[Slagasauras]

I'm certainly not sure where I want to be. I've made threads before, however, those were months ago and I feel I should update my opinions and ideas regularly to see if anyone can help me decide where I want to be.

I'm stuck between becoming a psychologist or a physician, not sure which kind yet.

I've made a Pro-Con list as to why I think both would be good for me:

Psychology Pros:
-I'm empathetic to the needs of others.
-I understand how to talk to people when they are depressed or anxious.
-I find the human mind fascinating

Psychology Cons:
-Not enough money
-Can have multiple high-risk patients for a magnitude of time

Physician Pros:
-I'm in love with biology, as well as neuroscience and biopsychology.
-I find myself to react quickly and calmly when stressed, but not when anxiety attacks.
-I'm always wanting to learn, always. There isn't anything I'm curious about

Physician Cons:
-Money making is slow in the beginning years.
-High amounts of stress.
-I may actually have to touch people.
-Long, long, long hours.

If anyone can help me, please do!

 

[EndsOfTheEarth]

You're not going to find the answer in a list I'm sorry to tell you. What you might logically think is the best answer and where you naturally shine are two different things that those lists can't help with. I spent the first half of my life in jobs that are supposedly a good fit for INTJ and I hated them. I've ended up in a people centric job which shouldn't be a good fit at all but it's my longest and most enjoyable career. It isn't the highest paying one but somehow I've done better financially than in the one that paid better.

When you are happy or at least partially fulfilled you will perform better, gain opportunities ahead of your peers and eventually find a niche where you excel and then all the money and fulfillment opportunities come after that. If you are in a job where you constantly battle your inner self, even if you become competent you will lack the x factor that gains you the right oppiortunities and it will always be a promising career that just never took off.

That needs to be added to your risk analysis, the opportunity cost of just being competent instead of being excellent. So which illogically draws you more?

 

[Gossip Goat]

Maybe read these:

Psych:
Are you on the right path?

So You Want to Become a Psychologist? | Psych Central

https://arianalytics.wordpress.com/...s-before-you-decide-to-become-a-psychologist/

Advantages and Disadvantages of Being a Psychologist

5 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Major In Psychology

Phys:
Why you should become a nurse or physicians assistant instead of a doctor: the underrated perils of medical school « The Story's Story

How Being a Doctor Became the Most Miserable Profession - The Daily Beast

Malcolm Gladwell: Tell People What It's Really Like To Be A Doctor - Forbes

Reasons Not To Become A Doctor - AskMen

Expert's new career prescription: Forget about becoming a doctor - tribunedigital-chicagotribune

$1 million mistake: Becoming a doctor - CBS News

Want to succeed in life? Don't become a doctor - NaturalNews.com

I went $230,000 into debt to become a doctor in America – Quartz

Why Doctors Are Sick of Their Profession - WSJ

 

[bigstupidgrin]

My obvious form answer/question: have you job shadowed/observed for either?

My stereotypical INFP to INFP answer: psychologist is one on one (or two) therapeutic connections, Fi + Ne seems like a pretty good combo for it as long as you are truly passionate. It seems like physicians would need a stronger Ti/Te function.

My boring disclaimer: just shooting in the dark with all of this :happy:.

 

[Blindspots]

Physician Pros:
-I'm in love with biology, as well as neuroscience and biopsychology.
-I find myself to react quickly and calmly when stressed, but not when anxiety attacks.
-I'm always wanting to learn, always. There isn't anything I'm curious about

Physician Cons:
-Money making is slow in the beginning years.
-High amounts of stress.
-I may actually have to touch people.
-Long, long, long hours.

If anyone can help me, please do!

Sorry to say, but you will be touching people, at least while you're still in medical school. (This is coming from a former medical student.) You can choose a specialization where you wouldn't need to in the future, like radiology or pathology, but take into consideration what it takes to get there, like what you've listed.

High amounts of stress, especially the emotional kind, were initially deal breakers when I was in your position, which I overlooked in favor of prestige and the mental challenges.

 

It didn't end well. I lost the drive to improve myself beyond the description of my career and towards my own values and interests, as @InSolitude said. I couldn't even bother to take care of my sanity because of all the self-loathing at the time.

I second @bigstupidgrin's advice of shadowing as well as interviewing people already in those two professions about what their work entails. Then work with the information (which will be at least a bit more objective than the over/undue glamorizing job titles undergo in media) you get from them.