For sometime and may be even now medicine and engineering are two career choices one faces. After completing 10th standard one needs to choose between Maths based curriculum or biology based curriculum that will decide whether you can become an engineer or a doctor.

Motivations for becoming a doctor:

• Serve the society and people
• A doctor in the family
• Earn good money

Qualification

Obviously studying M.B.B.S and subsequent higher degrees are necessary to become a doctor. But the decision to pursue medicine should be done much early because the preparation also starts much earlier. At the time of entering 11th Standard this preference should be set.

Advantages of this career:

• You can choose to be your own boss. If you start your own practice obviously this can be achieved.
• Earn good money. I am not sure whether every one makes a lot of money but a good doctor can earn good amount of money in my opinion.
• Have a satisfaction of serving people. I think this is one motivation that can drive many to become a doctor.

Challenges in the career:

• You get exposed to sick people every day. One needs to be emotionally detached and mentally strong. Certainly seeing lot of suffering people can have an impact on one's daily life.
• You get to work on odd hours. Many doctors who attend to emergency cases keep working late into night. I have seen so many doctors who work through the night and may be serving others is what keeps them going.
• You need to be positive minded. Sick people come with so many fears and doctors have the challenge of lifting the emotional state of people also besides giving the treatment. Long time back I took my niece to a child specialist who was attending so many children and still was enthusiastic and trying to cajole my niece who suffering my severe cold.
• You need to do hard work. Operations, surgeries etc. demand not only long hours from doctors but lot of mental strength.
• Tolerate Hospital atmosphere: Many people cannot stand hospital environment. A doctor cannot be sensitive to such issues
• Accept death: One can become very philosophical in attitude when you see death everyday. You may develop the 'Gautam Budha' philosophy who was moved by suffering of people.
• Responsibility for others well being:

Education challenges:

There are many specializations in becoming a doctor that one needs to even choose and study towards the same. Not being a doctor I may not be able to give details doctors face in their education, but I can certainly say it is not easy to clear the courses and internship program so easily.

When I look around I see so many types of doctors

• Consultant Physicians
• Eye specialist
• ENT specialists
• Gynecologist
• Pediatrician
• Maternity Specialists
• Heart Specialists

And so on…

Sometimes one need not only be an allopathic doctor in India. Homeopathy, Ayurvedic medicine also can be practiced as these are widely accepted.

Summary

Being a doctor is a very lucrative and satisfaction guaranteed career choice. It is not easy to become a doctor and also this career has its own challenges. Becoming a doctor is not a career choice that can be taken without keeping the above things in mind. It needs lot of effort and dedication to become a good doctor and maintain the reputation. Choice is yours.

Note: I have given my impressions of being a doctor and all the views expressed are my personal impressions and there may be lot of other things that may determine this career choice. Do let me know your views on this article by sending a mail to cskishore@yahoo.com