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I've actually been seriously considering it over the past year or two. It's really daunting though. Career-wise it would probably be a one-way trip. Investment

I've actually been seriously considering it over the past year or two. It's really daunting though. Career-wise it would probably be a one-way trip. Investment banks are notoriously narrow-minded in their hiring process, and I doubt I'd be able to break back in once I left the industry for a year or two. I also have three kids under 6 who I like to spend time with, including a newborn, and I'm geographically limited to this area because my wife owns a business that has deep local roots. We have 3-4 good schools within an hour, but if I don't get into their programs I'm kind of out of luck. The grad schools nearby have minimum undergraduate GPA requirements of 3.0, and I ended up with a 2.9. I assume they'd waive the requirement if I had great grades in a post-bac science program and a great GRE, along with my 4.0 from business school, but it's unnerving to have so much riding on the whims of an admissions department. Plus even if I did manage to get in, I worry about how hard it would be to get a post-doc position as a 50 year old. I realize it sounds like I'm just making excuses, and maybe I am. I have a comfortable, happy life, and there's a level of irreducible risk on this alternate path. As of now I've decided I'll start taking some science classes in the evenings at the local university next year, once my baby is a little older, and see where that takes me.

massysett 4y ago
As you get older, if you have a good career the opportunity cost of going back to school is just too high. As I have aged I also realize that the value of pursuing dreams is not quite as important as I previously thought. If I am providing for my family and have some money left over and my job is good, I’m not going back to school just so I can have a different career that in the end isn’t going to make me that much happier.
- FastMonkey 4y ago
  I don't know about that. I left civil engineering for finance a couple of years ago. Changing was actually a lot less painful than I thought it would be (I might even say it was fun), and I'm way happier now. There was a couple of years as I found my feet where the pay wasn't quite as good, but that reversed pretty quickly and I'm ahead now again. Transferable skills are a real thing. Also, the amount of people who can do the everyday work in any industry is endless, so don't worry too much about that. It's the ability to come at things from a different perspective that's rare and it really sets you apart.
  - Dracophoenix 4y ago
    How did you go about switching careers?
achenatx 4y ago
medicine is like being a mechanic for the human body. You are mostly doing the same thing every single day and the rate of change/innovation is extremely slow. Science also moves extremely slowly. You can spend your whole life studying one aspect of one molecule. Investment banking might be soulless, but happiness ultimately comes from relationships - friends, family, and community. The most precious commodity we have is time and making a lot of money can generate a lot of free time.
COGlory 4y ago
I'm not sure about med school, but grad schools are notoriously flexible. Send an email to the biochem program and ask.

massysett 4y ago

As you get older, if you have a good career the opportunity cost of going back to school is just too high. As I have aged I also realize that the value of pursuing dreams is not quite as important as I previously thought. If I am providing for my family and have some money left over and my job is good, I’m not going back to school just so I can have a different career that in the end isn’t going to make me that much happier.

FastMonkey 4y ago
I don't know about that. I left civil engineering for finance a couple of years ago. Changing was actually a lot less painful than I thought it would be (I might even say it was fun), and I'm way happier now. There was a couple of years as I found my feet where the pay wasn't quite as good, but that reversed pretty quickly and I'm ahead now again. Transferable skills are a real thing. Also, the amount of people who can do the everyday work in any industry is endless, so don't worry too much about that. It's the ability to come at things from a different perspective that's rare and it really sets you apart.
- Dracophoenix 4y ago
  How did you go about switching careers?

achenatx 4y ago

medicine is like being a mechanic for the human body. You are mostly doing the same thing every single day and the rate of change/innovation is extremely slow. Science also moves extremely slowly. You can spend your whole life studying one aspect of one molecule. Investment banking might be soulless, but happiness ultimately comes from relationships - friends, family, and community. The most precious commodity we have is time and making a lot of money can generate a lot of free time.

COGlory 4y ago

I'm not sure about med school, but grad schools are notoriously flexible. Send an email to the biochem program and ask.