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/sci/ - Science & Math

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12604681 No.12604681 [Reply] [Original]

> 22 years old
> Have a great software dev job.
> Have been programming since age 14.
> But I started feeling burnt out.
> Contemplating becoming a doctor / a degree in chem/bio and getting into pharma/research

I have some type of romanticized idea about being a doctor that somehow it will give me meaning and a "worthwhile purpose in life", or that if I work in pharma I will be developing a better future for people and curing people's pain. Am I delusional ? should I just take a break from work and calm down or do I have a point?

>> No.12604694
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12604694

>>12604681
What do software devs even do that gives them a meaningful purpose? All I know is that they design apps and websites.

anything beyond that is too confusing for me to grasp

>> No.12604707

You should do it if you think you'd enjoy and be good at research, are prepared for the personal/financial sacrifices the are required and if you can get in a lab/supervisor where you can do your best work and who will take an interest in your own success.

>> No.12604723

>>12604681

med school will be absolute, and i mean, absolute hell for you

you will be surrounded by

> rich white/indian/chinese kids that are absolute normies and don't know how to use a computer
> retarded professors that can't into basic mathematics
> retarded nurses that will envy you and make your life even more miserable

do not go into medicine if you have a well paying job already

>> No.12604724

>>12604723
b-b-but muh 300k starting salary in neurosurgery

>> No.12604740

>>12604694
I write software for traders specifically related to order books (its pretty interesting).


But after 5 years in the industry, I'm just bored.

>> No.12604748

>>12604723
I make 120k a year tax here are pretty heavy (30%)

I was thinking of getting into orthopedics.

>> No.12604751

>>12604723
where u in med school?

>> No.12604755

>>12604748

it is a horrible downgrade. orthopedics is boring as fuck, you will always do the same 2-3 operations (mainly on elderly people) and the wage pressure is getting bigger and bigger (meaning you will earn less and less as time goes on)

maybe if you didnt have to go through 4 yrs of med school + 6 yrs of residency then it would be different, however taking this into account you will absolutely suffer... for nothing

doctors are not intelligent, they are just very hardworking and thats from my experience the polar opposite of smart people who go into math/physics/IT.

instead of looking at the end result, look at what you will be doing for the next 4-6 yrs... you will be used by a system that makes you pay 500 k + to be exploited by them , it's absolutely mindblowing


and thats not factoring in the mental abuse and torture from your colleagues (70%+ are women who will start drama just for the sake of it) and from higher ups (who have been abused and will let it out on you)

>> No.12604757

>>12604681
>developing a better future for people and curing people's pain
Lol any meaningful research will be shut down and covered up. Modern pharma is all about sucking max possible money from people while making sure they're never fully cured.

>> No.12604759

>>12604751

Switzerland , its absolutely horrible. 70%+ are women. They are all spoilt and insanely rich people, that are just there because they want to relive their favourite TV shows.

>> No.12604766

>>12604740
ok

>> No.12604781

>>12604755
God I don't know what to do anymore I feel so lost.

I was sure that I would be happy as a software engginer but im just not.

>> No.12604784

>>12604723
>>12604755
Not OP but going through the same dilemma. But interested in biotechnology focusing in synthetic biology and gene editing

I saw a thread saying that its the computer science of the future What do you think?

>> No.12604791

>>12604781
maybe look into bioinformatics and create a biotech startup? gene editing will be one of the areas that will impact our future alongside AI and sustainable energy.

>> No.12604793

>>12604784
We are on the same boat lol

>> No.12604798

>>12604784
What is most confusing to me is if I want to get into that field, what degree do I need chem / bio / phs / md ?

>> No.12604799

>>12604781

before you dip into medicine, try working with doctors
and see for yourself how mindblowingly stupid, insufferable and arrogant they are


there is a reason why nobody with coding skills wants to work in the medical field - the pay is shit and the people are fucking horrible (think HR in any big company on steroids)

>>12604784

bio anything is a meme , just do normal computer science and branch out later on ; biology is extremely easy to learn , it really just is rote memorization , however people will try to hire you as a bioX so they can undercut your true value

if you are interested in computers you will become very, very unhappy in the medical/biological field , the people who work there are mostly women and absolute retards

>> No.12604816

>>12604798
The unis where I'm from offer biotechnology degrees. both undergrad and postgrad

I think the closest would be biochem.

>>12604799
Won't I be missing out on laboratory pracs (actually hate doing them)

>> No.12604827

>>12604748
Taxes are heavier in the US.

>Federal Income tax
>State Income
>FICA
>payroll
>local taxes
>gas tax
>sales tax
>capital gains tax

>> No.12604828

>>12604816

these labs are a meme too lol . they are there to train you into a pipette monkey - a job that most intelligent men don't want to do anymore
(its largely done by women and minorities who will do anything to get out of their shithole)

honestly if you are capable of doing computer science, do it. get a good GPA. you can always go to bio/medical with a CS degree

you cant go to CS with a biomeme degree necessarily

>> No.12604841

>>12604681
Maybe go into electronics with programming, do a musk and start reinventing something that will benefit humanity, you clearly have the knowledge and intelligence

>> No.12604846

>>12604681
I'm you except I'm 30 and already have a degree. They literally won't let you in unless you go back to undergrad and waste two years of your fucking life taking prerequisites. I got almost a perfect score on the MCAT too.

>NOOOOOOOO YOU NEED TO WASTE TWO YEARS OF YOUR LIFE TAKING USELESS CLASSES. YOU CANT JUST TEST OUT IF THEM. YOU NEED TO PAY OUR FRIENDS OR NO MED SCHOOL FOR YOU

>> No.12604857

>>12604827
slavery

>> No.12604905

>>12604724
If you only make 300k as a neurosurgeon you are a shitty neurosurgeon.

>> No.12604909

>>12604694
It depends what you write. I'm sure you can see the benefits of some applications.

>> No.12604922

I say change careers. You're 22, you've got at least another 40 years of work yet you're burnt out already. You being miserable in your job will only get worse and worse, why not change now? And besides, school can be fun compared to work. What's bad about a nice study period?

>> No.12604927
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12604927

>>12604681
Real medfren here.
If you want to see if you like medicine, shadow some docs. Ask them questions about their profession and whether they'd go into it again.
If you are interested in research, you should think after shadowing that would you enjoy doing research while having clinical practice, would you enjoy clinical research, or are you interested in basic science research.
If you're more interested in clinical practice+either type of research, then consider becoming a physician scientist.
Don't go into medicine for the money, for prestige, or for some fantasies of saving lives like on TV. Medical education and training are long hard processes before you're allowed to go into clinical practice and afterwards you might not even get into a specialty that you originally planned for.
I knew a guy who did something similar. Was in CS at Intel, quit his job and went to med school. Wanted to be a surgeon or a cardiologist. But had shit grades and test scores in med school so he ended up in Family. He enjoys it but just letting you know that life can't be planned out.
If you have any qs, ask away. I'm more familiar with the American system though.

>> No.12604930

>>12604922
>I say change careers. You're 22, you've got at least another 40 years of work yet you're burnt out already. You being miserable in your job will only get worse and worse, why not change now? And besides, school can be fun compared to work. What's bad about a nice study period?

This is what I was thinking as well, I mean what can go wrong

>> No.12604938

>>12604681
Do it, any of those, and outsmart all your peers with your programming knowledge.
Like, seriously, being able to program well gives you a huge edge over peers and you'll even be able to make some money or give advice to people alogg the way.
If it fails or you get bored, you can still go back to programming. They're always needed. Unless AI methods become good too quickly.

>> No.12604948

>>12604740
Any details on what the software does or what the traders expect it to do?

>> No.12604950

>>12604681
Be aware what you’re getting yourself into if you go for surgery. The money seems really good, but if that’s your motivation you’ll hate your job. Most surgical fields have long hours and you will spend little time at home. Plus, you’ll be regularly woken up in the middle of the night to answer your pager. If you make it through the years and years of residency.

>> No.12604953

>>12604927
>If you have any qs, ask away. I'm more familiar with the American system though.

Thanks for the reply,
Im really interested in regenerative science and its role in orthopedics (https://www.med.upenn.edu/orl/maucklab/))

Im not sure what would be the best route, Im not sure if I should study chem/bio/material eng or medicine.

>> No.12604972

I'm in the opposite boat, I'm a doctor been working for 3 years now, I'm 25 and I just can't see myself doing this for the rest of my working life. Only reason I chose it was because it's the most difficult course to get accepted to in the country and I just wanted to prove that I could do it.

I've been teaching myself Python for a few months and would love to transition into a software development career but I'm not sure if that's realistic considering there's people like you been working at it since they were 14. I'd probably have to go back and pay for another undergraduate degree.

>> No.12604983

>>12604953
Best route for something like that would probably be MD/PhD with PhD in ME or BME. Otherwise MD alone with some engineering background from undergrad or PhD in engineering (would not allow you to test things clinically or work with patients)
If you're interested in that lab in particular send them an email and look at the resumes of people who work in that lab.
Once again, I'd recommend shadowing docs before making a decision though.

>> No.12604990
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12604990

>>12604681
in the end medicine is a soulless bureaucratic hellscape, and any dev experience will make you want to kill either yourself or the people responsible for the IT abominations every single day

>> No.12604997

>>12604972
Which country? How far in training are you and what specialty?
>>12604990
Oh yeah lmao
EMR sucks fucking ass OP. Idk about the situation in your country but it's prob the same.

>> No.12605029

>>12604997
In Ireland, I'm a year into basic specialist training for general medicine and after another year I can specialise and do a 5-6 year higher specialty training, if I stick at it I'm going to apply for radiology as that's the most technology/physics basic speciality and I can probably apply some programming skills to it but at the end of the day I just don't like being in hospitals. They're a depressing environment, you're constantly being harassed from 6 different angles to do things and the on call work sucks and the hours are detrimental to anyone's mood and health. There's no perks to the job. It's depressing seeing some of my mates who struggled through 3 year business courses now getting 6 digits salaries and massive christmas bonuses and the only thing I've ever gotten is a 20 euro deliveroo voucher to thank us for our hard work during the covid pandemic lol. I think I'd be happier having a desk job in a private company.

However if you really are passionate for it then go ahead, it can be really rewarding if you are genuinely interested in it. I'm just not.

>> No.12605048

>>12605029
Yeah I always tell people go into medicine for your own passion and interest and to see how it works beforehand.
Going into it because of prestige and money leads to unfortunate stories like yours.
For me I'm pretty much giddy every time I go into the hospital and see a new patient and get to apply my knowledge in real time to help someone. I love the hospital environment even if it means interacting with some nursoids. It's how I know this is what I wanted to do.
Talk to people in rads to see how it is. In the US, there's a lot less interaction and I know some people (once they're senior attendings) who can interpret imaging from home mostly.
Best of luck anon. Hope things work out for you.

>> No.12605055

>>12604681
Work in programming for research. This is after working shit dead end ghetto jobs for almost 12 years. So as someone who has had coworkers threaten my life or actually fist fight me.
Its interesting work, simple, ive never seen a job where you dont end up working from home, and alot of downtime only to have pharmaceutical companies tell you they want everything in 3 days so crunchy at times also, but nothing like I'd imagine video game industry.
but healthcare/research is notorious for harassment . I'm not of the demographic of this area and my co workers treat me like shit, one even tried to get into my face because i asked what was the issue we were having(you get in my face im punching you). But I'm not white, and there is alot of nepotism here. so this jobs carrying me in my career right now until I can find an organization not run by some crazy bitch.

>> No.12605087

>>12604681
>pharma I will be developing a better future for people and curing people's pain
I work in pharma and you only kind of get this feeling. Most of the compounds I or others make never get past in vitro testing, and even if one does get far it will be years until it reaches the market. Then there's always that cynical thought that the end goal is only to make someone money anyway.
The chemistry I do is fulfilling enough though as it's something I enjoy. I wouldn't advise going into pharma research based on a desire for a moral purpose, but it is worth it if you genuinely enjoy whatever it is you end up doing day to day.

>> No.12605188

>>12604759
How is the pay for doctors in switzerland?

>> No.12605341

Does anyone know how to get out of the USA so I can do my research without prosecution? I'm trying to do pharmacy research for depression and that crap.

>> No.12605736

>>12604781
Fuck happy. You're not supposed to be happy at work. You're supposed to make money at work. Do your job, clock in, clock out, and enjoy life when you're not working. Not sure where you get off believing that your job is supposed to be fulfilling, meaningful, or life-affirming. If it is, great! If it isn't, that's still fine, as long as you get compensated well for your product.

Video related.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEWS847eZk8

>> No.12605832

>>12604681
22 is rather early to be burned out. Look for other causes. Perhaps too little sleep or bad diet?
Retraining to a completely new field will take a lot of time and cost a lot. Why not rather look for alternatives within your own field of skills? When you are young you can take risks such as doing a startup.

>> No.12605963

>>12604681
So go write other software. Programming is just one skillset that you have. You can build on that. Personally, I started learning mechanical engineering after my first programming job drained my soul and got into robotics. It's pretty chill and it's cool to see something you type move things in the real world.

You have a skill you've been honing since you were a teenager. >>12604740
Honestly that sounds fucking awful.

>> No.12606384

>>12604781
would you describe you job as creative or repetitive?
Also, do you feel tired in the beginning or at the end of the day when you work? If you lack excitement when you think about your job overall as well then perhaps you should think about switching careers to something more fulfilling

>> No.12606546

>>12604740
Dude help me make money please I love trading but im a degenerate give me an edge please

>> No.12607788

>>12605736
retarded defeatist boomer mindset.
>Don't enjoy what you'll be spending over half your waking life doing? Oh well, you have an hour or two each night or on weekends to try and squeeze some enjoyment out of life

Never mind educating yourself, improving your body, or myriad other things you should do to make the most of your life and enrich yourself and the lives of those around you

>> No.12607799

>>12607788
Clamped, vaccinated, circumcised, halogenated, scoped

>> No.12607824

>>12607799
cope. Keep being a corporate drone while you are surpassed in all aspects of life by people who actually lead balanced healthy lives

>but i have a bigger house and more consumer goods i never have the time to use!

>> No.12607826

>>12607824
Clamped and vaccinated

>> No.12607843

>>12607826
coping and definitively unmasculine in mind and spirit

>> No.12609171
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12609171

>>12605055
>I'm not of the demographic of this area and my co workers treat me like shit
I have discovered that many times it has nothing to do with your sexual orientation, skin color, or other personal lifestyle choices.

Most of the times you're just an asshole.
Take some time to reflect and you might or might not discover something new about yourself, or at least how people at work perceive you.

>> No.12609335

>>12609171
What the hell does asshole mean? I used to think I knew what it meant (i.e. someone malicious or hostile) but it gets thrown around in all sorts of situations where it doesn't make sense to me.

>> No.12609340

>>12607799
>scoped
?

>> No.12609350

>>12605736
Semi unclamped. One should be realistic and accept what it truly takes, but not going looking to submit to it.

>> No.12609354

>>12605832
I was burned out at 22. You're right though, he probably has other things going on.

>> No.12609355

>>12604681
Just go full med data crunch

>> No.12610255

>>12604681
That sucks that you feel burnt out at work. You should definitely quit your great software development job and do something that's meaningful and fun. You should become a chocolate ice cream tester and lingerie model reviewer/blowjob dummy, That's fun and exciting!

Wait, there's no demand for your services in the real world? Those things are so fun that the market would soon be too flooded to get a paid position, because everyone would test ice cream and evaluate the fellatio skills of lingerie models? Boy, that sucks. Back to the laptop you go, you entitled zoomer bitch.

>> No.12610275

>>12604681
I find it remarkable that you're a competent programmer who still doesn't understand how supply and demand works. The computer you're using to do your job, your comfy apartment, even your electricity and running water exist because the skills and effort required to produce these things suck. They're boring, they're painful, and they're not very fulfilling. You get people to do harder things by compensating them more money for their time. The intersection of JOB and FUN is the empty set. If it kinda sucks, you get paid a pittance. If it really sucks, you get paid well. But no job is completely devoid of suck. I guarantee that you'll post back in 10 years as a medical doctor with the exact same romanticized notion of meaningful. If you can get past the notion that your career is supposed to be meaningful, and instead embrace the suck, you'll reap the rewards and enjoy truly meaningful activities in the meantime despite the suck.

>> No.12610283

>>12610275
Yes got waste 8 hours of your life slaving away for your jewish boss in a job you hate so you can buy more funko pops and video games

>> No.12610300

>>12604681
Try starting your own company/getting rich first before sacrificing 5-10 years of your life with little employment guarantees

>> No.12610328

>>12610283
Yep, that was exactly the point I was making. Good job.

The very state of /sci...

>> No.12610507

>>12604841
>reinventing something that will benefit humanity
Give examples

>> No.12612068

>>12604724
way more than 300k where I live

>> No.12612145

>Throwing away over a decade of your life just so you can write a prescription to treat some teenager's chlamydia

>> No.12612645

>>12612145
But the money