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Cherish your dad, seriously. I'm about to take a year off medical school to explore the startup/design world. I'm doing it to finally pursue my real passion an

by kyro 13y ago

Cherish your dad, seriously. I'm about to take a year off medical school to explore the startup/design world. I'm doing it to finally pursue my real passion and interest, to take some time to contemplate about whether being a doctor is something I want to commit to (probably not), to get into shape, etc. Seems like a reasonable decision, but to my dad and family, I will be considered an immense failure. Being a Doctor is a disgustingly inflated status symbol in my community, and deciding not to be one is about the worst thing you can do other than murdering someone. I won't be getting any support, emotional or financial, and worse is that I'll be consistently criticized and told that I'm making a stupid, selfish decision. It may very well be stupid, but I won't find out if I don't actually do it. It'll be tough, but more than worth it. You're incredibly, incredibly lucky, OP, to have an understanding and supportive parent. There are many out there who'll never get to make the leap that you've made because of familial pressures and criticisms. Best of luck! Edit: If any of you have an interesting startup opportunity (particularly in health), email is in my profile!

ioddly 13y ago
Cherish your dad and try to emulate him. I'm lucky to have parents just as supportive, but a lot of my family and friends don't. So when they tell me about their grand plans, I don't second guess their decisions. I might push back a little, just to see if they're serious, but I'm not here to plant seeds of doubt in their mind. If they want it, then I want it to happen for them.
yabbadabbadoo 13y ago
I've been through the exact same thing - med school dropout (1 year from graduation) who got into tech, got zero support from family. It's tough but, hang in there - things will get better.
- anxx 13y ago
  Can I ask what led you to dropping out? The parent commenter is not so irrational - he can always go back. But you, if you actually dropped out (and not simply taken a "leave of absence") and if it was actually your choice (not expulsion) seem to have made quite an odd choice - after bearing through premed classes and 3 years of MD classes. An MD has lifelong financial stability and the chance to do residency and earn even more. You completely burned the bridge when, after just a year, you could've done tech and preserved the bridge, no?
  - namank 13y ago
    Mike L, founder of Research In Motion (now BlackBerry) dropper out with two months left in graduation (from a world-renowned electrical engineering degree). So did, I think, Robert Downy Jr. "preserving the bridge" only makes sense to an outside observer. It may never be a practical option for the OP. In fact, it may be something that may taint OP's identity for the future in that he/she may always be stereotyped as a doctor. It'll be contested every time he meets someone new. It's nothing short of an identity crisis. It's the loss of freedom to do what he wants. People like this usually try to live life in accordance with self-defined principles rather than those defined by the social structure. They think different.
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
wtvanhest 13y ago
Ask yourself 2 questions: 1) How much money will you have to take out to finish med school? 2) Is putting doctor on your resume a distinguishing enough factor to pursue it? Most people on HN will say, nah, don't do it! I disagree, if you can finish, it is unique and will pay dividends later. If you don't finish, you are starting from zero. If you can finish, you should.

by kyro 13y ago

ioddly 13y ago

Cherish your dad and try to emulate him. I'm lucky to have parents just as supportive, but a lot of my family and friends don't. So when they tell me about their grand plans, I don't second guess their decisions. I might push back a little, just to see if they're serious, but I'm not here to plant seeds of doubt in their mind. If they want it, then I want it to happen for them.

yabbadabbadoo 13y ago

I've been through the exact same thing - med school dropout (1 year from graduation) who got into tech, got zero support from family. It's tough but, hang in there - things will get better.

anxx 13y ago
Can I ask what led you to dropping out? The parent commenter is not so irrational - he can always go back. But you, if you actually dropped out (and not simply taken a "leave of absence") and if it was actually your choice (not expulsion) seem to have made quite an odd choice - after bearing through premed classes and 3 years of MD classes. An MD has lifelong financial stability and the chance to do residency and earn even more. You completely burned the bridge when, after just a year, you could've done tech and preserved the bridge, no?
- namank 13y ago
  Mike L, founder of Research In Motion (now BlackBerry) dropper out with two months left in graduation (from a world-renowned electrical engineering degree). So did, I think, Robert Downy Jr. "preserving the bridge" only makes sense to an outside observer. It may never be a practical option for the OP. In fact, it may be something that may taint OP's identity for the future in that he/she may always be stereotyped as a doctor. It'll be contested every time he meets someone new. It's nothing short of an identity crisis. It's the loss of freedom to do what he wants. People like this usually try to live life in accordance with self-defined principles rather than those defined by the social structure. They think different.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]

wtvanhest 13y ago

Ask yourself 2 questions: 1) How much money will you have to take out to finish med school? 2) Is putting doctor on your resume a distinguishing enough factor to pursue it? Most people on HN will say, nah, don't do it! I disagree, if you can finish, it is unique and will pay dividends later. If you don't finish, you are starting from zero. If you can finish, you should.