bargaindoctor
06-04-2007, 12:29 AM
Hello all
Just an intro. :) I am a 25 year old guy who just graduated from medical school last year and currently work as a medical doctor in the UK. Throughout medical school I spent more time with my business ventures wheeling / dealing than I did studying. My first ever paid job was working as a pharmacy technician making $10 an hour. At the time I thought it was pretty good money, and I used to work overtime, and found my own ways to reduce workload. I didn't realise that I was doing alot of things that Tim wrote in his book. When I read the book, I have to say that alot of this stuff comes pretty natural to me. My whole perspective changed when I started a business venture with $100 and made over $10,000 from it. I think I have always been more talented with business than medicine and have been told this by many people.
However I get alot of pressure from my family, especially my father (who is a physician) to finish medical school, which I have now. I know its' my life to live, but I also can see the 'good' in having a professional job as a backup plan. But sometimes that 'backup plan' can just drag on and before I know it, it may be too late for me to have the courage to walk away. I always said that once I get through med school I will just use the medical degree to my entrepreneur's advantage, but everyone keeps telling me to stick to this for longer. So here I am, most of the way through my first year, with many moments wondering about walking away... but it's looking more and more like I will do yet another year...
While I enjoy certain aspects of the job, from a lifestyle perspective I am starting to feel that I have definitely made a bad decision. And the more I invest my time into this job, the less I feel like I will be able to 'walk away'. It's always about getting myself a 'backup plan' (and finishing med school, to finish my intern year, to doing a couple more years) it just feels like a never ending task that makes the journey even longer. My uncle has a medical degree and left medicine to do business and is now in his 40s, and tells me that as his 'alter ego' he would wish for me to stay in medicine and become an expert, and there are always business opportunities in this maybe when I go into private practice.
So here I am towards the end of my intern year. I am tempted to walk away from it all. I tell my dad and he asks me, 'What are you going to do?' I want to say 'I am going to start my own business' or 'I will move to Argentina for a while and sort out my mind' but I know he what he will say. He will ask 'What is your plan? Are you going to do medical law? Are you going to get an MBA?' I know he means well and it really upsets me that his mindset is different. But that's exactly the problem there. He grew up with nothing and I really respect that he got to where he is now, but I also see how he is still working at 50+ to raise my siblings and me and I realised that I do not want to still be in a hospital with the antiseptic pungency and flourescent lights.
Nevertheless, I am definitely wanting to eventually be a successful entrepreneur. It's just deciding whether it is the right time to go, whether my impulsiveness is the right thing or I am just not being patient. a friend of mine said to just get the hell out right now (or as soon as realistically possible), others say to do at least a couple of years so that if I need to come back for any reason I will have something to fall back on. I personally am not very patient and very impulsive as a person so I am wondering, why not just leave ASAP? I have a few online business plans in the pipeline, and a few offline ones too - and while I can do it during my free time in this job I will never be able to dedicate my energy nor get the 4 hour work week that I dream about.
Look forward to learning and contributing here!
Just an intro. :) I am a 25 year old guy who just graduated from medical school last year and currently work as a medical doctor in the UK. Throughout medical school I spent more time with my business ventures wheeling / dealing than I did studying. My first ever paid job was working as a pharmacy technician making $10 an hour. At the time I thought it was pretty good money, and I used to work overtime, and found my own ways to reduce workload. I didn't realise that I was doing alot of things that Tim wrote in his book. When I read the book, I have to say that alot of this stuff comes pretty natural to me. My whole perspective changed when I started a business venture with $100 and made over $10,000 from it. I think I have always been more talented with business than medicine and have been told this by many people.
However I get alot of pressure from my family, especially my father (who is a physician) to finish medical school, which I have now. I know its' my life to live, but I also can see the 'good' in having a professional job as a backup plan. But sometimes that 'backup plan' can just drag on and before I know it, it may be too late for me to have the courage to walk away. I always said that once I get through med school I will just use the medical degree to my entrepreneur's advantage, but everyone keeps telling me to stick to this for longer. So here I am, most of the way through my first year, with many moments wondering about walking away... but it's looking more and more like I will do yet another year...
While I enjoy certain aspects of the job, from a lifestyle perspective I am starting to feel that I have definitely made a bad decision. And the more I invest my time into this job, the less I feel like I will be able to 'walk away'. It's always about getting myself a 'backup plan' (and finishing med school, to finish my intern year, to doing a couple more years) it just feels like a never ending task that makes the journey even longer. My uncle has a medical degree and left medicine to do business and is now in his 40s, and tells me that as his 'alter ego' he would wish for me to stay in medicine and become an expert, and there are always business opportunities in this maybe when I go into private practice.
So here I am towards the end of my intern year. I am tempted to walk away from it all. I tell my dad and he asks me, 'What are you going to do?' I want to say 'I am going to start my own business' or 'I will move to Argentina for a while and sort out my mind' but I know he what he will say. He will ask 'What is your plan? Are you going to do medical law? Are you going to get an MBA?' I know he means well and it really upsets me that his mindset is different. But that's exactly the problem there. He grew up with nothing and I really respect that he got to where he is now, but I also see how he is still working at 50+ to raise my siblings and me and I realised that I do not want to still be in a hospital with the antiseptic pungency and flourescent lights.
Nevertheless, I am definitely wanting to eventually be a successful entrepreneur. It's just deciding whether it is the right time to go, whether my impulsiveness is the right thing or I am just not being patient. a friend of mine said to just get the hell out right now (or as soon as realistically possible), others say to do at least a couple of years so that if I need to come back for any reason I will have something to fall back on. I personally am not very patient and very impulsive as a person so I am wondering, why not just leave ASAP? I have a few online business plans in the pipeline, and a few offline ones too - and while I can do it during my free time in this job I will never be able to dedicate my energy nor get the 4 hour work week that I dream about.
Look forward to learning and contributing here!