Engineering vs Medicine

Students across the world find themselves at the crossroads after completing their high school. For toppers, the decision to opt between engineering and medicine is the most difficult task. Of course, the choice is never entirely yours and is influenced by several external factors. These include your parents, the success of your elder siblings in a particular academic area, your teachers and, for some, even friends. Not to say that you should ignore them but the best bet is to listen to your inner-self and do some search on both these fields before deciding on one. Following are some considerations you should take into account:

Ease of finding a job
How many doctors or nurses have you come across who said they were unemployed? The answer would be less than ten. Yes! If you are the one who wants to land up in a job immediately after completion of your course, medicine is the right specialty for you. There is little doubt that engineering profession has too many opportunities; however, finding a desired job can be a tad difficult.

Leisure time
Are you a kind of a person who prefers to work five days a week and wants to try lots of other things during the weekend? In that case, you may opt for engineering. There are several doctors and nurses who say they have little time for themselves and they have to be ready to work during any time of the day and week.

Income
Engineers can be found at many levels in the organization. You can see some of them running companies as CEOs and you may even see some engineers providing low paying technical support services. Hence, there is no certainty on income levels. On the other hand, people in medicine profession invariably earn decent income.

Sensitivity
Many medicine students leave this field after first three months of study. The probable rationale: I am allergic to smell in operation theater; I couldn't dissect the frog; the sight of dead bodies haunts me in my dreams. If you can set aside all these issues and look at the larger picture of treating the ill, you can take up medical profession.

Creativity
There is no limit to creativity in engineering profession. Some engineering specializations such as automobile and architecture are perfect example of these. Who knows you could be the next Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, and end up constructing the ninth wonder of the world! But medicine is a much strict discipline.

Social Purpose
There is no better way to save human lives than through medicine. There are hundreds of ailments that are yet to be overcome. If you empathize with living beings and want to make a change to lives then go for medicine.

Social status
The doctors are at the top of the social hierarchy in terms of respect and recognition. People treat them gently and always want to make friends with them. If you crave for such attention then becoming a doctor can fulfill your desires; however, there is a caveat to it: You can never take your personal conduct for granted.

The above mentioned considerations are general in nature and are highly debatable. You may find exceptions in both engineering and medicine. Nevertheless, these guidelines may serve you a great deal in knowing some of the basic characteristics in both these professions. The important thing is that you should not decide on a career just because you think it's cool. Your grades in high school, your priorities in life, your finances and several other things will dictate your decision. But doing basic research on both these specializations is utmost important before choosing. Once chosen, the next step will be to secure admission in a good academic institution that will add real value to your knowledge and career. Remember, getting a seat in a reputed college is half the work done. Other rewards will come due to your perseverance, hard work, and passion for the job.

All the best!