Should I become a doctor or an engineer?
I am 12 years old and I dream of living in NY when I'm older but the cost of living in the city can be very expensive.
Doctors get paid a lot more than engineers, but being a doctor can be time consuming and stressful. So I just want to know which choice would be better. I want to know how long doctors work, if they enjoy their job, if
there's time for family, if they get vacation. And I'd like to know how the workplace is for engineers, how their teamwork is, and if it's really as fun as it seems on TV.
#career #doctor #health-care #engineer #engineering
27 answers
G. Mark’s Answer
Firstly, if you're asking about vacation time, you're probably not fanatical enough about a profession like those two to make any significant headway.
In my case, I got a scholarship that allowed me to take as many classes as I wanted for as long as I wanted, so I was the proverbial kid in a candy store, and I sampled a lot of stuff -- a hundred extra credits and over two years of extra stuff. I happened to be walking along the hallway and I saw a lecture being given that seemed cool, so I walked in and stayed for the class. It was my first brush with computer engineering, and I kept taking those classes while I was in my pre-med curriculum. That turned out to be my passion. But that wasn't the only reason.
Some folks think it may be the hours, but in my particular career, my hours turned out for years on a particularly critical assignment that took up at least as many hours as being a doctor would have. Some doctors in internship might smirk at that, but they'd be wrong, and I won't go into the details. And I spent years working 140 hours a week and choosing, voluntarily, not to take time off. But that's the kind of thing passion for a profession will make you do.
What made me think was that if I, as a scientist or engineer working on a machine, it can be fixed. People, not so much. I frankly didn't want to think that I might be overly tired some day, or simply not attentive, or not passionate enough to do everything possible and have someone suffer physically or even be crippled or die. I'm not strong enough to deal with that, to be honest. Or at least I wasn't confident in myself to be sure that I could be.
Any of the STEM courses of which medicine and engineering and various other fields are full of can go from casual study to intense mind-bending. But after all the study and training, you have that responsibility. So you have to ask yourself two questions. Am I passionate enough to compete with all those intense people and to absorb yourself into studying and research? And once I do, when I'm finally tasked to use that knowledge in a real situation, can I tolerate the failures?
BTW, a practicing physician spends a LOT of time paying back for facilities, student loans, medical insurance and sleepless nights. It's sort of like a lawyer. Folks think you're rolling in cash. But most of the time, the costs to get to that level are not small.
So it's not about money or vacations.
Doc’s Answer
MEDICAL DOCTORS
EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS – Becoming a medical doctor requires a minimum of 12 years of education – 4-year bachelor's degree, 4-years of medical school, a 1-year hospital internship and 3-years of residency training. Students interested in becoming physicians must ask themselves if they have the physical endurance, mental strength and emotional commitment to complete such a long and expensive program.
JOB DESCRIPTION – Examine, diagnose and treat patients. They can specialize in a number of medical areas, such as pediatrics, anesthesiology or cardiology, or they can work as general practice physicians. Becoming a medical doctor requires earning a doctoral degree in medicine and participating in clinical rotations. It's also common for medical school graduates to enroll in a residency program to study a specialty. Medical doctors need state licensure, and certification may also be required for some specialists.
SALARY INFORMATION
PEDIATRICIAN – Median annual salary of $200,000
NEUROLOGIST – Median annual salary of $256,000
DERMATOLOGIST –Median annual salary of $346,000
ANESTHESIOLOGIST – Median annual salary of $388,000
COMPUTER APPLICATION SOFTWARE ENGINEERS
EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS – Most computer software development jobs require bachelor's degrees in computer science or software engineering. These programs have significant math requirements that include a sequence in calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra. A sequence in physics is also required. Most employers prefer a computer engineer with a Master’s degree in engineering. Master’s degree programs include software and hardware engineering courses. A master’s degree program might require the student to complete a research project to fulfill the requirements of the degree.
JOB DESCRIPTION – Application software engineers design and develop software applications, such as utility programs and general application software. They work with the user to determine needs and create software to meet user's needs. They modify existing software to fix problems, optimize functioning and enable its use on new hardware platforms. They oversee installation of software systems as well as monitor equipment. They also perform testing and validation of software systems to ensure that applications work properly.
While some computer application engineers design and produce commercially sold software suites, most design or customize applications for businesses or other organizations. Some application engineers design and analyze databases within a given application area. An emerging field is game and application designs for cell phones, mp3 players and other portable computers.
Applications engineers must communicate with systems analysts, engineers and programmers to get information on project limitations, performance requirements and interfaces. They consult with clients in the design phase to determine clients' needs. After an application has been released, they help customers with maintenance issues.
SALARY INFORMATION – Median annual salary of $105,000
Hope this was Helpful Tylar
Ashlee’s Answer
I am not a doctor or an engineer, but I help students determine what area of study/career they would like to pursue. In my experience, both Doctors and Engineers get paid well, depending on a variety of factors (where they live, what type of field they are in within medicine and engineering, etc.). In addition, both usually make time for their families and vacations. I find that this is an unknown to students: there is a "work/life harmony" required to enjoy your work and enjoy your life. Commonly we call this "work/life balance." The truth is that sometimes, regardless of the field you go into for your career, you will work more, and sometimes you will life more. I hope that makes sense. So the next steps I would recommend to you are to research the types of classes/expectations that are required to get a degree in pre-med and engineering. This can be found on any university website, under their admissions tab, for that specific track. Here's USC's Pre-Med page as an example: https://www.sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/pre_professional_advising/premed/index.php. As an over-view in order to gain admittance into a professional MD program classes that are needed include: Anatomy and Physiology, Organic Chemistry, Statistics, Microbiology, Psychology (again this depends on the program you attend). Engineering programs usually include: Calculus I-III, University Physics, Engineering Chemistry and so on (again depending on the program you attend). With all of this, what I would recommend next is that you ask to job-shadow/observe a Doctor and an Engineer (this is easier than it seems because you can ask your own doctor or ask other family/friends for people to observe). This should help you better decide which field you find more interesting. The last piece of advice I want to give you is to also look beyond the hours, location, and pay of the job. Trust me, in the end, this is not everything. I hope this helps! Good luck!
Tommy’s Answer
Swee Ann’s Answer
Sarab’s Answer
ALEXIS’s Answer
It really depends on what interests you most! That may change as you get older, but my advice would be stay curious and open to exploring and learning new things about both fields. Look for STEM programs with your parents or guardians for both medicine and engineering, check out content online, and join as many groups as you can that offer opportunities to get a sense of both fields. It's also important to learn more about what the day to day work life balance is with both careers, as it may become more important to you as you get older. Life is for living, not solely for working and building a career. Whatever you decide, I know you can do it! Excited for your future. Good luck!
Gregory’s Answer
Money should not be the prime motivation for seeking a career as a medical doctor. As you said, long hours and stress (especially now with the COVID-19 pandemic) are part of the job. If it is your passion to care for sick people and help with healing them, then pursue a career as a medical doctor. If not, engineering would be the better choice.
rani priya’s Answer
STUDENT LIFE
Surviving the student life of medical science is much tougher than that of engineering. The former practically demands you to forget your personal life and study, study and study a little more. Whereas, for aspiring engineers getting into a good college is the toughest part, after that the journey is relatively smoother.
RESPECT
In this respect, doctors are clear winners. Doctors are saviours of lives; they are often given the status of semi-god by patients and the society in general. On the other hand, engineering is just another profession.
HARD WORK
Doctors have to struggle a lot more to establish themselves than engineers. Again, thanks to the advent of IT, B.Tech degree holders are much in demand. And if you manage to get an MBA done after B.Tech, you do not have to look back. However, a doctor needs time to flourish. Quick money is something that a doctor cannot have.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment of doctors is much flexible as compared to engineers. This is because doctors can work at hospitals, which have state-of-the-art facilities as well as in General Hospitals. Besides, doctors can also practice in their private clinics. Engineers, on the other hand, have to work in strict corporate environments and even at construction sites.
Deanna’s Answer
I am not a doctor or engineer myself, but I have three engineers in my family and my soon to be sister in law is in the process of becoming a doctor and I'm hopeful to give you some helpful advice based on my knowledge of their careers and selecting a job that will fulfill you in general.
One of the most important things to consider when selecting the job you want to go to college for is whether you are truly interested in that field of study. If medicine and engineering are fields you are passionate about, that is great! Which one do you feel will interest you more? Do you love helping people? Do you love math and science? Would you prefer to work directly with patients or at a desk?
Bear in mind that becoming a doctor will require a more lengthy schooling and training process (8 years along with required residency program), while to become an engineer, you can do so with a 4 year degree and then continue your education if you wish. Doctors may often be required to work long hours, nights, weekends, holidays, etc., where engineering may cater more to a 9-5 schedule.
There are also many different branches in the medical and engineering fields based on what you may be interested in. For example, if you're interested in the environment, perhaps environmental engineering would be of interest to you. If you're interested in helping children, perhaps a career as a pediatric doctor would be of interest.
I would be hesitant to choose a career solely based on the income earning potential. Consider your passions and interests first and what you feel would fuel you to get up in the morning and go to a job you truly enjoy.
You may also wish to seek a mentor or speak to members in your community in your fields of interest and find out more about what they do and why they love it. Hearing first hand from someone who has experience in the field may be very helpful to you.
Best of luck to you in your career search!
Rickey’s Answer
It really depends on your interests and passions. if you have a strong desire to solve problems and are technically minded, then engineering sounds like a great path for you to take. In the engineering profession there are variety of different specialties such as mechanical, electrical, biomedical, industrial, environmental, materials, etc.
I had a friend in college that wanted to be a doctor originally, but switched over to doing biomedical engineering as he was more interested in creating artificial limbs and devices that would support people's health.
Ask yourself the question, "What do I really want to do and am I willing to put in the time it will take to get there?
As a engineer, it takes on average 4-5 years to get a engineering degree whereas a doctor may take anywhere from 8-12+ years of schooling to get that degree. Chances are that whatever your passionate about, it will keep you focused and going even when times get tough. So I wish you well in your career search!
Kuei-Ti’s Answer
While I personally had no plan to be a doctor, several of my friends majored in an engineering major during undergraduate with the plan of applying to the school of medicine to be a doctor. Some of the majors my friends took were bioengineering and electrical engineering with a concentration of biomedical instrumentation.
Some of them didn't choose the pre-med for their undergraduate so that if they changed their mind, they could be engineers instead of doctors.
The courses in those specific engineering majors are also useful for preparing for MCAT.
Consider taking MOOCs intended for helping high school students explore different careers. FutureLearn (UK) isn't for high school students only but provides a lot of courses that aren't too hard: https://www.futurelearn.com/ Most MOOCs are free and self-paced, so there's no rush.
As for life as an engineer, it really depends on what type of engineer (electrical, computer, etc.), what organization, what department, what team, the team members, and a lot of other factors. Mine is fun, with intelligent and friendly coworkers (including my managers) in my team who, in my opinion, are better than a lot of engineers on TV as they don't cause trouble and they try to do things in a rigorous way. I've never had to worry about workplace bullying and can focus on my work because of them.
Kuei-Ti recommends the following next steps:
Sean’s Answer
If high levels of compensation after college is your primary objective, majoring in Computer Science or Chemical Engineering are great choices as starting salaries are among the highest relative to other engineering disciplines. If you're looking for an engineering major that will offer the widest variety of career opportunities after graduation, I would recommend Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, or Biomedical Engineering. Other engineering disciplines (Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, etc.) offer great opportunities as well, and if those are of highest interest to you, you can't really go wrong majoring in any engineering discipline.
Jimmy’s Answer
it give you reward for the hard efforts you have paid, and it leave a wide space of area that you can fly around with your full energy.
But when I become older, I feel like a doctor is a more important and a more inspiring work , especially in current cov19 event.
So to do this choice , you have to think about :
Becoming a doctor:
1. after high school, it takes between 9 to 13 years before one can practice on his/her own, if you need to take out a student loan, you will spent the first 10 years after finishing residency paying off your debt so you can start living after being 40-45 years old.
2. The working week is long, your profession will impact heavily on your private life, without a supportive partner you couldn't have a happy family life.
3. in many parts of the world finding a job wouldn't be a problem , and the pay often is quite OK, when compared to engineers, but will vary widely depending of your specialty.
Becoming an engineer:
1. It takes "just" 5 years after high school to graduate, after that engineers will go on educating/training themselves on the job, but have a decent paying job, unlike the underpaid resident doctors in training for medical specialist often making ± $ 60,000 a year.
2. In many countries income would be lower than a doctor's, but social life would be better because of the more civilized working hours.
according to Engineering Salaries on the Rise - ASME in the US engineers make an average income of $ 103,400.- including bonuses.
3. people's skill are also very much needed if one aims for a management position.
Regards
Theresa’s Answer
For general advice I would suggest that you really need to decide which interests you the most. A job, no matter how well paid, will be boring if you are not interested in the work and will make you unhappy. Finding something you are passionate about is the key to a happy life. You might find an engineering degree in the medical field such as bio-engineering.
M’s Answer
At the end, it all comes down to your passion, how much time you want to invest. Regarding salary, software engineers these days are making decent money.
Nicole’s Answer
You have been fortunate in that the answers you have gotten are really good ones. As a person who graduated with an engineering degree, I can share with you that there are many colleges/universities that specialize in a branch of engineering called bio-medical engineering. You have gotten some good responses from other folks about salary ranges and expectations for either a medical or engineering degree. I echo the feedback that what is most important is that you begin to work through understanding what you like to do and whether or when that passion is deep enough to apply the time and energy to succeed.
As you continue doing your research, consider areas of engineering that have "slices" of medicine. Note also that many times there is overlap in college/university curricula between engineering and medicine, for example statistics and data analysis.
I wish you best of luck on your journey!
Jonathan’s Answer
Vineeth’s Answer
I am from India. There are differences between an engineer and a doctor here. We have many software engineers compared to the doctors. And being said this, the opportunities for doctors are huge. Even after retirement if they want to have private consultation they can contiue working. I believe challenges and risks are the same in both industry. But for a doctor to get his branding and get settled it takes time compared to any other job. Once they have their branding it is easy for them to sustain.
More than what i mentioned above, there is a human factor associated in a doctor. They get more satisfaction than working with machines. same time risk can be more too.
So my suggestion would be to think more about your preference. What you like to do in this life? Service people? or earn a career like every other?
Colleen’s Answer
This is so interesting to see. From the time I was 8 years old, I dreamed of becoming a doctor. My grandfather was a family practitioner and I saw so much of the work he did and wanted to do the same some day. I worked really hard up through high school and did plenty of research into what medical schools are looking for in competitive candidates, and used that information when choosing my college major. I chose Chemical Engineering and applied to colleges with rigorous engineering programs, with the thought of possibly standing out amongst the many bio/chem majors who’d be applying to med school. I completed my major while following the Pre-Health track at my university, but I knew from the moment I sat through my first Chemical Engineering course (Material & Energy Balances) in my sophomore year, that my passions actually leaned towards Engineering.
I never wanted to become a doctor for the financial gain; in reality, although doctors have above average salaries, they also have large quantities of undergrad & medical school debt, and in the event that they own their own doctor’s office, they also have relatively high levels of liability insurance for their practices, which can work to even out the pay gap between the professions of engineer & physician. I wanted to become a doctor to solve people’s health problems, like my grandpa did. He owned a small family practice and I watched him work long hours diagnosing and treating a huge range of medical ailments; he also made house calls to those who couldn’t make it to his practice. I saw his compassion and enduring need to help fix people. That’s what drove me towards that profession. And honestly, up until college, I didn’t actually know what an engineer did. There were no engineers in my family or close family friends, so I had little to go off of except the fact that I knew they were usually adept at math & science, which were both huge academic passions of mine.
What changed my mind about my career path, was that I realized at the root of my desire to become a doctor was my innate passion for problem solving and my want to help people by figuring out problems & working to solve them. It was very simple. And while pursuing my Chemical Engineering degree I found that I could find systemic, large-scale problems in how things work in so many different industries with Engineering, like pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, waste treatment, biomedical devices, etc and the solutions that I could come up with could help many people in many different ways. At the end of the day, I liked the VARIETY of problems I could encounter in Engineering, as opposed to specifically medical problems I’d be seeing primarily in the medical field. There was no consideration for money or vacation time in either profession if I’m being honest. As overly simple as it sounds, I just had to ask myself what was at the core of my passion for either profession and that guided me, I just happened to find a home with Engineering and I’m incredibly happy with my choice.
I wish you the best of luck moving forward :)
Ashley’s Answer
Rebecca’s Answer
I was a mechanical engineer before pivoting to product management. I also lived in NYC for 5 years and love NYC.
My advice here however would be to focus on the career goal first, and the location will come. Being a doctor or engineer in NYC, you will do just fine, so I think the bigger question here is what are you interested in more. Both careers will require a lot of dedication and time to gain expertise, so you'll want to ensure they maintain your interest.
Engineering is cool, yes, but perhaps not entirely like Myth Busters on TV :-) I varies greatly though and my engineering career involved a lot of calculations along with a lot of hands on experimentation. For me, the hands on experimentation was my favorite part!
Being proficient in either one of these fields will allow you to have flexibility in location. You can do either in NYC!
Maroua’s Answer
Some times you can be in a job that pays very well but you are not comfortable or happy! Remember that the key to success is to balance between the job you are doing and your personal life.
I suggest that that you try to get into an internship or even a volunteer work in each one of the fields . This will expose you to the environment and will give you the opportunity to experience how it really is to be a n engineer or a doctor.
You have plenty of time ahead of you to explore and enjoy, good luck with that!
P.s I am an engineer and I am enjoying it :)
Gabrielle’s Answer
Diana’s Answer
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Priyanka’s Answer
Zimrri’s Answer
It's great to see you think about your future at such a young age. Before you think about the money focus on what makes you happy. You should look at for volunteering opportunities and go into the office. Most engineering companies have very flexible schedules, work from home, and paid time off. For example, I work at Workday as a Quality Assurance Engineer and my work and life balance has been amazing. We have game rooms, snacks, and Workday cares about our wellbeing.
Cost of living could be expensive in the city. There are a couple ways to make living more affordable. For example, you could live outside of city in areas with lower rent. You could also split your living expenses with roommates as well.
Make sure whatever you do makes you happy at the end of the day. Everything will fall into place.