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What is the job security of a Med Student?

My parents and family members have always been urging me to go along the route of becoming a doctor or anything relating to medical. On my part, I am not that against their suggestion. Recently, I've been aiming to switch from Mechanical Engineering to applying for medical school. A factor of my decision was the job security of a medical student that completed his/her residency vs. a graduate with a master degree pertaining to Mechanical/Civil/Chemical engineering. How reassured should I feel? I'm guessing that finding work is much easier if I'm willing to work through all the schooling and dirty work. #medicine #college-major #jobs

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Raquel’s Answer

There is definitely a lot of job security in becoming a doctor. There is currently a doctor shortage that is only going to get worse as the population ages. It's one of the top five needed professions at the moment. Though I wouldn't say there's much difference in finding jobs between the specialties, there are less opportunities for more niche fields like plastic surgery and dermatology. With that being said going into medicine purely for job security is a horrible idea. It takes a tremendous amount of time and work to even get into medical school The MCAT (entrance exam) is ranked the fifth hardest exam in the world and the licensing exams (three of them) are higher than the MCAT. So it's incredibly difficult to get into medical school and then the schooling itself is also very difficult and rigorous. It's not something people do for job security or money and succeed. You have to be very passionate about it to get through it.
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Ken’s Answer

In today's economy, which appears to be volatile, it is difficult to say with certainty that any profession is secure. Be that as it may, the question of "job security" may not be the most important consideration in selecting a career. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I have hired too many graduates who, when on the job, have found that they did not like the practical application of what they had studied, as they had not taken the time and effort to determine which career area most suited their interests and personality trait. From my experiences, I am offering some suggestions that might help one with the important task of selecting an appropriate career. The most important thing to remember when selecting a career area is to be true to yourself and listen to your inner voice and pay attention to your feelings as you consider various options. You are selecting a career area based upon your view of success and your feelings of fulfilment.

Ken recommends the following next steps:

Congratulations on being interested in the medical field. It takes a special person to enter this field and meet the demands which this career area presents. The first step is to get to know yourself to see if you share the personality traits which makes one successful in the medical field by taking an interest and aptitude test.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your school who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
Before switching from engineering, here are some very important sites that you might benefit by visiting before making a final decision: ## https://www.engineergirl.org/ ## ## http://www.futureengineers.org/ ## ## https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43zVcmTJSKM ## ## http://stemtosteam.org/ ## ## https://www.asme.org/career-education/articles/undergraduate-students/engineering-still-needs-more-women ##
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Betty’s Answer

Hi Anh Minh,

What a great question you asked. While I don't have direct experience in the two fields you mentioned, I do know that the aging population is a huge factor and there is a huge demand for medical professionals. The road is quite long for a medical doctor and there are other professions that may have different requirements that you could complete in a shorter time frame. Have you considered being a dentist, physician assistant or cosmetologist? One profession that my niece is very happy with is Perfusionist and the main responsibility of that profession is to operate a heart-lung machine, which is an artificial blood pump, which propels oxygenated blood to the patient's tissues while the surgeon operates on the heart. She really likes her job and it took her about 2-3 years after graduating from a 4 year college to get her specialty degree.

The net is the medical profession pays very well, more demand and probably is a better choice for females who want to develop a great career. I've heard that the field of civil engineering could be difficult profession for females in terms of being accepted, but that was just one person's experience. While it's something to keep in mind, I wouldn't base my decision on it. The future of medical profession is very strong and will increase in demand in the future.
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