Important College Admission Step: A Surprising Career Opportunity for Michigan Youth.
I was recently reading a story, which highlighted that Michigan may be heading for a shortage of primary care physicians. According to a survey, in the last three years, the number of doctors with full patient care lists rose by 20 percent. Also, the number of general practice centers which were full is up from 42% in 2005 to 62% in 2008.
The story continued with an interview of two doctors. These doctors said they have not been able to open their practice to new patients for years. These two doctors see 8,000 people per year. I had to put that into perspective for myself. I calculated they see 4000 patients/doctor/year. To put it another way, each doctor on average sees 16 patients per day! So the next time you have a doctor’s appointment, and you’re wondering why its 10:30 am and your appointment was for 10:00 am but your still sitting in the waiting room, just think of this storyJ
The article went on to explain why specialization has become more popular. Specialists make a lot more money. It is true, specialists do make more money but there is a tradeoff. The specialists will study for more time. You might consider this before going the specialist route. On the other hand, the other benefit of being a specialist is they might work fewer hours per week. The trade off of spending more time in college for the longer term benefits of shorter work hours and more money might be a trade off your willing to make or maybe it’s not. The point here is we should be aware of the tradeoffs so you make a really informed decision about your future career.
We could probably compare the pros and cons between being a specialists or a general physician but that’s not really the point of this post. What I’d like to focus your attention on is to research the careers you’re considering before you apply for college admissions. I was not aware that there might be a shortage of general physicians. If you were considering becoming a doctor this should be a factor in your decision. The fact is before sending in your college applications there are things to consider about your career choice.
Here is a list of some things to consider:
- Time in college – how long will you have to study to meet the career qualifications? Each year you are in college is a year you are not earning money. Also, college costs money (obvious point rightJ) so the more time you’re in school, potentially the more debt you will accumulate.
- The total cost of college – each year is school can cost upwards of $20,000 to $50,000 per year. Do the math!
- Trends – will it be easier or more difficult to find a job when you graduate. Some fields are dying off, while others are ramping up. Some fields are moving overseas because labor costs are lower. Knowing the near term trends will affect your ability to get a job after graduation.
- Regional Trends – The United States is a big place. Certain areas of the country are more affiliated with certain industries. I.e. Silicon Valley, the “rust belt”, etc. The career you choose might have more opportunity in a different state. Are you okay with moving away from home?
- Obstacles – are there any barriers to you entering that field. For example, if you are a physician, will you have to buy into a practice or can you create one yourself? How much time will it take to build up a practice? Do you need any special training after college? In some professions having bachelors is not enough. You might need a professional designation or a master degree.
- Interest – If the career will bore you, then why go into it? My brother is a very smart guy and a bright math wizard. He graduated with a math and teaching degree and thought of being an actuary (they work for insurance companies). He looked into the career and thought he would be board out of his mind so he did not pursue it. Actuaries can make 6 figure incomes but if there is no interest, don’t choose a field on income alone.
- Ability – Do you have the ability to do the job? If you like designing cars but can’t handle the math, then don’t become an engineer.
- Value – You have to have a personal value system for the job. If you think you want to be a lawyer, can you defend a person you know is guilty? If not some types of lawyers will not be good for you.
- Income – can you support your family on the potential income from that field?
So how do you find out all these items?
Here are a few suggestions.
- Look for an internship. Actually seeing and doing a job will help you understand if it’s something you want to do.
- Talk with professionals. Sometimes if you ask the right questions, you can get some great information. If you ask “fluff” questions you won’t get any important information so prepare before you interview them.
- Find a good database that can help you find out information quickly about a career. I use a database for each of my students, which for every career shows kids the employment trends, income, required degrees, how long they have to be in school, and much much more. This helps them to quickly find an interest in a field or weed out others.
If you’re going to college you should be researching careers and their future prospects. Don’t listen to the rumors, really do the research on the needs for the different careers and how they fit with you! A little bit of time now will save you years more in college!!
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