A doctor is someone who is respected, sometimes even idolized. Doctors make good money and have alot of versatility and stability in their profession. I've heard doctors described as "god's right-hand man" even. I wanted all of these things. I wanted respect, to make lots of money and to have stability etc etc in what I did.
At times I second-guess my decision when I see my friends who chose business or computers making 80-100k right out of grad school (or even undergrad) and they're buying their new cars and houses and I'm still lingering with residency. But then I think about what I have achieved and how I feel when I go home at day's end and I know that I've truly touched a life and made a difference...and i'm quite content.
I also know that I am very lucky to have a profession in which i will always have a job - people will continue to get sick, it's life. So I wont have to worry about down-sizing and lay-offs etc as has happened to a few of my friends post-9/11.
In the end though, besides the fact that the science is exciting and the job is intriguing, I chose medicine because I did volunteer time in the field and I found that I was happy doing it. Thats the only reason to choose a profession- because it makes you happy!! You'll be doing it for the rest of your life
So give me all the hardships I went through - I'll gladly go through them again. Give me the debt I incurred and the knowledge that it'll take a few years to pay off. Give me all the times I gave up on hanging out and having a good time cuz i had to study. I'll gladly take it on again.....cuz you know what...I'm so freakin happy