Two weeks ago was Med School decisions day in Canada. All across the country, hundreds of ultra-dedicated, academically-excelling, SAT-studying, volunteer-extraordinary, scientific-researching, people-caring, young people were eagerly anticipating the decisions of their chosen medical schools. Fortunately, many of my friends got the good news that they had been stressing over for many months, having been accepted into some of the nation’s top medical programs.

I always thought that I would end up following the medical path myself. My mother claims that I started saying that I wanted to be a doctor at the age of four. Regardless, it was definitely at the front of my mind through my teenage years. I volunteered at a Senior’s Home for most of high school and then I spent more than two years volunteering directly with kids at BC Children’s Hospital – where all the volunteers are pre-med students. I even chose to study undergraduate sciences where more than 80% of first-years desire to become doctors.

Looking back, it’s almost funny to see how much things have changed. How come? First and foremost, I was probably kidding myself if I thought that I had the academic wilI-power to become a top-notch student! 🙂

I was always attracted to medicine because of the opportunity to truly help people. However, being exposed to entrepreneurship over the last couple of years has shown me how it can also be a powerful tool for helping people by adding value to their lives. Like most, I was also slightly attracted to the prestige and status, and even financial benefits that go along with the MD. In comparison, entrepreneurs (or successful ones at least), also have a certain level of prestige associated with their lifestyle. Undoubtedly, both lifestyles require highly motivated, driven, and intelligent individuals that love working with people.

So here is my real question: it took me many years of going down the pre med path before I realized that entrepreneurship was my true calling. But since there are a lot of similarities between the two careers, how many other motivated young people who could be great entrepreneurs are choosing the medical school path?

Medicine definitely has a stronger “brand” in our society – no doubt influenced by older generations who would love their kids or grandkids to become doctors. I’m extremely thankful for all the current and future doctors out there, but how can we pull more young people to the entrepreneur side? I only wish that someone had opened my eyes to entrepreneurship even earlier; since then I’ve been trying to pass the same benefit on to others.

Ps. Congratulations to my future doctor friends! 🙂