Medicine or Wall Street?

D

dazed101

I'm graduating high school soon, and I'll attend a top university next year in America. It has a top 3 business school and a great econ department, it's very strong overall.

My problem is should I pursue medicine or try to get a job on wall street as a trader?

I know I can become a doctor and if I specialize in the right field I'll be making around $500,000 by the time I'm 32ish with potential to earn more later on.

However, I realize that good wall street traders can earn millions in their twenties! Money is not everything but the lure of millions is too great.

I don't know what to do career-wise (any suggestions?) I'm only asking this because the two fields are so different and I'll have to do different things if I'm to prepare myself.
 
Come on.. Find your passion in life. Use college to find your passion.

The smartest person I know, he could've done anything in life as a freshman at the finest educational institution in America... ended up majoring in Anthropology and is digging up graves in Africa right now.
 
BSAM, I'm dazed sometimes but I don't understand your comment. High school ends in less than three weeks and I will begin college in August. I'm trying to come to a semi-conclusion so that I can do something productive this summer.

Read that above thread makes me want to reevaluate why I would consider trading in the first place :(
 
I'll try to be a little more direct. If you reasonably believe you can become an M.D., do it. You're young. Med school will not be available to you when you get older. Trading will.
 
Quote from dazed101:

BSAM, I'm dazed sometimes but I don't understand your comment. High school ends in less than three weeks and I will begin college in August. I'm trying to come to a semi-conclusion so that I can do something productive this summer.

Read that above thread makes me want to reevaluate why I would consider trading in the first place :(
More...


Ignore most of the threads on this board. They are written by people who are taking their own money and attempting to trade the markets, a very most treacherous activity.

If you are indeed going to a top university, like an ivy league school or an MIT, you have an abundance of opportunities not available to most.

The most important thing is to maintain top grades in school and join important extracurricular clubs in college, preferably rising to a leadership position. Your school should have an investment club or something relating to finance, join it. Learn the recruiting process, attend the company-sponsored events that will be held on campus.

If you do everything properly, you should be able to easily land a trading summer internship at a top wall street bank following your junior year. This internship will then lead to a full-time offer at the bank, or you can use it to try and get into a prestigious hedge fund following college.

Forget medicine. Doctors can make good money, but it takes so much time and education to get to the top levels. 32 yr old doctors don't make 500k. 32yr old successful traders at Goldman can make millions.
 
BSAM made a comment on how I should pursue medicine because I will have a harder time getting into med school later. But I wonder, is it possible for someone older to get into the trading jobs in Wall Street later in life? Or is it close to impossible.

Well, many doctors make at least 500K 1 or two years after residency, it simply depends on the specialty.

Orthopedic, cardiothoracic surgeons, and retina opthomologists come to mind.

Yeah the 30ish trader in New York who is banking millions is making me consider this career path.
 
If your choice of career is based on how much money you're going to make, you're screwed before you even enter college. Sounds like you have a lot of growing up to do. I'd seriously consider what I want to do with my life if I were you.

--opm8
 
i would hope that most doctors arent in it for the money... i wouldnt want to go in for a procedure i didnt really need just to make him $.
 
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