Am I making a mistake wanting to change from a 9-5 to something in medical?
I'm 31 with a degree in industrial and management engineering. I've been working for 7 years in supply chain and have had 3 jobs, each lasting about 2 years. I left the first 2 on my own accord, the economy and job market was better and I was job hopping for more money. But more so because I became uninterested and fed up with the roles. Plus there was no growth opportunities.
The 3rd job is the one I'm currently at. It's been about 2.5 years at this job and I'm starting to become uninterested and fed up again. It's kind of a small sample size but I've come to the conclusion 9-5 isn't for me. It's a consistent cycle of finding a new job, getting excited and then after about 2 years, I begin to loathe it. I'm hybrid home 3-4 days per week but I dread waking up and starting work (literally stay in bed until 8:55), I hate being behind a screen all day, and I'm tired of the same work day after day. Honestly I'm just not happy right now or thinking about the thought of doing this for the next 50 years. Also my company is going full RTO in June and it's 100% gonna make it more intolerable. I've done the job perfectly fine for 2.5 years hybrid I don't need to sit in your office.
For all 7 years, I've thought about changing paths but was never really drawn to or decided on something. Anything I thought of, the cons outweighed the pros. In the past 2 years, I've landed on switching to something in medical, either nurse or doctor. I got accepted to a nursing program last year but got cold feet before registration started and dropped out. At this point in my life I feel like it's now or never to make this change (especially MD). And if I do it, I feel like I'm throwing everything I've worked for away and then some.
I'm an over thinker and try to take everything into account (salary, work life balance, cost, different paths available, etc.), so there's things keeping me back from taking the leap. I still have about 75k in student loans from my first degree. If going doctor I'm starting at 0, need pre-reqs, volunteering, MCAT, etc. Though I do have growth opportunities in my current role, I've gotten promoted and multiple raises (making 115k in HCOL) since I started this role and my director has mentioned a growth/transition role they see me in by EOY. I have a feeling I'd find myself in the same cycle after being in the new role after some time.
Also, my girlfriend and I are talking about starting the next chapter- buying a house, starting a family, etc. If I decide on doctor, going through residency will be even more tough on our relationship, in conjunction with the financial burden of schooling. It either delays these things or makes them extremely tough on both of us. I could see myself taking either path but nursing feels like the better overall option between the 2 but I don't think I'd enjoy the work as much as doctor. My girlfriend and her brother (who's a nurse) think I should look into PT.
I know they say find fulfillment outside of work but if I'm spending 8+ hours a day doing something I need to feel good about it. I don't care if the excel formula I made is baller, or if the customers box didn't ship on time, or if there's an issue with packaging. It's all meaningless to me and life. I care about helping people directly, making a positive impact in their life. I'm feeling really overwhelmed and honestly wish I put more thought into the path I picked when I was 18.