Hi folks,
I'm fairly young (24) and am on the brink of a career
change. I've been in aviation since 17 (pilot, aircraft
mechanic, avionics sales) and would really like to
get into the medical field, preferably radiography with
a specialty in ultrasound.
I'm concerned that I won't be able to fulfill the
responsibilities a job in medicine would require as
my various severe medical (including rheumy)
problems progress.
I'm hell bent on acheiving my goal and plan to start
college (yet again!) this fall to start the career
transition even though I realize my body might only
hold out for another 10-15 years. However, I'd love to
hear some input that might help me and other young
people in regards to intellectually stimulating,
spirtually satisfying jobs that are RA-compatible.
Bit of a heady question, but I hope a few of you find it
interesting! :-)
Well Alaskan,
I'm a great believer in doing what you want to do and love to do. Just make sure you prepare financially for the future. It may be 10 years or you may never have major problems with your career. You don't know what the future holds so why not enjoy your career as long as you can.
What I enjoyed doing may be something you would be miserable at..you know different strokes for different folks.
If the time comes and you have to transition your job you may be able to move into a more managerial position, you could teach etc.
Others may give you different advice, but you can not assume their path will work for you, their experiences are totally different.
Go for it and have a great career
I say go for it! At age 44 I changed to being a volunteer for a non-profit group that works with people fighting drug and alcohol addiction. I realize that my work does not pay and I am a lot older but it was something that I took on after learning that I had arthritis and I had always wanted to work in the medical field as well so this work sorta fits.
Someday we will get a grant to allow for some compensation but to watch a family get put back together from the ravages of addiction is more than enough for me.
Doing ultrasounds pays well, allows you to help people and a friend of mine retired at a fairly young age due to her fruitful career in performing ultrasounds.
Good luck.
Go for it!!! You can always cut back to part time later if you need to, but 10 years or so from now who knows? Go for the change!!!
hey there, im 21 and was diagnosed the first year of music school -- the only reason why I changed my career path is because jazz musicians dont get health insurance
You can't predict the future. I'm feeling a lot better now than I did 4 years ago when I was first diagnosed with RA. The meds can be very effective and you may find that it doesn't impact your career at all. It's better to go for it now and make changes later if you are forced to. Good luck!
Alan
My advice is to work in a field you love but it should be face to face or hands on. Any thing that can be done over the internet is not a good choice. Those jobs will be out sourced to cheaper workers in other country like India.
My mamography place has closed do to cheaper for doctors reading mammo sent over the internet.
I am a programmer and my job is at major risk to foreighn competition.