Posted by detroitpistons on January 25, 2010, at 20:17:44
In reply to Re: I'm scared..., posted by uncouth on January 25, 2010, at 19:53:47
Mmmmm, I have a business degree and it's pretty much useless right now. I think the only business degree worth it's salt (in terms of number of jobs) is Accounting or maybe Finance. Accounting is specialized. I just think that there are a lot of accounting jobs available compared to other areas within business. So the job outlook is pretty good, but the question is do you like the job?
Degrees like general business management or marketing is garbage and a total waste of money. Jobs for nurses, various techs, and practitioners are projected to grow. I'm 31 and just started last year. I'm going for Physician Assistant, which is a Master's degree. It's like a poor man's doctor. I'll be able to do examinations, diagnose, write prescriptions, basically everything an MD does in a Primary Care setting. You can also go into other specialties like surgery, etc.
I'd say a lot, if not most of the people going into this are already in their late twenties or thirties, or even their forties. 29 years old is nothing. Are you kidding? You obviously have to complete certain prerequisites, but your bachelors degree can be in anything. You have to have a certain amount of experience, usually something like 1,000 "patient contact hours." Every school is different. I'm going to work as a Medical Assistant for about a year to get my hours.
The program is 2 years full time, and VERY, VERY rigorous, especially the 1st year. I hope I can handle it because I am very prone to anxiety.
You make 6 figs pretty much as soon as you get out, so you don't have to worry about a residency and being poor. You can pay back your student loans fairly quickly. It's the best bang for the buck as far as education goes. You are all but guaranteed a job when you get out.
I'm not doing this for the money though. I'm doing it because I want to do something I enjoy and that is personally fulfilling. A lot of people are jumping into healthcare right now (especially nursing), but I don't think they're all doing it for the right reasons. I think you really have to love science and medicine and helping people.
If you don't already have a bachelor's, you might start out by getting a BS in nursing and then you have the option to become a Nurse Practitioner or a Physician Assistant in the future if you want to practice medicine. NP's and PA's are very similar.
Besides these, there is a whole slew of other types of work within healthcare. I had no idea. You might want to take a look at your local community college's certificate programs. If you get some kind of certification, you can at least test the waters and see if you'd enjoy the hospital (or private practice) environment.
> yes, I actually am thinking about the health care field. depends if i get into business school or not. if i don't, then i'm going to seriously consider going back for my pre-med requirements and becoming a doctor. although at age 29 it would be difficult, given my other life goals of a family etc.
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> my weekend was tough. i sorta fell apart, and did nothing, no interaction with people or friends. at least i worked out (once). my job is wearing on me and its only been day 4. staring at a screen all day is mind numbing. what kind of life is this!
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> i'm relatively happy with my current meds. i have to give the prozac a full trial and time to work.
poster:detroitpistons
thread:933776
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100122/msgs/934986.html