Physicist vs Surgeon?

Also,Please don't say do your passion and its not for money as i am interested in medicine as well.

Why not? We are strangers over the internet - to listen to us over what you prefer seems a bit silly.

From your post, it seems clear you'd prefer Physics.

(Also, your reasons for going into Medicine are the entirely wrong reasons - have a look at the news and you'll see it's not as good as you think!)

What do you mean by:

your reasons for going into Medicine are the entirely wrong reasons - have a look at the news and you'll see it's not as good as you think!

What do you mean by:

your reasons for going into Medicine are the entirely wrong reasons - have a look at the news and you'll see it's not as good as you think!

OK,I'm am currently going to go into y11 GCSE's...I have considered career option in engineering and physics(physicist)/Surgeon...

I personally absolutely love physics(And engineering) and it is one of my if not only true life passion...I'm intrigued by every aspect of it and i would like to study physics at oxford...

My DAD is a surgeon and my mum and dad are persuading me into a career in medicine and to be more specific:as a surgeon...

They list the benefits of the career on relation to physics /engineering such asigh pay,Respect,Easier for me due to dad being a surgeon,ETC...

I'm so confused ye determined on selecting a career so please could you assist me?

Also,Please don't say do your passion and its not for money as i am interested in medicine as well.

Thanks.

OK,I'm am currently going to go into y11 GCSE's...I have considered career option in engineering and physics(physicist)/Surgeon...

I personally absolutely love physics(And engineering) and it is one of my if not only true life passion...I'm intrigued by every aspect of it and i would like to study physics at oxford...

My DAD is a surgeon and my mum and dad are persuading me into a career in medicine and to be more specific:as a surgeon...

They list the benefits of the career on relation to physics /engineering such asigh pay,Respect,Easier for me due to dad being a surgeon,ETC...

I'm so confused ye determined on selecting a career so please could you assist me?

Also,Please don't say do your passion and its not for money as i am interested in medicine as well.

Thanks.

Say you go down the route of a physics degree, maybe even a PhD, too, and you find that physics research doesn't interest you any more. You have a degree and a PhD in physics which means you can more or less stroll into any numerate job you want.

On the other hand, say you go down the path of medicine/surgery, spending seven years (?) studying medicine then another raft of years learning how to be a surgeon. Let's say, again, at the end of your training you decide that surgery or medicine just isn't for you. Then what do you?

The physics degree closes the fewest amount of doors for your future career. Now I'm not saying definitely go ahead and do physics, but you should definitely consider the possibility that what you want to do now is not the same as what you will want to do in ten years. When I was doing my GCSEs (I started them ten years ago) I thought I wanted to be a physicist, too. I didn't even finish my four year physics degree (did three years and graduated with a BSc instead of MPhys) before I realised I didn't want to be a physicist. I'm now doing something else I love which is related to physics but much more applied to the real world. I had no idea I wanted to do this until my third year of university and having done three years of physics at university have put me in a very strong position.

Another point to make is that while your parents want the best for you, allowing them to mould you in their image is bad for you, as you're not really thinking for yourself then.

Say you go down the route of a physics degree, maybe even a PhD, too, and you find that physics research doesn't interest you any more. You have a degree and a PhD in physics which means you can more or less stroll into any numerate job you want.

On the other hand, say you go down the path of medicine/surgery, spending seven years (?) studying medicine then another raft of years learning how to be a surgeon. Let's say, again, at the end of your training you decide that surgery or medicine just isn't for you. Then what do you?

The physics degree closes the fewest amount of doors for your future career. Now I'm not saying definitely go ahead and do physics, but you should definitely consider the possibility that what you want to do now is not the same as what you will want to do in ten years. When I was doing my GCSEs (I started them ten years ago) I thought I wanted to be a physicist, too. I didn't even finish my four year physics degree (did three years and graduated with a BSc instead of MPhys) before I realised I didn't want to be a physicist. I'm now doing something else I love which is related to physics but much more applied to the real world. I had no idea I wanted to do this until my third year of university and having done three years of physics at university have put me in a very strong position.

Another point to make is that while your parents want the best for you, allowing them to mould you in their image is bad for you, as you're not really thinking for yourself then.

OK,I'm am currently going to go into y11 GCSE's...I have considered career option in engineering and physics(physicist)/Surgeon...

I personally absolutely love physics(And engineering) and it is one of my if not only true life passion...I'm intrigued by every aspect of it and i would like to study physics at oxford...

My DAD is a surgeon and my mum and dad are persuading me into a career in medicine and to be more specific:as a surgeon...

They list the benefits of the career on relation to physics /engineering such asigh pay,Respect,Easier for me due to dad being a surgeon,ETC...

I'm so confused ye determined on selecting a career so please could you assist me?

Also,Please don't say do your passion and its not for money as i am interested in medicine as well.

Thanks.

Say you go down the route of a physics degree, maybe even a PhD, too, and you find that physics research doesn't interest you any more. You have a degree and a PhD in physics which means you can more or less stroll into any numerate job you want.

On the other hand, say you go down the path of medicine/surgery, spending seven years (?) studying medicine then another raft of years learning how to be a surgeon. Let's say, again, at the end of your training you decide that surgery or medicine just isn't for you. Then what do you?

The physics degree closes the fewest amount of doors for your future career. Now I'm not saying definitely go ahead and do physics, but you should definitely consider the possibility that what you want to do now is not the same as what you will want to do in ten years. When I was doing my GCSEs (I started them ten years ago) I thought I wanted to be a physicist, too. I didn't even finish my four year physics degree (did three years and graduated with a BSc instead of MPhys) before I realised I didn't want to be a physicist. I'm now doing something else I love which is related to physics but much more applied to the real world. I had no idea I wanted to do this until my third year of university and having done three years of physics at university have put me in a very strong position.

Another point to make is that while your parents want the best for you, allowing them to mould you in their image is bad for you, as you're not really thinking for yourself then.

tbh though, I'd argue that there are similar, if not more, number of possible career options. It'd be just as hard for a physics grad to get into the biomedical field or medicine related businesses imo. Do agree on the possible academic postgrad paths though. Medicine does restrict you a bit more than general natural sciences, but that's more or less applicable to biomedical fields. But as said, don't think it'd make that much of a career difference in terms of opportunities outside of academic fields.

In regards to OP, pay isn't that good for most medics considering the effort. You get roughly 60k a year for 8 years after graduation (if you do become a surgeon/consultant, but GPs are roughly the same so meh.), which adding 5/6 years of uni means 13 years spent. In that time, you'd have gotten a PhD if in academia, or roughly the same amount of money. Add to that your specialty will more or less determine whether you'd get any additional income from private practice/shortage-so-expensive-overtime/awards, it isn't that safe a path for financial success. On the other hand, no matter the pay, it still boasts one of the highest, if not the highest, employment rates of any field. As everyone says, IB pays more than what a junior doc would make, and a consultant would with the same number of experience/years. It also really annoys you when you're still in uni and your Econs buddy starts a job in the City for 50k pa

Can't beat the job security though. Unless you get struck off the register. Then you're more or less screwed.

OK,I'm am currently going to go into y11 GCSE's...I have considered career option in engineering and physics(physicist)/Surgeon...

I personally absolutely love physics(And engineering) and it is one of my if not only true life passion...I'm intrigued by every aspect of it and i would like to study physics at oxford...

My DAD is a surgeon and my mum and dad are persuading me into a career in medicine and to be more specific:as a surgeon...

They list the benefits of the career on relation to physics /engineering such asigh pay,Respect,Easier for me due to dad being a surgeon,ETC...

I'm so confused ye determined on selecting a career so please could you assist me?

Also,Please don't say do your passion and its not for money as i am interested in medicine as well.

Thanks.

Mind if i ask what your job is ? Lately i've been researching jobs with physics to be sure that's what i want to study when i go to uni. Best i've seen so far are NHS medical physicist, Teacher/lecturer and researcher.

1) Do physics, re-evaluate your life after the degree (if you want to do Medicine after you can always do a grad scheme, though i'd be amazed if you do)

2) I'm confused why your parents would want you to go into medicine...most doctors I talk to are telling their progeny the exact opposite. The hours are horrible, it's a long training programme, the pay has been cut, it's dangerously unsafe, your colleagues in other professions are being

3) High pay? There are many ways to reach the same or more money in other fields...engineering for example

4) Respect? Just look at the media, by the time you would qualify the respect will have completely dissipated.

5) Unless your dad is corrupt, it's only gonna be a little easier because he's a doctor...and then if he is corrupt I suppose the GMC will catch up with him (they always do) and it'll make it more difficult. (this was a joke) However, what isn't a joke is that people who do Medicine because there parents thing it's a good thing are actively sought out for rejection...ask any admissions office.

6) Log out of TSR and go get some work experience in a hospital/GP practice/care home, research some careers in physics and get some work experience with the ones that sound interesting



This person has a point.

Medicine is a vocational degree you graduate as Dr., physics is academic. However, that does not mean if you do a medical degree you have to work in a hospital, GP practice etc. Grad schemes are still open to you if you figure it's wrong for you or you can do law conversions, go into finance, management etc. It is a valuable degree to have...however the degree goes on far to long for you not at least to plan on being a hospital doctor/surgeon/GP at the start.

In short, I don't think Medicine closes more doors...it just makes the corridor longer.



True dat. And the lawyers.

I completely agree with your second point...Actually i have messed the text up...My dad who is the surgeon does encourage and ALSO discourage me...He says that he worked way to hard and he has low pay(E.G=When he asked for mortgage on a new house he was complaining how much he was questioned financially,ETC...)...Also he says that job has lost its charm too...HOWEVER MY MUM SAYS IT IS AMAZING AND THE ULTIMATE AND THE ONLY CAREER FOR ME(She is a mathematician though)...

You seem like you know a lot,so I'M guessing you could help...

Is what my dad saying true?BTW i don't trust his view completely as he studied in India and came to the UK but even though he is a consultant I'M assuming the gap between India and UK extended his time to become a consultant and surgeons in America are very well paid as i researched and the average neurosurgeon with a few years experience has a average salary of 540k!!!

Also my dad is a (reconstructive) plastic surgeon...

Has medicine:

Lost its charm
Pay significantly decreased
Financially stressed
Mentally stressed
No overall satisfied
ETC...

The only good point my dad ever mentions is the job security...
He says he would not pick it again if he had the choice...

Any thoughts from anyone?