off your career-to-date completely, I urge you to examine the other possibilities than your degrees and your experience make you eligible for. There are many other jobs in both the public and the private sectors for which you’re qualified – jobs that you might well find more stimulating and more rewarding than the roles you’ve so far filled. You may well find nothing, but it would be a great shame to discard the past 10 years or more of your adult life without making absolutely sure in your own mind that they have nothing more to offer you.
Readers say
• Having a couple of medics in the family, I can say that the one thing you need to get through medical school is a willingness to work all the hours God sends and to be totally committed to the job. If you can’t be that committed to a test, I truly wonder if you’ll make it through five years of training. SpursSupporter
• I think you need to get to the bottom of what is causing these negative feelings and focus on fixing that, rather than hopping from one idea to another. Given that you are in an analytical role you should have the perfect skill set to analyse your predicament and come out with a much more focused strategy. starterforten
• I tend to scoff at career coaches (sorry), but I think in this case you really need to sit down with one and make long lists of what you’re actually after, what floats your boat and what doesn’t. Your letter suggests to me that some focus is needed. DeputyPeck
• My instinct would be that you should follow your dreams. I speak as one who gave up medicine. DrRachelHooke
I want to work in the arts, but I’ve been told that I need more confidence
I studied fine art at university in London, with an ambition to become an artist. But after graduating, I split with my girlfriend of seven years and it hit me very badly and I suffered a period of mental stress. I am living at home with my family outside London, but my self-esteem is very low. I am working, but it is in a low-paid, rather mundane job where every day is the same.
I have been to interviews and they have given feedback that I need more confidence. I am wondering if most employers are looking for a “bubbly”, “outgoing” type of candidate.
I would still like to complete an MA degree, and I would like to gain some work experience relevant to the arts. Do you have any suggestions where to look, and what roles might be suitable. Or jobs where a more introverted personality is deemed an asset?
Jeremy says
By the sound of it, the “rather mundane” job you’re doing has nothing whatever to do with your aspirations to be an artist. So with your self-esteem already low, every mundane day must simply be making your sense of stagnation and rudderlessness all the more lowering. I wonder, too, about the jobs you’ve been interviewed for. I suspect that they, too, haven’t been in any way related to your artistic skills. And I further suspect that the greater confidence that people say you need will magically begin to show itself only when you begin to do something that everyone around you can see you have a flair for.
With that in mind, I think you should concentrate exclusively on looking for jobs that are in some way related, in the broadest possible sense, to art. Start by Googling “jobs related to art” and see where that takes you. You’ll be surprised by the range of possibilities. Be open-minded and prepared to be interested in extremely junior roles. It may take you two or three jobs to get to where you’d like to be – but however modestly, each day that makes use of your natural talent will be a small step in the recovery of your confidence and your life.
Readers say
• Your apparent low self esteem isn’t permanent. Make new relationships with people, join some clubs, go to events … Concentrate on the wonderful parts of your personality. Mark Ormesher
• Get experience at local arts organisations, community projects – they won’t pay the bills, but they’ll give great satisfaction and inspiration, alongside another job. Raymondothegreat
• Start as a volunteer in an institution and then move on to take over part-time or leave cover. Jules Maigret
Do you need advice on a work issue? For Jeremy’s and readers’ help, send a brief email to dear.jeremy@theguardian.com. Please note that he is unable to answer questions of a legal nature or to reply personally.
