Doctors are often told what to do next in their career progression.’You should apply for this job, rather than that job,’ colleagues may say to you, or ‘you should get that qualification, which means taking that training course,’ or ‘you won’t get anywhere these days unless you do some research.’
You don’t want to do any of those things. You just want a simple life. Go to work, come home, have time to be with friends and family and less pressure. So what can you do? Follow the ‘advice’ or follow your heart?
It’s your life and your decision. But there will be other opportunities, there will be other jobs coming up, there are other ways to live your life. Whatever you decide today can be changed next year or beyond that. You have to decide if you want to have a life now or follow someone else’s aspirations for you and your life.
In professions other than Medicine it is said that people, during their working life change their occupation (not just their job) about 7 times. Can those of you working in Medicine be so different from your peers in other occupations. It’s OK in fact it’s almost normal, if you are not a doctor to re-train and do other things as you go through your life. So as a doctor, you can sit back and think about what it is you truly want right now and what’s stopping you moving forward to getting it. How many of those obstacles are about beliefs you have about the way things would be? Let me know what you think in the box below.
Many thanks for your comments. No references about 7 careers changes- sorry! I expect it’s one of those possible metaphors for the fact that people do change careers and jobs many times during their working lives. Of course retirement can also provide opportunities for other careers too.
The other issue I wanted to identify was that of seven career changes in a life. Is it really so many ? Could we have a reference ? Most of the career advisers I talk to have had “three” so far and most have at least another 15 years work left to retirement. Assuming retirement does not, of course, now, encapsulate a new job – by choice ( one hopes) rather than by force ( as may be the reality of the demographic time bomb.)
I think these comments are very powerful indeed and in particular the issues of doing what one wishes rather than what one should. I sesne that reality may be a compromise but to head down the route of “should”, “must”, “have to” may be a recipe for disillusionment.
Another linked areas to this is the assumption that within Medicine we are all type “A” individuals. Are we really ? I sense that I am unlikely to be and am rather more likely to be a mixture of A and B ( which arguably may be more healthy and balanced.)
First of all, hello to all concerned.
i wish i could say that i “have a life” outside medicine. Medical training requires so much investment of our time and energy that our personality and lifestyle just kind “grow into it,” i suppose.
In any case, great post; very thought-provoking. i’m glad that i ran into your website.