How to help my brother choose a career?
My brother is currently thinking about becoming a physical therapist with a major in sports medicine. But it seems to me that he is just doing this because its easy. I remember he told me he wanted to be a cosmetic dentist or orthopedic surgeon but doesnt want to take it due to the amount of schooling since he thinks he isnt smart.
I am trying to help him go into dentistry or another type of career in medicine. How do i go about doing this?
Physical therapy school is anything but easy. It is a competitive entrance with a rigerous course load. It’s certainly not med school, but not a walk in the park. Historically, acceptance rates vary between 20-50% of qualified applicants. This means that sometimes only 20% of those who meet the programs requirements are actually admitted.
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Physical therapy school is anything but easy. It is a competitive entrance with a rigerous course load. It’s certainly not med school, but not a walk in the park. Historically, acceptance rates vary between 20-50% of qualified applicants. This means that sometimes only 20% of those who meet the programs requirements are actually admitted.
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I am a PT
Well, here’s the bottom line. Choosing a career path should never be about how easy or difficult something would be, or how much money you can earn – it should be about how fulfilling it would be.
This is what your brother must determine for himself and make his decisions accordingly. If one career is "easier" to obtain than another, but you find little reward at the end of the day, is it really worth it? On the flip side of this, if something is really difficult and you have to work hard to get there, but then you find great reward in your work – is it worth all the work?
For example, most cardiac surgeons find their careers very rewarding. They love performing the surgeries and they love saving lives. The bonus is that they get paid very well. But it takes a tremendous amount of work and dedication to be a cardiac surgeon. Is it worth it? Most would say yes. But would it be worth it for everyone? No. I personally don’t have the motivation to endure the years of rigorous schooling, regardless of my intelligence. I don’t mind hard work and I love learning, but I absolutely abhor writing one paper/thesis/dissertation after another.
If you want to help him choose a smart career path that he can get started on with not as much school in the beginning, I highly recommend Radiologic Technology.
You can begin an entry-level career in RT with a two-year degree and go on to earn a bachelor’s degree if you desire. With the appropriate training, you can choose to specialize in one area if you like, such as mammography, computed tomography (CT scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), sonography (ultrasound), nuclear medicine technology, or radiation therapy. And with nearly 1,000 accredited programs in the United States, there is probably a radiologic technology school in your area. The salaries are good too, especially considering the education requirements. You won’t find many positions that you get can with a 2-year degree that pay as well as RT. And the pay only goes up as you gain more experience/get promoted/attain more specialized training. I know I sound like an advertisement, trying to "sell" you on this idea. But no, I get nothing for this. It’s just a path that I often recommend when people are looking for a solid career that won’t take them forever to get started in. Is it rewarding? Well, whether it’s looking at little Johnny’s broken foot or helping to find the cancerous tumor Aunt Betty’s brain… or helping to destroy that tumor if you decide to venture into radiation therapy, I’d say it can be pretty rewarding. Want a slower pace? Work in a clinic or doctor’s office, or just an imaging center. Want a faster pace? Work in a hospital where you will see the trauma patients come in from the ER. There are many sites to research this career field, but here’s a good overall summary that maybe you can direct your brother to read if you think this might be an option for him: https://www.asrt.org/content/recruitmentretention/career_brochure.aspx
At any rate… good luck. I know you’re just trying to be helpful to him, but just remember that in the end, he has to be happy with his choices, so don’t push him too hard toward anything. You don’t want him to resent you for trying to "tell him what to do with his life".
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