Has anyone totally re-made their career in their 40s? (e.g., law to medicine)

[Anonymous]

I'm an attorney 20 years out and although I love my field I too struggled with the path less taken (I really wanted to go get a CNM and deliver babies!).

Although life is long (if you're lucky), I think the path from JD to MD at this point is probably too long -- whatever prereqs, then 4 years of med school and 4 years of residency. So then you're 50-ish with a LOT of debt and a whole career to start over. Plus no realistic way to support your family while you're in school and residents are only a step above starving students -- plus you're working crazy hours away from your family.

To me, it sounds like you do need to do some deep thinking about how you want your career to go -- but I don't think you have to go back to school in medicine to do good in this world and to be more satisfied and fulfilled doing it. That path is familiar because people in your family did it, but you need to think outside the family history box.

There are so many things you can do with your law degree and legal training to help make the world a better place. I'm a litigator for a major environmental non-profit advocacy organization and I get to do incredibly interesting work on behalf of a cause that is tremendously important to me.

Lawyers reinvent themselves all the time without going back to school for an entirely different degree. I would brainstorm a lot more about what kinds of jobs you could do with your legal training that would make you happier than you are now.

[Anonymous]

medicine is tough just because of the LOOOONG training track. I know someone who tried at 40 and didn't make it. took the prereqs, blew the lid off the MCATs and still couldn't get a medschool to accept her. They were pretty frank, for the most part, that medical school + residency is really pretty much a minimum of 6 years, likely more. if she made it through, she would likely only practice for 10-15 years or less. that makes it a hard sell for the student AND the school. they don't get to train but so many people and prefer to train people who are going to work for another 30 years after they finish training. my friend did some research and a LOT of soul-searching and became a nurse. She likes it!

anyway, career tracks with shorter runways are a better bet than medicine. plenty of people make late life switches. I know a few second-career teachers, and LOTS of people who switched tracks within law to do something totally different, an English professor who became a PA, a finance guy who started a food truck, a journalist who went into PR, etc. Like the PP, I imagine your best bet would be to reinvent your law career. There are lots of ways to be a lawyer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:medicine is tough just because of the LOOOONG training track. I know someone who tried at 40 and didn't make it. took the prereqs, blew the lid off the MCATs and still couldn't get a medschool to accept her. They were pretty frank, for the most part, that medical school + residency is really pretty much a minimum of 6 years, likely more. if she made it through, she would likely only practice for 10-15 years or less. that makes it a hard sell for the student AND the school. they don't get to train but so many people and prefer to train people who are going to work for another 30 years after they finish training. my friend did some research and a LOT of soul-searching and became a nurse. She likes it!

anyway, career tracks with shorter runways are a better bet than medicine. plenty of people make late life switches. I know a few second-career teachers, and LOTS of people who switched tracks within law to do something totally different, an English professor who became a PA, a finance guy who started a food truck, a journalist who went into PR, etc. Like the PP, I imagine your best bet would be to reinvent your law career. There are lots of ways to be a lawyer.

This is interesting... law school classes have been known to have 60 year old+ half-retired physicians in them (mine had 2) that just want to do some expert testimony or just felt like going to school to entertain themselves or whatever. You think the reciprocal arrangment would be more welcoming..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, my friend went from law to nursing at 40. She saved up a ton to pay off her law school loans and be able to pay for nursing school debt-free, and also took night classes to get the pre-reqs done (while practicing law). It was intense but she's very happy now. I think it's relevant that she was single at the time; it was hard but it would have been impossible with kids, IMO.

I was not a lawyer but I worked full time while taking nursing school pre-reqs then also full time during nursing school. I went to a community college nursing program that was well regarded in the area but offered the flexibility my family needed (Saturday classes). Granted my full time job didn't have the stress or long hours notoriously lawyers have, but still it was a lot since I also had a newborn when I started nursing school. You can do anything you put your mind to.

[Anonymous]

What about PA school. If your end result is you'd like to diagnose and prescribe, seems like that's a much shorter path.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:medicine is tough just because of the LOOOONG training track. I know someone who tried at 40 and didn't make it. took the prereqs, blew the lid off the MCATs and still couldn't get a medschool to accept her. They were pretty frank, for the most part, that medical school + residency is really pretty much a minimum of 6 years, likely more. if she made it through, she would likely only practice for 10-15 years or less. that makes it a hard sell for the student AND the school. they don't get to train but so many people and prefer to train people who are going to work for another 30 years after they finish training. my friend did some research and a LOT of soul-searching and became a nurse. She likes it!

anyway, career tracks with shorter runways are a better bet than medicine. plenty of people make late life switches. I know a few second-career teachers, and LOTS of people who switched tracks within law to do something totally different, an English professor who became a PA, a finance guy who started a food truck, a journalist who went into PR, etc. Like the PP, I imagine your best bet would be to reinvent your law career. There are lots of ways to be a lawyer.

This is interesting... law school classes have been known to have 60 year old+ half-retired physicians in them (mine had 2) that just want to do some expert testimony or just felt like going to school to entertain themselves or whatever. You think the reciprocal arrangment would be more welcoming..

Your law school accepted 60 yr olds and retired MDs?? Mine did not have a single one of either of those. The 60 yr olds on campus looking for entertainment were auditing undergrad art history. Medical training is expensive -- not the first 2 yrs of lectures but all the simulations, equipment, standardized patients; plus there are a limited # of residency spots nationally in each field. On top of dr. shortages in rural areas, areas that are not the 95 corridor cities where everyone wants to live etc. and growing dr. shortages in areas like primary care/pediatrics etc. as people take on more and more debt for school and need to specialize so they can make money. So yeah med schools and residency programs are very mindful of taking on people who will be able to work 30+years post residency. That's not going to happen when you finish up your training at 50. Plus have you thought about what it'd be like to keep up with 26-27 year old interns/first year residents at 47? Do you have the same stamina as them to be awake for 36-48 hrs at a time? Did you do biglaw at the start of your career? Do you have the same stamina now that you did as a 1st yr associate billing 3000 hours? If not, why do you presume you'd have that stamina for medicine -- which is much much more on your feet/greater downside risk than being a 1st yr associate doing doc review or diligence?

[Anonymous]

Are you considering non-MD tracks? OD, nursing, etc.?

MD is TOUGH at this age due to the lack of sleep alone, and it's a long haul.

My best friend started med school at age 35 and it has been a huge struggle, though possible. That said, he had the full support of a basically SAHM for their kids and was ok with him essentially being mostly gone for many years.

You're 40 now--but not ready even to apply. Do you have pre-recs done? Any sense of MCAT?

[Anonymous]

I have a good friend who did what you did, at somewhere around your age. She's happy at 53. Working as a doctor and, and teaching at a medical school. She also comes from a family of doctors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Your law school accepted 60 yr olds and retired MDs?? Mine did not have a single one of either of those. The 60 yr olds on campus looking for entertainment were auditing undergrad art history.?

Yep, every class at my law school had a couple of these (or similar). I suspect this is not the norm at the top law schools just because of the competitiveness of admissions. But at a mid-level state-style university or a night program, this is not uncommon -- from a law school admissions perspective it totally makes sense, these folks likely have higher than mean GPA and LSAT scores, pay full tuition, and aren't going to report unemployment following graduation, if nothing else, it boosts their ranking in the all important US News scores. Law schools don't constrain the supply of graduates like medical schools so there's no "we have to hold our spots for people who will practice" like med school. I found law school pretty interesting, so I can see the appeal...

[Anonymous]

You might try Physician's Assistant OP. It doesn't take long and people do almost everything a MD does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Your law school accepted 60 yr olds and retired MDs?? Mine did not have a single one of either of those. The 60 yr olds on campus looking for entertainment were auditing undergrad art history.?

Yep, every class at my law school had a couple of these (or similar). I suspect this is not the norm at the top law schools just because of the competitiveness of admissions. But at a mid-level state-style university or a night program, this is not uncommon -- from a law school admissions perspective it totally makes sense, these folks likely have higher than mean GPA and LSAT scores, pay full tuition, and aren't going to report unemployment following graduation, if nothing else, it boosts their ranking in the all important US News scores. Law schools don't constrain the supply of graduates like medical schools so there's no "we have to hold our spots for people who will practice" like med school. I found law school pretty interesting, so I can see the appeal...

But law training is very different than med training. You can get a law degree in three years. It takes a lot longer to become a doctor - med school is just the start of the process.

[Anonymous]

Life is short - I say go for it. Ignore all the penny-pinchers. Can you really put a price on your happiness? Plus you have a good 30 years left to work. Wouldn't you rather spend them doing something you enjoy?

My 50 year old cousin - accidentally pregnant in college, poor as a church mouse because her husband's MA degree was in English Literature. Two kids. Finished law school in her forties, just made partner of a prestigious firm and is looking at running for office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Your law school accepted 60 yr olds and retired MDs?? Mine did not have a single one of either of those. The 60 yr olds on campus looking for entertainment were auditing undergrad art history.?

Yep, every class at my law school had a couple of these (or similar). I suspect this is not the norm at the top law schools just because of the competitiveness of admissions. But at a mid-level state-style university or a night program, this is not uncommon -- from a law school admissions perspective it totally makes sense, these folks likely have higher than mean GPA and LSAT scores, pay full tuition, and aren't going to report unemployment following graduation, if nothing else, it boosts their ranking in the all important US News scores. Law schools don't constrain the supply of graduates like medical schools so there's no "we have to hold our spots for people who will practice" like med school. I found law school pretty interesting, so I can see the appeal...

Ranking has something to do with this. At Columbia, they have a line out the door that wants to get in -- mostly age 22-30 -- and that's their preference since that allows the school to report that x number of their graduates went to vault 50 firms; district clerkships; COA clerkships; DOJ honors etc. And for "interesting" students -- there's usually a 26-30 yr old MD (who finished med school but doesn't want to practice so doesn't go onto residency; or finished a residency and doesn't want to practice or wants some combo med/law/policy career) and a few young veterans who served a few tours post college. OTOH for mid tier schools, it is about making money -- so adding in a few seats to a lecture hall already owned by the university with professors already on payroll ends up being easy tuition $ for the school and the retired doctors/60 yr old professional types pay full freight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:medicine is tough just because of the LOOOONG training track. I know someone who tried at 40 and didn't make it. took the prereqs, blew the lid off the MCATs and still couldn't get a medschool to accept her. They were pretty frank, for the most part, that medical school + residency is really pretty much a minimum of 6 years, likely more. if she made it through, she would likely only practice for 10-15 years or less. that makes it a hard sell for the student AND the school. they don't get to train but so many people and prefer to train people who are going to work for another 30 years after they finish training. my friend did some research and a LOT of soul-searching and became a nurse. She likes it!

anyway, career tracks with shorter runways are a better bet than medicine. plenty of people make late life switches. I know a few second-career teachers, and LOTS of people who switched tracks within law to do something totally different, an English professor who became a PA, a finance guy who started a food truck, a journalist who went into PR, etc. Like the PP, I imagine your best bet would be to reinvent your law career. There are lots of ways to be a lawyer.

Ah, age discrimination, the only “acceptable” form of discrimination in this shallow, youth obsessed country. Ignore all of this bullsh!t and at least give it a try OP. You have nothing to lose by at least trying. To counter PPs story, I read about a woman who started med school at 49, graduated at 53 and is now practicing. And, no, despite what some say, there is no area of law that will satiate you if you are truly interested in practicing medicine. Just try, OP. Just try and see where it goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You might try Physician's Assistant OP. It doesn't take long and people do almost everything a MD does.

Um, no they don’t, and the knowledge base is much smaller.