Almost finished with undergrad but now I want to change career paths.

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

I am a senior undergrad student who has two more semesters left until I graduate. I will graduate with a B.S. in Natural Resources, however, I don’t think this is the career path I want to follow.

I’ve been back and forth on what I’ve wanted to study since I started undergrad. I started out with Natural Resources then switched to Public Health then to Media Arts and finally back to Natural Resources since I had most of the coursework done. However, I don’t feel motivated with this career path.

I know for sure that I want to go to graduate school and I want to join the Navy. Recently, I’ve felt a calling to go to med school and become a neurologist, particularly because both of my grandmothers have been diagnosed with neurodegenerative diseases. This way I could then become a neurologist for the Navy and help sailors who may have suffered brain injuries due to combat and afterward enter civilian practice to help others. I don’t have all of the coursework but I would enter a pre-med post-bacc program to make up the deficiencies.

My biggest concern is that I would go to grad school and end up unsatisfied with what I was doing and want to change career paths again. My biggest problem is that I have too many interests and can’t make up my mind on what I want to do. Also, my parents are helping me pay for undergrad and I feel like I would be wasting their money to get an undergrad degree that I end up not using at all. I love to be challenged mentally and right now my degree just seems to simple.

Any thoughts on what I should do?

2

I can relate to you; I’ve also been interested in many careers throughout my life and currently still work in two very different ones (with my “side practice” now growing nearly as large as my day job). As one of my favorite YouTube personalities say, though, “Clarity comes from engagement, not thought.” You’re not going to figure out what you want to do by sitting around planning different paths (believe me, I’ve done that myself and it NEVER results in clarity!). If you’re interested in the healthcare industry, volunteer or get an internship BEFORE making the huge financial and time commitment of doing a post-bacc program, studying for the MCAT and med school itself. (And make sure to volunteer in a directly relevant role where you get to see the action.)

In addition, while I don’t work with med school applicants, I do work in the healthcare industry as my “day job,” and I can tell you that the people who want to go into medicine for the reasons you’ve cited usually end up hating the field. Medical school, residency, and life as a physician is grueling. You need to get your feet wet in the field, actually understand what the day-to-day of being a physician is like, understand the sacrifices involved, and know that you are committed enough to see the process through before throwing yourself into another path that requires massive time & investment.

3

If you actually join the Navy you could end up having the chance to experience many unique things and get clarity.