Alright I'll give my two cents, second hand from my brother who is currently doing med. Whilst he is enjoying the course, and it is rewarding and all that, he sees that it isnt really all it cracked up to be. Most people think that there is a progression that easily comes after getting in: Do med -> specialise in whatever you want -> get lots of $$$$$$$$$$. But at the moment, medicine schools are producing more doctors than there is a need for. This might seem wrong- everyones seen the stats with med students at the highest employment 5 years out of uni, and getting good salaries, but this is because they are guaranteed intern positions at hospitals- they are those people you see in scrubs and what not going around talking to patients. Sure they earn handsome salary, but they work 60 hour weeks, night shifts, overtime and in comparison to other degrees like engineering, this is shit. They are making less than engineers who have 40 hour weeks and no night shifts etc.
So you don't want to be an intern for two long- no worries, I've got my degree, let me go specialise, right? Wrong. Most specialist training schemes take less than ten people a year. For example, opthamology takes 3 a year. To put that in perspective, every year ~100 people graduate from each medical school, and my brother said the 5th yearers at his uni were saying they looked to apply, and found each scheme had over 1000 applicants. Thats 0.3% chance of getting in. Don't get in? Well next year hundreds more people just graduated and want to specialise. GG.
So it becomes a game- the form for paediatric GP training scheme had 3 opening questions: 1) Are you first in your med degree? 2) Do you have a PhD? 3) Have you performed XYZ operations? You can just imagine with over 1000 applicants, atleast 3 are going to have a phd or be first or done all these operations, so goodbye Jimmy who's just graduated 2 years ago, try again next year. The system therefore becomes a game of who has amassed the most masters degrees, has the best PhD, who comes first. And you know what that means: more time spent being an intern with 60 hour weeks and average money. So you do your PhD over 6 years, at the same time working massive hours (gl finding the time lol) and trying to convince the doctors to let you sit in on the operations. You are now 30. You finally get into that fucking opthamology scheme. You study for 3 more years, you have to pass more tests, you come out as a specialist doctor at the age of 33.
Now you can make the $$$. But is it worth it? Your friends who did computer science or law have been earning good money for an extra 5 years, and at the same time have gotten married, started their families, climbed the corporate ladder. Every year you might earn more, but they've had yhears of experience and solid salary that you missed. And lets not even start on the lifestyle side- how are you going to manage getting married, having kids, giving them a good childhood if your working night shifts and working your ass off to finish this fucking PhD at the age of 28.
Some make it- for some the progression is easy. But lets face it- is that you?
