How to leave medicine for programmers?

Question

IT education

I have been working as a doctor for several years, but I realized that I was not ready to give it decades more. There are too few prospects for development and career growth, if you don’t go into science or don’t advertise non-working drugs for money (and you don’t want to). At the same time, I consider myself (and not only me, but also my colleagues) a really good doctor, I regularly update my knowledge. Another factor is the lack of even a theoretical or temporary possibility of remote work.
Over the past few months, I have taken several online courses on Python, I read books on the topic. I see a real interest in the process, but I can’t figure out the path, I understand that this is not enough to get a real internship and, moreover, a job (
I understand my weakness in the absence of technical education.
But years of difficult medical studies (red diploma, by the way) speak of the ability to learn. There is time for development

Answer 1

In fact, it is not so difficult and it is possible even without any special risks.
Since programming is used in various areas of life (including medicine), very often a programmer needs to delve into the field of knowledge for which he implements a product. as you understand, it is much more difficult to enter the medical field than many others, you need special knowledge, and you already have it - in fact, this is your competitive advantage. so you don’t have to discard all past knowledge and lose on it, you can find a job in the field of medical IT, since it is booming right now, including because of the pandemic.
about how exactly - I think first you need to understand for yourself what exactly you want. if you just make good money, then perhaps it will be easier to achieve this as a lawyer. if you are drawn to IT, then there are also many options, for example, now there is an option to become a data scientist - to analyze big data (here your education will come in handy, since there is a lot of data in medicine, and this is not an abstract science, everything is purely practical), or just for example, a system engineer - to analyze the needs of the client (again, it is possible in the medical field, special knowledge will be a fat plus).
about how exactly - try to learn some programming language at a basic level, and you can even try to automate some of your tedious everyday tasks with it, or copy existing ones. for example, as far as I know, different medical risk calculators are often used there. in terms of language, I would start with python (it is also very actively used in data science), if you want beautiful visualizations, then this is in javascript with how to think react. If you have any questions write, I will answer.
good luck.

Answer 2

Too few development prospects

"(self)development" is a term for Instagram girls. There is no abstract "development". A person either has clear goals or they don't. The whole essence of the work is making money for a piece of bread. Everything else is pink snot. Why did you decide that it is programming that gives development, and not medicine?
To tell you how I, as a programmer, sometimes coming home from work on Friday, I feel only the desire to get drunk to hell (which I used to actively do)? For work in this area is reminiscent of Groundhog Day and a very dull life that goes behind the box of a 30x40 monitor. I see the same people, lead a sedentary lifestyle and solve almost the same problems. Learning a new framework/technology has not made me smarter, richer, or changed my life drastically. Poke your finger, where in the described moments you can see the "development"?
I can assume that development is when you create your own private clinic, people will work for you, and you will reach a qualitatively new level in terms of self-esteem, social circle and finances. This is development.

and career growth

A career in IT is a maximum position of the head of a department/division/management. In addition to the general tasks of coding, there is also the obligation to be a layer between programmers and business. And this is after many years of work. Many, in view of professional deformation, would not like to do this at all, because developers have such a type of personality - a deliberate abstraction from unnecessary communications. Or do you aspire to be Zuckerberg/Jops?

Another factor is the lack of even a theoretical or temporary possibility of remote work.

FORGET about remote work. In fact, it is almost non-existent, it is difficult to find it.
To solve problems more difficult and interesting than remote writing of murky systems for murky customers (which is equivalent in terms of medicine to working as a nurse in a typical commercial clinic), you need to work in the office. For uncle. According to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. As everybody.
No serious business hires remote workers. Never. Employees must be in the field to poke each other's noses into the monitor and be part of a working team within the reach of the work schedule and time zone. There is no reason to hire some person for 1000 miles to chat with him in a chat room and discuss some issues on WhatsApp. No reason. If there is some kind of abstract genius, he will rather move closer to work and will also go to work from 9 to 18.

.I see a real interest in the process

Interest in the process will quickly end in getting into real tasks, where there will be deadlines, deadlines, vague requirements, thousands of lines of code written by someone and higher-ranking colleagues will chase you for your crooked code.
I was also interested in buying a needle holder and emulating wound stitching using YouTube video tutorials.
And Maxim Fedorov said a very correct thing. To become a programmer, you do not need diplomas and training in a specialized university. Accordingly, there will always be much more such people than doctors - people who have completed all the circles of training. Now think - is it worth leveling yourself to the level of these "common people"?

Answer 3

You've hit the sick purulent callus of the toaster. Every day someone comes and asks "how to become a programmer", in 99% of cases they are idlers who do not know how to do anything and do not want to learn, but they saw a video on YouTube that "programmers earn from 200k per month", and then they filled up advertising courses "become a python Jedi in 3 days and go to the USA to ride a Porsche." But there is no money for courses, so they come here and ask "how to become a programmer in 3 days on your own, and whether it will be possible to get at least 150k at the initial stage."
So don't be surprised by the comments.
In fact, the initial stage is the most difficult. Largely due to the dominance of "hochunov" who can't do anything but have already spammed the entire Internet and all employers. You have to get through it somehow, either by perseverance or cunning. It is necessary to get real experience as early as possible, no matter what ways - and look for a job as a junior. Be prepared to be rejected 20 times before taking. Then everything depends on perseverance, the city and luck.
What city do you have?

Answer 4

We must start with the ability to use the search. Seriously. There are hundreds of answers to this question here. And the ability to search is a very important skill for a developer.
If you're confident, do a couple of mid-sized projects for yourself or a fictitious client. Not just another to-do list, but something useful. And running in search of June vacancies. In six months, with diligence, you will definitely change jobs.

Answer 5

Coronavirus showed that doctors are more in demand than programmers))

Answer 6

And here I am exactly the opposite. I want to become a doctor. This thought has been in my head for a couple of years, I can be said to have been dragged into it, but I understand that this is not mine, that I do not like it. Working the rest of your life in an area that you don't care about is torture. I am already 29, I plan to go to medical school at 30-31, in Poland or Slovakia, where education is free, if in the local language, Polish or Slovak, in principle, it is not a problem to learn up to B2. Topic author, can you give some advice? How to prepare for the entrance exams, what is better to read? You will need to take biology and chemistry. Is it too late to go to school at 30? But even if it's late, I'll still go, because I feel that I want to do just that.

Answer 7

There are a lot of "vaishers" like you. And they are constantly arriving on the shelf, because from time to time drop dead stories of success in programming of all kinds of doctors, lawyers, economists, builders, etc. appear on the net. However, the reality is that even people with specialized education and some experience have problems with employment.
BUT, please note, I'm not telling you that you need to give up everything and it's all useless. You just need to adequately perceive reality and not build illusions. In addition to theory, try to somehow touch on real projects. I don't know how you can do it - ask for an internship somewhere, find yourself a mentor, etc., but working with a real project can radically change the development process in this direction. In the end, if you are really capable and all of yourself is as smart as you describe, then you have more chances even among people with a specialized education. IMHO, the ideal way to "walk into IT" is "according to the Brazilian system", when you have some theoretical base and you are thrown into the thick of hell, into working with a real project, as an intern - that is, for free (at best - for food , but this is unlikely because few people need interns even for free). You will live in hell for about half a year and experience sheer stress, but you will still be able to “walk in IT”.
Another possible scenario is to start with near-IT positions and enter the field gradually. For example, first get a job in the support service (especially relevant for girls), cook in this for a year, pick up terms, communicate with developers, while simultaneously studying the technology used in this company. Then try to go to the development department - hint to managers and team leaders about your desire, apply for courses and internship programs that are being held, try to pass an interview, etc.
By the way. What exactly are you working for? How are you with English? What keeps you in your country? I hope you understand what I'm getting at. The process of confirming higher education abroad is a very difficult and not at all fast business. However, as far as I know, in many Western countries there is a certain shortage of medical personnel and even all kinds of nurses, who, by the way, may well have a standard of living much higher than some representatives of senior medical personnel in the CIS countries.
It is also worth mentioning that we have entered the era of the so-called deep machine learning, when systems that have some signs of artificial intelligence are becoming widespread. Probably, there is a chance to find yourself in science, at the intersection of medicine and IT-sphere. I suspect that the developers of, for example, some kind of medical expert systems may be in great need of experts in the field of medicine.

Answer 8

How to leave medicine for programmers?

One day, write a letter of resignation. Pre-prepare yourself a cash cushion for half a year (at least). For six months (relatively speaking) sit at home and do cool things (after 3 years of experience as a programmer, do not forget to look at them and check if they are still cool). Six months later, go outside, remember that you once had friends, weigh the situation, act according to the circumstances.

Answer 9

Do not listen to anyone, do what interests you and what your soul lies in. If you feel that the profession of a doctor is not yours, then of course try something else. But if you think that programmers are rowing loot with shovels, I'm afraid to disappoint you. Normal pay starts at strong middles (people usually with 5+ years of experience), but again it all depends on your learning ability and the company that will help you grow. Are you willing to spend a few years of your life before reaching a normal income? Then go ahead and good luck.
And the path is very simple - read books, take courses and apply this knowledge in practice, write your application / service (so that there is something to show in the portfolio). Simply put, write code, a lot of code. During the writing process, you will encounter a huge number of questions - at this stage, google, stackoverflow and toster will become your best friends. Or, if funds permit. you can find a mentor (a person who will review your code).
How to write a couple of applications (this can take several months), prepare for interviews - search the Internet for questions and answers, then create a resume with a link to your github and look for a suitable job.
In any case, I wish you good luck.

Answer 10

If you have medical knowledge, then you can look for vacancies where both medicine and programming are related, communicate with several employers, find out what exactly they are interested in and specifically pump the necessary skills.
These can be near-medical research institutes or analysis laboratories, for example. Agricultural, food quality control and ecology, etc.

Answer 11

Dear author!
How are you progressing towards your career change?
I am a doctor myself, and I also aim to change my profession.

Answer 12

Adult. You work somewhere. Why are there no questions?
How did you get into your current job? Did you show your diploma and have you been working since then?
Or were there any vacancies, some interviews?
Also in programmers - you read vacancies, when you feel that you master the requirements - you go for an interview.

Answer 13

I don’t know, of course, exactly how you learned to be a doctor, but if only on your own, then your question is simply terrifying and bewildering. I understand when people from a construction site want to go to IT, I understand when they leave factories, when they leave the management routine. But from medicine???