Asking for some guidance?

Triathlon Forum
1

Ok, (i know this is similar to the other thread, i got beat to asking the question, but the other thread didnt really answer my question)

…I am currently in my third year of university, and caught in somewhat of a dilemma.

Ii am supposed to be going to school to get into medicine, and go from there.

However, my recent dilemma has been spurred by the one course that i have truly enjoyed in the past 3 years of my education, a health and wellness related course, and it got me thinking about possible career choices in that field, or something related to sports/wellness/health/coaching/etc.

my dilemma now is:

  1. continue with medicine, use it as a good paying job and keep triathlon/sports as nothing more than a hobby

  2. realize that sports have been an integral part of my life for the past 17 years, and that maybe there is a position out there that i will enjoy? however, lack of economic viability may pose a problem

i guess the question i have is: what would you do? take the lifestyle choice that makes you happy yet impoverished? or take the cushy job (and try and force yourself through another 8 years of school with little motivation) and keep the sports as a hobby?

or is there a middle ground? a well paying job that would involve me in something that i enjoy doing? how does one go about getting this job? (education wise?) and what would it be?

Thanks (sorry this was so long),

-Kevin

2

Do both!!!

Get your medical degree, and specialize in sports medicine, treating all of us hypochondriac jocks. Keep up your athletic endeavors, and recruit your customer base through your contacts in running/swimming/biking, etc. Do your residency in something like orthopedics initially so you will have a good understanding of neuro/muscular/skeletal problems often encountered by athletes. Use a holistic approach in your practice–exercise, diet, stress management, etc. I guarantee if you do this, you will not lack for business. Athletes are always looking for someone who understands their issues.

Limit the size of your practice!! Do not take on more patients than you want to so you can have time to do other things. It will be tough for a few years while you are in school and residency, but after that, it will be worth it. Just remember, unless you are a pro and sponsored, triathlon is a rich person’s sport.

You have a great opportunity ahead of you!

3

that idea has also crossed my mind; however, the dilemmai have with that is that i have never taken a doctor seriously when he/she has told me something regarding sports…maybe this is due to a lack of knowlege on the dr’s part about my sport…

maybe we do need sport dr’s that know about triathlon…hmm…:wink:

4

Haven’t you read The Alchemist yet? ;p

You know by now that I am a pragmatist, so I usually advise people to take the most profitable course. Ultimately, you should choose the path that leads you to the greatest happiness. The problem is that you really don’t know which one will make you the most happy. You just know that one path will lead to a very hard several years followed by a prosperous career while another path might bring you greater happiness and an unknown quantity of wealth.

A potential middle ground would be to pursue a medical degree and focus on sports medicine. It has become obvious to me that there is a dearth of sports savvy doctors out there, let alone ones who specialize in athletes, sports injuries, etc. Who knows what you could accomplish as a doctor with a background in endurance sports?

A second option would be to get into physical therapy. Those folks can make pretty good money, too. My cousin specializes in exercise therapy for patients recovering from major operations, and she does pretty well. But she has a four year degree in exercise physiology(or whatever it is) and several certifications. It really depends on what it is you want to do, specifically. Some sports-related jobs pay well, many don’t. The well-paying ones often require specialized knowledge. There is often a correlation between the rigorous educational demands of specialized jobs and the high salaries that accompany them.

Follow your dreams. They will take you where you are meant to be. But do not be surprised if you end up in a place other than what you expect.

5

First off, everyone is burned out after 3 or so years of school. It’s just a fact of life, especially if you are trying to keep your grades high enough for post graduate education. Second, you’re really just getting used to working hard all the time. As time progresses, you’ll get more used to it, you won’t be seeing new things all the time, you get into studying and being efficient. It get’s better and less overwhelming. Third, med school will likely be one of the hardest endeavors you will face. I don’t know from first hand experience, but my wife graduated from dental school and I have several close friends in medical school. It’s hard, lots of stress and lots of work. Fourth, just because you want to do it when you came in, or think you want to do it now, you have no idea if you will want to do it 2, 4, or 6 years into it. It’s really hard to know if you will like something without doing it first. Fifth, not everyone in these schools come directly from undergrad. Many people do something else in life before they go back to school. Some because they couldn’t get in right after undergrad, others because they had other things in mind. I know right now it probably seems like you want to get on living right now, and 8 years when you are 30 seems like a lot, but think about it, you’ve probably got at least 60 years of life after you graduate. And furthermore, the less time you spend hating life, the younger you’re going to be at 60. So if you need a break, and have an opportunity, do it. Med school will still be there. And likely, you’ll have good experience if you pursue a field like you have suggested. Just don’t let the grades slide in your last year if you decide to do this.

Also, along these lines, I believe there is deferred enrollment at many med schools, such that if you get in you can defer for a year. Go work in a bike shop somewhere, have fun and get that motivation back. I can almost garauntee you’ll miss the college structure of getting breaks every few months and having a nice and tidy finish to your work every 4 months. You’ll find out if you want to go back or not.

That’s my long winded response from a guy who has been studying at a University for almost 9 years. Good luck,

Jack

6

Haven’t you read The Alchemist yet? ;p

yeah, actually i did read it…took me the lump sum of one evening…lol.

it was good though, and it did cause me to do some thinking…cept now im all confused again…

im thinking that the problem might be the fact that im doing this thinking right in the middle of my exam period…which is always a wonderful time in everyone’s life…:stuck_out_tongue:

im hoping that once i start training again in January, the Ironman mentality will come back…that stuff doesnt seem as hard as it is, and that I can bear down and get through all the crap that has been going on lately…

7

Jack,

i think the biggest problem i am having right now is that the courses that i am enrolled in have nothing to do with what i would like to be doing in the long run (sports meds is definitly a possibility)…cept all the immunology, biochemisty, etc isnt helping either my GPA or my sanity…

im hoping that my transfer @ the end of this year goes through, and that gives me a look into the physed aspect of life (going to do 2 degrees, bsc in lifescience, and a bphe), and hopefully into what sports meds could be like…

its gonna be a long haul, but im hoping that it will be worth it…

8

Hmm, I made this sort of decision a little while ago, si I can relate. Can’t offer any solutions, though. Sorry. It doesn give me an excuse to ramble though.

I graduated from college about 7 years ago and after a disappointing stint in the Army and my current engineering emplyoment, I was doing alot of soul-searching about what my passions were.

I came to the conclusion, that though I have many interests, fitness (triathlon, cycling, soccer, hockey. I follow the triathlete’s credo to the extreme. Why settle on 3 sports when 5 is better?) was what I always came back to.

I began thinking about if I wanted to pursue a medical degree or if I wanted to just specialize (Me? Specialize?!?!) and get an advanced degree in physiology/exercise physiology an see where that led.

Money and time commitments asside, my decision was based on this…in the end, medicine is all about treating sick and broken people. Exercise physiology is…not so much so.

After watching my father die rather terribly from cancer, i knew i didn’t have it in me to be what a doctor needs to be. Hell, i can barely stand being inside hospitals anymore. Not good if your a doctor.

I guess what I’m saying is you should really think about what is driving you and be honest with yourself. Do you have the desire to spend your days caring for the sick, busted, broken, perhaps witnessing them endure terrible pain and quite possibly watching some of them die?

Gosh. I’m depressing myself again.

This is not to say that medicine is not a good option. You’re young, and this might be a good opportunity. Just don’t ignore that little whisper in the back of your head. It may likely be your passion talking to you.

I hope this at least illuminates to you as to how someone else made a decision.

9

Well, I never said that it was long or hard to read. I’m re-reading it now. I spent many years poring over difficult philosophy texts before I realized that most wisdom is basic, and that it is we who make it complicated. We need to put our egos aside and listen to ourselves. I won’t go deep, it’ll probably just bore you. Atlas Shrugged is on deck. You won’t be reading that in one night, friend.

I would advise you not to make your decision based on any kind of negative thoughts. Do not make it based on thinking that medical school will be too difficult, nor on thinking you won’t make enough money if you do what makes you happy. The little voices in your head just want to psyche you out(just like in the middle of a race) and get you to stop, or turn around, or give up. Never make any decisions based on what they tell you. Your decision should be based on your optimistic desire to pursue your dream.

Oh, and you’ll probably change your mind several times in the next 40 years. ;p

10

Kevin,

Try to get a well paying job in the field you enjoy or close to it. If it is medicine, then head toward that field with some emphisis in sports. Otherwise you will find in a few years that it will be tough or impossible to make a switch.

You may have the responsibilities of a family, mortgage etc that will prevent you from enjoying a lower paying career in a field you love.

Willy in Pacifca

11

Kevin,

You’re at Queen’s. That’s a tough university to get into and it’s even tougher to get into med school there. But with the degree your are working on you have a lot of options at that school.

Don’t put all your eggs or hopes into one basket. Keep all your options open. Apply to med school but also consider applying to physical therapy or maybe graduate work in something sports related. Work your butt of this year and then let the dice lay where they roll.

BTW, I’m up in Kingston quite a bit, so if you want to get together I’ll buy you a beer and we can talk about it if you want. Drop me a private email from the forum.

12

I agree with CG - best to keep options open.

We are living in an age of constant change. What is certain today can be very uncertain tommrow. Medicine is a great profession, but my sense is that we are heading straight into the most tumultuous time EVER in medicine. Why - the aging baby boom generation( the biggest population bulge ever) is heading into old age and if people think that their health care systems are over burdaned now, I can’t imagine what it will be like in 20 years. Now, that can either be a huge calling card for someone who wants to get into the medical profession or it could mean you will want to run in the opposite direction as fast as possible! Your call.

Becoming a Doc is a tough grind. Working as a Doc is a tough grind. That being said, I have known the odd one who has been very succeesful at endurance sports during their schooling and afterwards while practicing, but these are rare exceptions. I think these people live on NO sleep.

The orginal poster mentioned money: You do need money to cover the basics. However, I think that in our current consumer and consumption driven society and economy the amount of money that one really needs has been grossly distorted.

13

“we are heading straight into the most tumultuous time EVER in medicine.”

I can’t speak for MD’s or not even for other chiropractors, but I believe that practice, at least here in Ontario, is not as much fun as it was when I first started around twenty years ago. As a chiropractor we’ve been cut back by OHIP, auto insurance, etc. plus way more competition, more paper work, etc. My income has declined considerably from the late 80’s but fortunately so has my overhead and debt load so I’ve at least stayed even. I don’t think I could afford to go to chiropractic college nowadays, or at least it would be much harder to justify going into that kind of high student loan debt.

As was posted on another thread, a few people thought college/university prof was a dream job. I would tend to agree.

14

Getting back to the indirect topic of the thread, if someone was looking for a career in which they could make a decent to more than decent amount of monmey AND have flexibility to train and race, I would say that Sales is where it’s at. Not just any sales, but sales in industries that are well established, low risk, with long term growth and good margins. Ironically, anything selling a service or product INTO the healthcare sector over the next 20 years would fall into this area.

I have friends who are Drug Sales Reps and their days are often done by 2:00 pm. In fact, one of the top marathon runners in Canada in absence of any significant sponsorship( a topic for another thread) is now working as a sales rep in the pharma business, making great money, advancing her career and getting the time she needs to train everyday.

15

My wife is completing her 3rd and last year of an internal medicine residency. Next stop is a 3 year cardiology fellowship. As an outside observer, but still very close, to someone on the medicine track, all I’ll say is make very, very sure you know what you are getting in to. Talk to people at every stage of the career track - early med school, late med school, intern year, post-intern year, fellow (if you think you might specialize), practitioners. I don’t think my wife or any of her colleagues knew what they were getting into. It’s a long, time-consuming process, so you better be damn sure it’s what you want in your life. I bowed out of considering medicine a long time ago, and I can say now it was certainly the right decision for me.

16

see…thats kind of where im at right now…it might be fun…but realistically…its going to be a really long haul, and isnt an easy lifestyle…and im not sure that i would enjoy it…why not spend time doing something more enjoyable?

that said…it may be rewarding…i guess i write the MCAT this summer and find out how that goes…:stuck_out_tongue:

another 2grand down the drain…

17

" selling a service or product INTO the healthcare sector"

I’d have to agree with you, but I think it depends on the sales rep territory as to how short your hours might be. If you’re outside of a large urban area, your territory can be quite large which can make for long days just in travel time. My wife was a kinesiologist working for a private company and had long days covering much of eastern Ontario. She was then offered a job in sales with a drug company in what would have been the same large territory. It would have paid good, more than she makes now, but she turned it down to instead go to teacher’s college for a year and she now teaches grade 2 and loves it.

18

Use a holistic approach in your practice–exercise, diet, stress management, etc. I guarantee if you do this, you will not lack for business. Athletes are always looking for someone who understands their issues.

19

Here’s my perspective as a med student and (sort of) triathlete…

Don’t go into medicine unless you’re passionate about it. Of course threre will be problems with the industry, but it is an extremely rewarding profession if you do it for the right reasons. If you’re not sure, there is absolutely no problem in taking a few years after college to decide. In fact, I believe that taking a few years between college and med school (or any graduate school) is a great idea - I took 3 years myself.

  1. continue with medicine, use it as a good paying job …

Do NOT use medicine as just a good paying job - it’s too hard and I guarantee you will be unhappy (and probably make your patients unhappy as well). No matter what, if you stay with medicine then triathlon will be “just” a hobby, but depending on your field, you still may be able to remain very active. Some of my friends competed quite competitively in triathlon while in both med shcool and residency.

  1. realize that sports have been an integral part of my life …

You can still do sports medicine/orthopedic surgery and stay very involved in medicine and sports at the same time. But there’s nothing wrong with making a little less money to do what you love, whether it’s turning pro or coaching, physical therapy, etc.

Bottom line - you have to be really dedicated to medicine to 1) get into med school, or even if you do, 2) really be happy being a doctor. If you’re not sure, take some time to work, try a sports-related job and train/compete a lot. If you decide later that you really want to do medicine, then go for it (you’ll be at an adavantage versus just coming out of college). Otherwise do something else if it makes you happy. Money isn’t everything.

20

Sports Med is a field that is sorely lacking in practitioners who truly understand the unique needs of “hardcore” athletes. Sure there are a handful of top-notch doctors and physiotherapists out there who haven’t been snapped up by pro sports teams etc, but by and large it is difficult for the average AG athlete to find a doctor who won’t simply say “well, don’t do that then” when you tell him/her “it hurts when I do x”.

I was lucky enough to have the Medical Director for the Canadian National Marathon as my sportsmed doctor when I lived in Toronto. He’s a regular GP (so you don’t need a referral to see him) who simply prefers dealing with athletes and the unique challenges they bring to the table than normal folk who would otherwise come to him with coughs, colds, etc.

Send me a PM if you want his contact info - I’m sure he’d be more than willing to chat with you.