Is medicine genuinely worth it? What other options do I have?

People who spend their time complaining on Reddit and TSR are not representative of UK doctors.

Thanks for replying. I get what you're saying, but also it's hard not to listen to them when there are still junior doctors striking and many planning to go to Australia at the first chance. I don't know much, which is exactly why I posted this, and that's why I went to TSR and Reddit as I wanted to hear from real people with real experiences.

Yep, entirely understandable, I am not criticising you at all. I am just advising caution against thinking that a relatively small group of people who choose to spend their free time complaining about their career on online forums are representative of the average person. What proportion of doctors do you think have a TSR or Reddit account? I would suggest a very very very small proportion. This applies to basically all areas of life, not just medicine. "Popular opinion" on eg Twitter/Reddit is often completely different than the real world.

I would note the debt is a non-issue. I suggest reading this article by the government about how student loan "debt" works: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/8-things-you-should-know-about-your-student-loan--2

While granted medicine is one of the few degrees where you're most likely to end up actually paying it off before it gets written off anyway, you only make repayments proportional to your income so you're never paying more than you can afford. It's not like bank loan debt, you'll never have bailiffs knocking on your door for repayments.

Thank you. I probably should've done more research on the debt part but since it's a 5/6 year degree it just adds more concern.

Also the 5th and 6th year are funded by NHS bursary which you don't need to pay back (you get full tuition fees covered by this and also a bursary to support your living costs; this is usually less than the total maintenance loan you get in each of years 1 to 4 though but you can apply for a reduced maintenance loan in year 5 and/or 6 to "top up" the bursary). Also unlike most graduates you are, at least at present, more or less guaranteed a job with guaranteed pay progression (assuming you don't mind going into whichever specialty you are able to), which no other degree offers.

While yes, doctors in the UK have had a real pay cut relative to inflation over the last ~10 years or so, and while yes there probably is something to say that the earliest years of working as a junior doctor you are relatively underpaid given the length of training, in the long run you are much, much better off than most graduates statistically. You aren't going to be living on the street after doing a medical degree, at least in terms of your take home pay.

Although doctors may be underpaid, you're still better paid than most other members of UK society, and have significant benefits (much better job security, relative guarantee of a job - although this may change in future - after the degree, and an excellent pension scheme I understand). I think unfortunately the reddit lot forget this very often and come up with disingenuous examples (e.g. claiming their friend who did a 3 year degree then got a job at Goldman Sachs is working "9 to 5 earning 4x as much" when in reality they are working far more hours than 9 to 5 at any investment bank, and very, very few graduates are going to be successful in securing such a role).

So things could be better for doctors in the UK undoubtedly, some of the issues need to be looked at in context - and that context is "compared to the rest of the UK" not "compared to doctors in competitive specialties working in private practices they started themselves in the US".

Thanks for your insight. The job security is definitely a big factor in choosing a career, and I believe medicine is more stable than getting a job in biotechnology, which I'll probably need a masters in if I want to progress in that field and earn some good money. I'll definitely have to consider the pros and cons of both, I'm just worried about making the wrong decision.

This is going to be a pretty long post.

I'm in Year 12, doing biology, chemistry and physics and pretty much from the start of Year 12 I was super set on getting into medicine. I got work experience during my first half term, I planned out all aspects of my application and I could tell you almost everything about the UK medical school application itself. I even dropped psychology for physics, which I suck at, but Cambridge themselves say that most successful medicine applicants have 3 science/maths A-levels (This is the most stupid decision I know but it's one I will have to live with.) But for the past couple of weeks I've been going on a deep dive on TSR and Reddit, and from what I've seen, almost every single doctor in the UK regrets their choice of choosing medicine. These people who once genuinely had a passion for medicine now are severely overworked and severely underpaid under the NHS, and it's not like moving to Australia is super easy (although I don't know anything about that actual process). I literally someone say that the work is 'mind gruelling and monotonous', and that junior doctors especially are constantly disrespected. Almost every single doctor regrets their job, and none of it is worth their sacrifices.

I don't know what to think. I knew that medicine was incredibly difficult, but I was prepared for it if it meant that I could study the fascinating field of medicine, and use my knowledge to aid people at their most vulnerable, and getting their trust to let me do my best to help them and not give up helping them. I thought that's what it's about. But apparently being a doctor or a surgeon is just a lifetime of incredible responsibility that leaves no room for mistakes unless you like killing someone, years of study and DEBT (this is something I'm really worried about) to be paid disgustingly low wages (it's not like I need to be mega rich but I also REALLY don't want to struggle financially along with struggling mentally and physically) and the knowledge that the thing you used to work so hard at just a chance for is now the reason you will spend the rest of your life hating what you do and wishing you had just done a different degree.

I genuinely want to be a doctor. I'm not intelligent at all, but my enjoyment in biology and chemistry pushes me to do well, even if it means putting even more effort to understand simple ideas. I'm not good at maths, there's no way I could pursue anything in CS/finance, and I have looked into other degrees such as biotechnology, which really interest me as well, but I don't know if there are many jobs with biology related degrees that pay above average. Getting into medical school and becoming a doctor would be an amazing privilege, but I don't know if I want to study medicine just to be another doctor who no longer loves what they do at all and has developed resentment towards medicine because the immense stress and regret that comes with the job doesn't outweigh helping people, which is understandable, but terribly unfortunate.

Right now I have the opportunity to study any degree I want (provided I get accepted) and I just don't want to regret what I do. I've made so many regrets when it comes to school already. I really want to be a doctor, a surgeon specifically, but do I take the risk of very much potentially hating my career and being burnt out everyday that I am unable to provide the care my patients deserve? Do I do biotechnology and still enjoy what I do but probably not have much job security and not earn good money unless I do a PhD? Or do I say frick it and try to find a way to do computer science to earn good money while not having the right A-levels (biology, chemistry, physics)?

If anyone has any advice I would seriously appreciate it. I'm also considering dentistry, I like how you still get to learn about the body you're just specialising in teeth and also how practical it is, but I'm just not super duper passionate about that. I'm also resitting GCSE maths and English language because I want better grades in them, just some more major decisions I made just to improve my chances of being accepted into medical school. I hate myself for this.

I know my post is super detailed and I probably seem like an intense overthinker, but I would really just like some advice about choosing careers. Everyday for months I have aspired to be a doctor, but if pursing that means I will inevitably lose my passion for medicine and being so burnt out that I suck as a doctor, I'd rather not risk it.

Medical applicant here!! I had the same fear in y12 and thought ab jus doinf journalism or politics or something bc im really passionate ab making a difference but after speaking to doctors in real life during my work experience it honestly made me realise how fulfilling of a career it is, because I think it’s really hard to make a difference by being a journalist or politician unless youre the PM but as a doctor you’re more in contact with the public and vulnerable people. You get to make those interpersonal connections and constantly learn which is what motivates me, and my dream is to literally go abroad as a doctor and help people struggling in malnourished countries.

Idk why you want to study medicine, but a few of the doctors I spoke to were also just as passionate as me and although they did complain ab the funding, pay, poor facilities and the **** system they also talked ab how much they love making a difference and honestly this might change by the time we become doctors; the system might become worse or better but at the end of the day personally this is the only way I can help people actively

This is going to be a pretty long post.

I'm in Year 12, doing biology, chemistry and physics and pretty much from the start of Year 12 I was super set on getting into medicine. I got work experience during my first half term, I planned out all aspects of my application and I could tell you almost everything about the UK medical school application itself. I even dropped psychology for physics, which I suck at, but Cambridge themselves say that most successful medicine applicants have 3 science/maths A-levels (This is the most stupid decision I know but it's one I will have to live with.) But for the past couple of weeks I've been going on a deep dive on TSR and Reddit, and from what I've seen, almost every single doctor in the UK regrets their choice of choosing medicine. These people who once genuinely had a passion for medicine now are severely overworked and severely underpaid under the NHS, and it's not like moving to Australia is super easy (although I don't know anything about that actual process). I literally someone say that the work is 'mind gruelling and monotonous', and that junior doctors especially are constantly disrespected. Almost every single doctor regrets their job, and none of it is worth their sacrifices.

I don't know what to think. I knew that medicine was incredibly difficult, but I was prepared for it if it meant that I could study the fascinating field of medicine, and use my knowledge to aid people at their most vulnerable, and getting their trust to let me do my best to help them and not give up helping them. I thought that's what it's about. But apparently being a doctor or a surgeon is just a lifetime of incredible responsibility that leaves no room for mistakes unless you like killing someone, years of study and DEBT (this is something I'm really worried about) to be paid disgustingly low wages (it's not like I need to be mega rich but I also REALLY don't want to struggle financially along with struggling mentally and physically) and the knowledge that the thing you used to work so hard at just a chance for is now the reason you will spend the rest of your life hating what you do and wishing you had just done a different degree.

I genuinely want to be a doctor. I'm not intelligent at all, but my enjoyment in biology and chemistry pushes me to do well, even if it means putting even more effort to understand simple ideas. I'm not good at maths, there's no way I could pursue anything in CS/finance, and I have looked into other degrees such as biotechnology, which really interest me as well, but I don't know if there are many jobs with biology related degrees that pay above average. Getting into medical school and becoming a doctor would be an amazing privilege, but I don't know if I want to study medicine just to be another doctor who no longer loves what they do at all and has developed resentment towards medicine because the immense stress and regret that comes with the job doesn't outweigh helping people, which is understandable, but terribly unfortunate.

Right now I have the opportunity to study any degree I want (provided I get accepted) and I just don't want to regret what I do. I've made so many regrets when it comes to school already. I really want to be a doctor, a surgeon specifically, but do I take the risk of very much potentially hating my career and being burnt out everyday that I am unable to provide the care my patients deserve? Do I do biotechnology and still enjoy what I do but probably not have much job security and not earn good money unless I do a PhD? Or do I say frick it and try to find a way to do computer science to earn good money while not having the right A-levels (biology, chemistry, physics)?

If anyone has any advice I would seriously appreciate it. I'm also considering dentistry, I like how you still get to learn about the body you're just specialising in teeth and also how practical it is, but I'm just not super duper passionate about that. I'm also resitting GCSE maths and English language because I want better grades in them, just some more major decisions I made just to improve my chances of being accepted into medical school. I hate myself for this.

I know my post is super detailed and I probably seem like an intense overthinker, but I would really just like some advice about choosing careers. Everyday for months I have aspired to be a doctor, but if pursing that means I will inevitably lose my passion for medicine and being so burnt out that I suck as a doctor, I'd rather not risk it.

medicine is a tough course to get into, with a lot of stress to many people, people having to apply for gap years because of grades, exams etc etc.

if you have work experience with a doctor let's say I assume you did ask about the job, how is it do you like it? the people who may complain on social media aren't the same people who work a lot. many do, but many don't represent the profession.
i know doctors as friends, it is true quite a few of them, former colleagues of theirs don't like working in the UK due to the working conditions, pay etc etc. this is true, but many also have said it is rewarding, almost every doctor I have spoken to has said that. you also need to understand that being a doctor isn't just NHS, it is also private, many get somewhat jealous so could say towards American doctors/ their counterparts driving nice cars and mansions but that's because almost every profession you could say gets a boost in income in the USA.
but what you need to realise, for med it isn't about money, many do have expectations of money per say, the money you see online is good but the hours quite frankly are long. you will always have to be academic to understand new content, maybe come up with new research. the field as well also matters, as most dissatisfaction comes from junior doctors.

you mention strikes, almost every public sector worker is striking so it isn't a medical issue but a governmental one.

not everybody is right for medicine, many don't seem to get the hours, you need to understand that there is 20k applicants some of the people who get accepted, may have chosen medicine because their family/culture viewed it as a big thing. but they weren't ready for it. it is like 10 years of your life to study and get to the specialist field. so understand that some comments are from people in the low stage for a doctor ( junior) and many may not have been right for it in the first place or at a bad time.

if money is a facto, finance would work a lot. but for the common jobs, it is a lot of work for the first ten years then a reward in the form of cash comes. you will arguably be mentally and physically challenged in most positions that you assume like a lawyer perhaps.

the odds of you killing someone as a GP is low, i hope someone dying under you as a GP doesn't occur. but the point is GPS get paid good, but the responsibility is not as huge as a surgeon. if a death does occur, the coroners court would be involved. but as a doctor you are trained so the odds of an accidental death are low, unless you are not performing incorrectly.
DEBT is a big thing to worry about, it is quite expensive for a doctor. if you are up for the smarts, completing a degree then moving to the USA should earn you a lot. you will also be able to pay off debt as a doctor here. but it's difficult, to move to the USA aswell, i think the exam you can only do it once.

follow your passion, you can be a surgeon but one that involves fewer complications such as death, death is uncommon for certain fields. be an eye surgeon, the surgery with training shouldn't cause you to be too nervous.

what gcse grades did you get just out of curiosity
why do you want to do medicine? what actually interests you
why not dentistry, why not nursing?

I would note the debt is a non-issue. I suggest reading this article by the government about how student loan "debt" works: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/8-things-you-should-know-about-your-student-loan--2

While granted medicine is one of the few degrees where you're most likely to end up actually paying it off before it gets written off anyway, you only make repayments proportional to your income so you're never paying more than you can afford. It's not like bank loan debt, you'll never have bailiffs knocking on your door for repayments.

This is going to be a pretty long post.
I'm in Year 12, doing biology, chemistry and physics and pretty much from the start of Year 12 I was super set on getting into medicine. I got work experience during my first half term, I planned out all aspects of my application and I could tell you almost everything about the UK medical school application itself. I even dropped psychology for physics, which I suck at, but Cambridge themselves say that most successful medicine applicants have 3 science/maths A-levels (This is the most stupid decision I know but it's one I will have to live with.) But for the past couple of weeks I've been going on a deep dive on TSR and Reddit, and from what I've seen, almost every single doctor in the UK regrets their choice of choosing medicine. These people who once genuinely had a passion for medicine now are severely overworked and severely underpaid under the NHS, and it's not like moving to Australia is super easy (although I don't know anything about that actual process). I literally someone say that the work is 'mind gruelling and monotonous', and that junior doctors especially are constantly disrespected. Almost every single doctor regrets their job, and none of it is worth their sacrifices.
I don't know what to think. I knew that medicine was incredibly difficult, but I was prepared for it if it meant that I could study the fascinating field of medicine, and use my knowledge to aid people at their most vulnerable, and getting their trust to let me do my best to help them and not give up helping them. I thought that's what it's about. But apparently being a doctor or a surgeon is just a lifetime of incredible responsibility that leaves no room for mistakes unless you like killing someone, years of study and DEBT (this is something I'm really worried about) to be paid disgustingly low wages (it's not like I need to be mega rich but I also REALLY don't want to struggle financially along with struggling mentally and physically) and the knowledge that the thing you used to work so hard at just a chance for is now the reason you will spend the rest of your life hating what you do and wishing you had just done a different degree.
I genuinely want to be a doctor. I'm not intelligent at all, but my enjoyment in biology and chemistry pushes me to do well, even if it means putting even more effort to understand simple ideas. I'm not good at maths, there's no way I could pursue anything in CS/finance, and I have looked into other degrees such as biotechnology, which really interest me as well, but I don't know if there are many jobs with biology related degrees that pay above average. Getting into medical school and becoming a doctor would be an amazing privilege, but I don't know if I want to study medicine just to be another doctor who no longer loves what they do at all and has developed resentment towards medicine because the immense stress and regret that comes with the job doesn't outweigh helping people, which is understandable, but terribly unfortunate.
Right now I have the opportunity to study any degree I want (provided I get accepted) and I just don't want to regret what I do. I've made so many regrets when it comes to school already. I really want to be a doctor, a surgeon specifically, but do I take the risk of very much potentially hating my career and being burnt out everyday that I am unable to provide the care my patients deserve? Do I do biotechnology and still enjoy what I do but probably not have much job security and not earn good money unless I do a PhD? Or do I say frick it and try to find a way to do computer science to earn good money while not having the right A-levels (biology, chemistry, physics)?
If anyone has any advice I would seriously appreciate it. I'm also considering dentistry, I like how you still get to learn about the body you're just specialising in teeth and also how practical it is, but I'm just not super duper passionate about that. I'm also resitting GCSE maths and English language because I want better grades in them, just some more major decisions I made just to improve my chances of being accepted into medical school. I hate myself for this.
I know my post is super detailed and I probably seem like an intense overthinker, but I would really just like some advice about choosing careers. Everyday for months I have aspired to be a doctor, but if pursing that means I will inevitably lose my passion for medicine and being so burnt out that I suck as a doctor, I'd rather not risk it.