Should I be a doctor or a lawyer?

Pre-College Topics High School Life
1

<p>I am a junior in high school, and these are the two career paths I’m most interested in pursuing, seeing as they both generate quite a bit of money, and I believe myself intellectually capable of tackling them.</p>

<p>For the moment, I’m preparing for a profession as a doctor. At my high school I’ve attended health science classes and am currently involved in a hands-on nursing class at a nursing home.</p>

<p>However, after researching a bit on how to choose a career, the most prominent advice is to do with you are passionate about. This presents a bit of a problem.</p>

<p>I do well in all my school classes. However, I am passionate about English and history - I look forward to these classes every day and I never get bored while in them. On the other hand, math and science are my least favorite subjects. I still perform well in them, often getting higher marks than in my other classes, but I don’t enjoy them very much. I’ve always loved reading and writing, even as a little kid. However, I don’t know if this reading or writing aptitude will help me as much as in a medical profession than in a law one.</p>

<p>The obvious choice, then, seems for me to become a lawyer. After all, if I adore writing and despise the sciences so much, it does seem pretty obvious! Unfortunately, I have a disability that irrevocably prevents me from speaking in public effectively. It’s a severe stutter (think The King’s Speech) and even in the rare instances I speak fluenty many people cannot understand me due to my irratic pronounciation and inflections. I believe that this weakness will pose a major hindrance in any law career I seek.</p>

<p>Another factor deterring me from the law profession would have to be the fact that I’ve already made advances into the medical field. As stated before, I am a CNA working in school-related clinical rotations throughout hospitals and nursing homes. I am a member of HOSA. I’ve used up 5 school elective blocks in the past three years for medical-related classes. It would be a shame to put all that work to waste.</p>

<p>I could go on much longer (I have this internal debate almost every day), but I hope that I have presented my predicament clearly and that some advice could be offered.</p>

2

<p>Do not become a lawyer.</p>

<p>Do not even think about it.</p>

<p>There is a vast oversupply of lawyers.</p>

<p>Your assumption that lawyers make a lot of money is not even true, for the most part.</p>

<p>And even those lawyers who start out making a lot of money at the big law firms often don’t survive more than a year or two.</p>

<p>My advice to you is based not only upon my own experience, but also on the experiences of countless friends and co-workers over the years.</p>

<p>That being said, working at a job does not seem like work if you enjoy what you are doing.</p>

<p>Don’t go into a particular field just because you think it is a money maker.</p>

<p>If you don’t enjoy what you do, you will not do well at it over the long term.</p>

3

<p>Your response is contradictory. You tell me to not become a lawyer, but to do what I enjoy doing. Yet I said in my original post that I enjoy the subjects being a lawyer is associated with; namely, writing and history.</p>

<p>And I am going into medicine partly for the money. My parents were raised poor and, coming to America and working hard, managed to raise me in a middle-class lifestyle. They are prepared to pay for my college education. I feel obliged to seek a career that will make money, not only for my sake but for theirs’.</p>

4

<p>

You’re a junior in HS. Don’t you still have another 2 years of high school, and another 4 years of college? What if (God forbid!), you discover new interests later on that could parlay into a career?</p>

5

<p>I think very long-term. Also, I don’t have many interests I am passionate about, mainly because for some reason I think that any interest I have needs to relate to a career. And what place does chess, tennis, or marching band play into a professional career? My peers in the school band talk about getting a major in music or music education. My parents were almost about to eat me alive when I mentioned that as an option for me.</p>

<p>Also, it’s a trend at my school to be decided about your careers even in freshman year. Our school offers career-related courses that are VERY popular (my health science classes were filled to the brim, and I almost didn’t get into one because of size issues).</p>

1 Like
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<p>if you really want to become a doctor mostly for the money, your speech problem will make talking to patients all day kind of difficult. Maybe you could become a radiologist so you dont have to deal with patients as much?</p>

7

<p>If you are truly truly passionate about a career path, you can be successful in it. There are great lawyers that make tons of money, there are great doctors that make lots of money, and then there are great doctors who don’t make a lot of money (had trouble breaking into the industry). You should first and foremost go into the category of jobs that you would enjoy most, and then if money is a priority choose a job from there.</p>

<p>If you don’t think you will enjoy being a doctor, don’t do it. 10 years of schooling is a long time to endure something you don’t even enjoy. </p>

<p>If you think you would like to be a lawyer, you should be one. I don’t think all people who go into law require great elocution- aren’t there teams of lawyers who help gather evidence and create an argument for their case? </p>

<p>Almost every job will require some sort of argument and debate, so you will have to get over your speaking problem anyway. It probably won’t be easy, but if you really want to be a lawyer it could be worth it.</p>

8

<p>Both professions earn you good money. The only advantage I can see for you in becoming a doctor is the wide availability of jobs. In contrast there is an oversupply of lawyers. However if you think you can make it in a top university and stay at the top of your class there there isn’t too much to worry about. If that isn’t the case then you could also consider economist. Ill bet you’ll like it. They have good job availability and pays around 90k a year. Bottom line is pursue your passion.</p>

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<p>You literally have to be in the top 1% of lawyers to be well-off these days.</p>

<p>Doctor is a very stable job with decent pay, although you’ll still have to purchase malpractice insurance and go through a LONG process of becoming one-- Four years undergrad, four years med school, three years residency or possibly more.</p>

10

<p>If you want to be a lawyer: you are not guaranteed a great salary. There are many facets to the field so you may find a satisfying niche. Not all lawyers need to speak in public on any regular basis so I would discount that unless litigation is your goal. Working towards a law degree gives you a lot of skills that will benefit you no matter what you do.
If you want to be a doctor: You really need to like math and science big time. That’s what you will do during your entire education. And I want a doctor who WANTS to be a doctor–not just get a salary (got enough of those already). Don’t plan on big salaries here either for the future. The field (health care) is changing rapidly and loans you take out to get through school may severely affect your earnings. There are lots of options in the health field than just being an MD however. (and MD has lots of fields also!)
Get a book on career options. Business, agriculture, social science, art, yeah, medicine, law, architecture, public service, the arts, education, archeology,…the list goes on.
Find some college catalogues (hard to find on paper but more valuable that way) and peruse them.</p>

11

<p>I will echo the advice of those who say that becoming a lawyer is not for the faint of heart.</p>

<p>Also, I feel that you are restricting yourself too much, like so many young people do. Doctor/Lawyer is not the only path to success. Keep an open mind. Good luck.</p>

12

<p>" And what place does chess, tennis, or marching band play into a professional career? "</p>

<p>A lot. Chess, tennis and marching band all require a sense of competitiveness and in a lot of ways some math skills. Chess is an intellectual pursuit. Tennis is a team sport, requires intellect and fitness and forethought. Marching band requires team spirit, dedication, fitness and music skills. All are great qualities for any future employee.</p>

13

<p>

That is a really awesome thing. Most people our age don’t, so thinking long-term is amazing.</p>

<p>

These subjects are very broad, and could lead to another interest. You could become passionate about microeconomics, anthropology, sociology, political science, political theory, international relations, political economy, philosophy, geography, education, linguistics, psychology, psychoanalysis, archaeology, journalism, environment studies, Women’s studies, linguistic anthropology, art history, music history, development studies, criminology, economic anthropology, classics, theatre, world religions, and maybe even fiction writing.</p>

<p>The point is that there’s so much stuff out there to be interested in, that you just have to find the “right thing” that really speaks to you. </p>

<p>

There’s no reason every interest you have should somehow play into a career. That seems kinda unhealthy. Just find something that you genuinely love, and if you’re passionate about it, something will work out. </p>

<p>And besides, you don’t have to set in stone exactly what you want to do now. You still have plenty of time to discover new things, or to change your mind.</p>

14

<p>Just because you’re into English and history, doesn’t mean you have to pursue law. They’re plenty of other fields you could look into. Do you have a particular interest with law? Maybe you could do some research. You don’t have to be a doctor or a lawyer to be successful :)</p>

<p>It doesn’t sound like medicine makes you happy, and do you really want to devote your life to something you don’t enjoy?</p>

15

<p>Seriously??? You’re going to base whether or not you (attempt) to become a doctor or a lawyer based on these responses?</p>

16

<p>Statistically speaking, fewer than 10% of lawyers go into court on any type of regular basis. I do and I pretty much see the same people every day and that’s in NYC, where there are literally thousands of lawyers. Most lawyers I know never go to court or argue anything. Your speech impediment alone would not keep you from becoming a lawyer. You might need an accommodation for Moot Court but I’m sure that could be worked out.</p>

<p>It is true that there is a glut of lawyers but if that’s your passion, you should follow it. However, I would not go into a ton of debt for it. Unless you get into an Ivy, you should attend the most reasonably priced law school in the area where you want to practice. That way, you can intern at local firms or companies and be in a better position to get a job when you’re done. You could also consider going in to the court system and becoming a law clerk in a pool where you’d research and write decisions but not have to speak on a regular basis.</p>

<p>If I had had any interest in pursuing math or science as a career, I would have become a patent lawyer. That field, along with intellectual property, etc. are still growing so you could do a minor in finance or accounting or biochem and still go to law school. Also, if you like to research, write and edit, appellate practice might appeal to you (bad lawyer joke, sorry).</p>

<p>I’m a big fan of the intellectual challenge and education of law school. Even if you never practice, law school is a wonderful choice for a bright person. Just don’t incur massive debt for it, unless it’s an Ivy.</p>

17

<p>First set your goal, ask yourself and find out your interest doctor or Lawyer. Choose one, from which you can achieve your targeted goal.</p>