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

[Anonymous]

I know some people who changed careers--one from Hollywood to medicine.

For her the hard part wasn't med school (she's always been super-academic though), it was residency (having to move where residency is, the hours even in a more family-friendly specialty), especially since she had kids by that point. I think that's something to consider.

[Anonymous]

PP here. I think if you want to do biglaw, that is also a consideration. The years you will spend as an early-stage associate putting in the brutal hours might coincide with your last years to have kids.

[Anonymous]

A practical option would be to become a physician assistant. Sure it’s not prestigious when you come from a long line of doctors. But who has to wake up every day and go to work for years and years? At your deathbed, will you regret not trying to be in the medical field in some fashion or another? PA salaries are pretty good for just two extra years of schooling. Plus there’s an increasing demand for them. Lastly, you might incur debt, but since you mentioned all the doctors in your family, couldn’t they help you out some now? Or crudely speaking, wouldn’t you get some inheritance in the future that will help you repay any loans you might still have then?
I am an attorney, 15 years out. I graduated from a T14, was on my school’s journal, started out in Biglaw, now government. But I never really shook off the feeling that this field was a mistake. Frankly my gut told me so even during law school. But I was told not to waste this Ivy League JD opportunity, that practicing would be different, dunk costs blah blah blah. I am risk averse so never had the courage to leave the law. But due to my mixed feelings about the fit for me, I never thrived in the legal field either. 15 years in, I’m still languishing as a relatively junior legal position at an embarrassingly low GS for my years out. Disgruntled but too risk averse to change fields.

[Anonymous]

OP here -- I was having a bad biglaw day when I posted this. I have two kids and my DH couldn't support the household while I went to school. At this point I've gotta suck it up and do what's best for my kids -- and that's to provide a stable childhood. Will encourage my kids to think carefully about their careers, though.

[Anonymous]

OP, it's OK to have a bad biglaw day! But you don't have to choose between biglaw and medicine -- there are so many other great things to do with your law degree that don't involve going back to school for many years. Do some serious thinking and planning for a career change that's less drastic but will put you in a better place personally and a decent place financially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here -- I was having a bad biglaw day when I posted this. I have two kids and my DH couldn't support the household while I went to school. At this point I've gotta suck it up and do what's best for my kids -- and that's to provide a stable childhood. Will encourage my kids to think carefully about their careers, though.

No OP. Don’t just “suck it up.” Your kids need for you to be happy and fulfilled too. And you can teach them that they don’t need to live in the box with all of the other unhappy American conformists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, it's OK to have a bad biglaw day! But you don't have to choose between biglaw and medicine -- there are so many other great things to do with your law degree that don't involve going back to school for many years. Do some serious thinking and planning for a career change that's less drastic but will put you in a better place personally and a decent place financially.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A practical option would be to become a physician assistant. Sure it’s not prestigious when you come from a long line of doctors. But who has to wake up every day and go to work for years and years? At your deathbed, will you regret not trying to be in the medical field in some fashion or another? PA salaries are pretty good for just two extra years of schooling. Plus there’s an increasing demand for them. Lastly, you might incur debt, but since you mentioned all the doctors in your family, couldn’t they help you out some now? Or crudely speaking, wouldn’t you get some inheritance in the future that will help you repay any loans you might still have then?
I am an attorney, 15 years out. I graduated from a T14, was on my school’s journal, started out in Biglaw, now government. But I never really shook off the feeling that this field was a mistake. Frankly my gut told me so even during law school. But I was told not to waste this Ivy League JD opportunity, that practicing would be different, dunk costs blah blah blah. I am risk averse so never had the courage to leave the law. But due to my mixed feelings about the fit for me, I never thrived in the legal field either. 15 years in, I’m still languishing as a relatively junior legal position at an embarrassingly low GS for my years out. Disgruntled but too risk averse to change fields.

This is me almost to a T. I have a fairly senior position, but feel like I have been phoning it in for the past 10+ years. If it wasn't for the fact that I am the primary breadwinner, I would walk away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A practical option would be to become a physician assistant. Sure it’s not prestigious when you come from a long line of doctors. But who has to wake up every day and go to work for years and years? At your deathbed, will you regret not trying to be in the medical field in some fashion or another? PA salaries are pretty good for just two extra years of schooling. Plus there’s an increasing demand for them. Lastly, you might incur debt, but since you mentioned all the doctors in your family, couldn’t they help you out some now? Or crudely speaking, wouldn’t you get some inheritance in the future that will help you repay any loans you might still have then?
I am an attorney, 15 years out. I graduated from a T14, was on my school’s journal, started out in Biglaw, now government. But I never really shook off the feeling that this field was a mistake. Frankly my gut told me so even during law school. But I was told not to waste this Ivy League JD opportunity, that practicing would be different, dunk costs blah blah blah. I am risk averse so never had the courage to leave the law. But due to my mixed feelings about the fit for me, I never thrived in the legal field either. 15 years in, I’m still languishing as a relatively junior legal position at an embarrassingly low GS for my years out. Disgruntled but too risk averse to change fields.

What kind of career do you think would have made you happy if not law? There seems to be many unhappy lawyers on dcum who are now working for the government.

[Anonymous]

After life as a lawyer I went back to school to get a masters degree in architecture. I started the program in my early 40s.

[Anonymous]

I think there are intermediate steps you could take. You could be a lawyer for a health-care organization, you could transition to legal editing, then if that was going well, to medical publishing.