I'm a software engineer who has spent most of my career working for medical device companies. My advice may not be a good short-term fix and it's just one of ma

I'm a software engineer who has spent most of my career working for medical device companies. My advice may not be a good short-term fix and it's just one of many paths, but it's based on my experience. Be a doctor. A good one. The more specialization, the better. Gravitate towards a specialization where technology either plays or will play a big role (surgery, radiology, etc.). Get experience with these technologies (new or old), such that you know what works and what needs improving/replacement. If you can, write cases and do research that influences your field. Work at a hospital with a strong bio-tech research element and find ways to collaborate (hint: collaborating clinicians are always in demand). Through collaboration, you'll inevitably be exposed to spin-off and startup opportunities. You'll work with all sorts of programmers and engineers, who will drop everything to spend time with you when you have a free moment. Once you've got some good experience under your belt and perhaps have built a small name for yourself, congrats, you are now a relatively hot commodity for a multitude of medical device companies. We often use the term KOL (key opinion leader) for certain clinicians - they command big bucks and get huge influence on product development. If you network well, you'll get early access to new technologies, perhaps the ability to work with the engineers during the design phase, your opinions will be treated as gold when it comes to product development. This all hinges on you actually practicing medicine in a fairly active fashion for at least a few years if not a decade. I know that's a big commitment, but you should know that it comes with a lot of non-monetary rewards. It opens doors. Even as a relatively unknown MD, a few years of active practice are invaluable in your back-pocket. If you ever decide to do a medical-based startup, investors will surely value your credentials. To be perfectly honest, I'm an engineer, I love software and technology, but if were to do it all over again, I'd go to med-school first!