When you’re heading to college, it’s often a really good idea to have some kind of thought of what you’d like to do for a career. Of course, this isn’t going to be the case for everyone. Because there is a vast range of choice when it comes to the working world, and that can be overwhelming for a lot of us. While some of us may have had dreams of becoming a doctor from the age of five, not all of us will. But it’s definitely the kind of career that we all think about at some point or another in life.

So, if that’s you right now, and you’re considering becoming a physician or another kind of medical professional, you know that you will have to attend medical school. While it’s a good idea to know this early on, so that you can take pre-med courses, it’s not always essential. Because you can change direction at any point in life. However, the decision to attend medical school is never something you should take lightly. Training to become a doctor isn’t something you should do on a whim. It takes a lot of work and is a competitive field, so you’re going to want to really weigh up if it’s the avenue for you. Let’s take a look at some pros and cons here to help you out.

Pros

Medicine Is A Rewarding Career

One of the first things that should definitely be in the front of your mind is how rewarding medicine will be as a career. When it comes to work, you can spend forty or more years doing the same job, so you really want to make sure that you choose something that you’ll enjoy. When you’re a doctor or other healthcare professional, you’re helping people and changing their lives. This can be highly rewarding for you in the long term, and come with great job satisfaction as a result.

It’s Also A Stable One

Next on the list, it’s worth recognizing that healthcare jobs often come with a lot of job growth. In the medical industry, there will always be a demand for jobs, meaning that your career will be good for as long as you are. Check out these healthcare jobs with great growth statistics as an example of that.

The Salary Is Strong

You should also look at the salary here too. Because physician jobs tend to come with great salaries. So while you’re going to need to work really hard to get here, it’s always going to be worth it when you do. You’ll also benefit from a strong financial position from the get-go. Schemes such as Doctor Loan USA recognize that. So you won’t be held back due to your student debt, in fact, your earning potential will stand you in good stead.

It’s Interesting

From here, you’re then going to want to consider just how interesting the career can be. You know that being a doctor is a good job, and it’s definitely respectable, but it’s also fascinating too. If you love science, then it’s going to be a great career for you to pursue, with a full range of medical avenues for you to consider.

Cons

It Will Take Time

But it is hard to ignore just how long this is going to take you. If you’re in college now, you know you have four years of your undergrad to do. Then it’s onto medical school for another four years of medical school and then your residency can be another four or more years after that. So you definitely have to be committed, because you’re looking at around eight years of training after college.

It’s Costly

Aside from the time, there’s also the cost to factor in. If you’re already freaking out at the $25,000 or so of undergraduate debt you’re looking at, medical school is significantly more. The Association of American Medical Colleges has reported that in 2015, the average amount of student debt for graduating physicians was $183,000. So, medical education doesn’t come cheap.

Medicine Can Be Stressful

Finally, you also need to recognize that the medical profession can be a stressful industry to work in. While it will come with a lot of job satisfaction for the kind of work that you do, it also holds great responsibilities. While it’s okay to have a bad day at work every now and again, in his profession, it comes at a cost. You might be under pressure, but if anything goes wrong, you’ll be wracked with guilt and could be faced with further implications too.