Do you have a real job?
09-02-2018, 01:09 AM
#212
Rennlist Member
I have been following this thread and it is awesome to see how a passion can unite so many different walks of life.
I was already fortunate to go to medical school in my home country (Brazil) and even more fortunate to be awarded a scholarship that sponsored my research here in the US. Now 16 years later I can only look back and proudly remember those interesting times. Back then I used calling cards to call back home. The stupid system would automatically charge 15 cents whenever you attempted a call, even if it did not go through. I would call the company asking for my money back because that meant 3 minutes of call. 15 cents man! Now being able to afford my hobby is a dream come true. I am sure a more sane person would have used the money on a more financially savvy way. But I could not care less.
I wish I was as smart as some of the folks here and be tough enough to build and fail and get up and build again these amazing enterprises. Or even as smart as a radiologist who can have 12 weeks off a year... All I know is to treat cancer. Yes, I make my patients wait, and sometimes quite a lot. But yes, I do care and respect their time. But how can we discuss whether you want to try a fifth line of therapy with a faint chance of working or dying a peaceful death, then take care of all the crap that happens in the background in a 20 minute slot? All I can do is apologize every time I am late and thankfully every single time I apologize I hear "no worries, it is worth the wait."
Every time people ask if I want my daughter to follow my footsteps I say "no way, she needs to be smart and do something else." But deep inside it would be an honor if she did. We are all blessed to be able to afford these beautiful machines. But I can say very few professions will give you the joy of receiving a card as I did this week from a 27 y/o man who I treated a few years ago with a mass the size of a basketball wrapping around his heart. Now 4 years later he sends me a picture of him, his wife, and their newborn thanking me for giving their family the gift of life twice. That is priceless.
I was already fortunate to go to medical school in my home country (Brazil) and even more fortunate to be awarded a scholarship that sponsored my research here in the US. Now 16 years later I can only look back and proudly remember those interesting times. Back then I used calling cards to call back home. The stupid system would automatically charge 15 cents whenever you attempted a call, even if it did not go through. I would call the company asking for my money back because that meant 3 minutes of call. 15 cents man! Now being able to afford my hobby is a dream come true. I am sure a more sane person would have used the money on a more financially savvy way. But I could not care less.
I wish I was as smart as some of the folks here and be tough enough to build and fail and get up and build again these amazing enterprises. Or even as smart as a radiologist who can have 12 weeks off a year... All I know is to treat cancer. Yes, I make my patients wait, and sometimes quite a lot. But yes, I do care and respect their time. But how can we discuss whether you want to try a fifth line of therapy with a faint chance of working or dying a peaceful death, then take care of all the crap that happens in the background in a 20 minute slot? All I can do is apologize every time I am late and thankfully every single time I apologize I hear "no worries, it is worth the wait."
Every time people ask if I want my daughter to follow my footsteps I say "no way, she needs to be smart and do something else." But deep inside it would be an honor if she did. We are all blessed to be able to afford these beautiful machines. But I can say very few professions will give you the joy of receiving a card as I did this week from a 27 y/o man who I treated a few years ago with a mass the size of a basketball wrapping around his heart. Now 4 years later he sends me a picture of him, his wife, and their newborn thanking me for giving their family the gift of life twice. That is priceless.
09-02-2018, 08:31 AM
#214
Banned
This has been a great thread. I'm in the midst of deciding on a major career change so some these stories and experiences are very helpful and inspiring.
Currently 10 years in medical device sales. Carried the bag and now cover the west region as a VP. As some of the surgeons have mentioned, healthcare has changed so drastically over the last 10 years that administrators now make the buying decisions over the surgeons. The sales process is not as fun as it use to be. Hospitals are working on 1-3% profit margins and pricing pressures are squeezing incomes at my company. I'm very grateful for my position and income but I'm bored and not excited about the job anymore.
My wife does well in Bay Area residential real estate but could do a lot better if I were to quit and help her grow her business. I travel and with 3 kids she has a lot of responsibilities. I also coach my kids youth soccer teams. 2 this fall and it sucks to be working and miss practices which happens a lot.
We have really struggled with the decision to quit my job and join her. Each day brings a new feeling of either definitely quitting, absolutely staying or wait and see. Back and fourth.
Luckily my wife says that whatever happens, "we're not selling the Porsche!!!" She's a keeper.
Currently 10 years in medical device sales. Carried the bag and now cover the west region as a VP. As some of the surgeons have mentioned, healthcare has changed so drastically over the last 10 years that administrators now make the buying decisions over the surgeons. The sales process is not as fun as it use to be. Hospitals are working on 1-3% profit margins and pricing pressures are squeezing incomes at my company. I'm very grateful for my position and income but I'm bored and not excited about the job anymore.
My wife does well in Bay Area residential real estate but could do a lot better if I were to quit and help her grow her business. I travel and with 3 kids she has a lot of responsibilities. I also coach my kids youth soccer teams. 2 this fall and it sucks to be working and miss practices which happens a lot.
We have really struggled with the decision to quit my job and join her. Each day brings a new feeling of either definitely quitting, absolutely staying or wait and see. Back and fourth.
Luckily my wife says that whatever happens, "we're not selling the Porsche!!!" She's a keeper.
09-02-2018, 08:47 AM
#215
Rennlist Member
I have been following this thread and it is awesome to see how a passion can unite so many different walks of life.
I was already fortunate to go to medical school in my home country (Brazil) and even more fortunate to be awarded a scholarship that sponsored my research here in the US. Now 16 years later I can only look back and proudly remember those interesting times. Back then I used calling cards to call back home. The stupid system would automatically charge 15 cents whenever you attempted a call, even if it did not go through. I would call the company asking for my money back because that meant 3 minutes of call. 15 cents man! Now being able to afford my hobby is a dream come true. I am sure a more sane person would have used the money on a more financially savvy way. But I could not care less.
I wish I was as smart as some of the folks here and be tough enough to build and fail and get up and build again these amazing enterprises. Or even as smart as a radiologist who can have 12 weeks off a year... All I know is to treat cancer. Yes, I make my patients wait, and sometimes quite a lot. But yes, I do care and respect their time. But how can we discuss whether you want to try a fifth line of therapy with a faint chance of working or dying a peaceful death, then take care of all the crap that happens in the background in a 20 minute slot? All I can do is apologize every time I am late and thankfully every single time I apologize I hear "no worries, it is worth the wait."
Every time people ask if I want my daughter to follow my footsteps I say "no way, she needs to be smart and do something else." But deep inside it would be an honor if she did. We are all blessed to be able to afford these beautiful machines. But I can say very few professions will give you the joy of receiving a card as I did this week from a 27 y/o man who I treated a few years ago with a mass the size of a basketball wrapping around his heart. Now 4 years later he sends me a picture of him, his wife, and their newborn thanking me for giving their family the gift of life twice. That is priceless.
I was already fortunate to go to medical school in my home country (Brazil) and even more fortunate to be awarded a scholarship that sponsored my research here in the US. Now 16 years later I can only look back and proudly remember those interesting times. Back then I used calling cards to call back home. The stupid system would automatically charge 15 cents whenever you attempted a call, even if it did not go through. I would call the company asking for my money back because that meant 3 minutes of call. 15 cents man! Now being able to afford my hobby is a dream come true. I am sure a more sane person would have used the money on a more financially savvy way. But I could not care less.
I wish I was as smart as some of the folks here and be tough enough to build and fail and get up and build again these amazing enterprises. Or even as smart as a radiologist who can have 12 weeks off a year... All I know is to treat cancer. Yes, I make my patients wait, and sometimes quite a lot. But yes, I do care and respect their time. But how can we discuss whether you want to try a fifth line of therapy with a faint chance of working or dying a peaceful death, then take care of all the crap that happens in the background in a 20 minute slot? All I can do is apologize every time I am late and thankfully every single time I apologize I hear "no worries, it is worth the wait."
Every time people ask if I want my daughter to follow my footsteps I say "no way, she needs to be smart and do something else." But deep inside it would be an honor if she did. We are all blessed to be able to afford these beautiful machines. But I can say very few professions will give you the joy of receiving a card as I did this week from a 27 y/o man who I treated a few years ago with a mass the size of a basketball wrapping around his heart. Now 4 years later he sends me a picture of him, his wife, and their newborn thanking me for giving their family the gift of life twice. That is priceless.
Much respect.
Ive spent way to much time in hospitals with both parents dying of cancer to have some understanding of how incredible your job is
On this thread I fall in the work hard, fall down and succeed because the cheer will to succeed. Sometimes that is incredibly hard but I read your post and I realize it isn’t.
Great post.
09-02-2018, 09:18 AM
#216
Rennlist Member
Originally Posted by stout
See, I read something like this and quickly see the folly of my profession. Bless you, sir. You have your priorities aligned, and I'm glad they've brought you the success you've found.
Originally Posted by R.Deacon
awesome really looking forward to meeting Dr.
Originally Posted by TRAKCAR
Very much look forward to shake your hand Thursday.
Much respect.
Ive spent way to much time in hospitals with both parents dying of cancer to have some understanding of how incredible your job is
On this thread I fall in the work hard, fall down and succeed because the cheer will to succeed. Sometimes that is incredibly hard but I read your post and I realize it isn’t.
Great post.
Much respect.
Ive spent way to much time in hospitals with both parents dying of cancer to have some understanding of how incredible your job is
On this thread I fall in the work hard, fall down and succeed because the cheer will to succeed. Sometimes that is incredibly hard but I read your post and I realize it isn’t.
Great post.
Very much looking forward to Thursday. Great long weekend everyone.
09-02-2018, 10:28 AM
#217
Rennlist Member
Podiatrist. Work 8-3, 3-4 days a week now. No call but still have to put up with the paperwork. Gave up hospital surgery which was the best decision I made. Office only. All my kids went into engineering and all are doing well.
09-02-2018, 10:54 AM
#218
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Mid-Atlantic (on land, not in the middle of the ocean)
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A thread like this will tend to elicit responses from those who succeeded in their business ventures precisely because they lived to tell the tale. But there are also many who didn't succeed in their business ventures, didn't get to buy the Porsche they wanted, and went away quietly, so we won't hear from them in a thread like this.
I actually have reservations about my daughter following my path and becoming a business owner, despite my having done well enough to buy some Porsches and post in this thread, just as many docs have reservations about their kids becoming docs. Most jobs that pay well seem to have their boring, tedious, and frustrating aspects. It's not just docs who have to deal with such things.
I actually have reservations about my daughter following my path and becoming a business owner, despite my having done well enough to buy some Porsches and post in this thread, just as many docs have reservations about their kids becoming docs. Most jobs that pay well seem to have their boring, tedious, and frustrating aspects. It's not just docs who have to deal with such things.
09-02-2018, 02:02 PM
#220
Have enjoyed reading all these success stories. Thank you.
The end first for me. Since 2009 I have been permanently travelling. Except for the cars I lead a simple lifestyle which affords me the chance to enjoy my time now, rather than work long hours to enjoy it later. Other than the cars, all my possessions fit in a 10x10 storage unit. That includes the two Euro bumper covers for the 993! The only reason it is this large is because I have some furniture from a 12 month stint in Florida in 2016/17 because I wanted to work on the 993 and was just sick of so many moves.
Options and currency trading helps pay the bills now. I follow the trend trading philosophy so no need to be glued to the screen or scanning the news constantly. I wait to see a trend rather than try and guess the trend.
A few other internet based projects provide the challenges and a bit of bonus money. More of these have failed rather than succeeded.They started wth an interest in coding and a $10 HTML book back in 2000. Not everything requires a university degree. I bought my first Porsche back in Australia based on the money from these projects. A five year old 993 Carrera 4S.
Came to this stage via accounting and then management consulting. I followed my plan of getting experience in small, medium and large professional service firms and then realised it was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Took a 75% drop in income and started travelling the world. This calendar year has seen me staying an average of five nights in each place. It's not a lifestyle for everyone.
Things were made easier for me for a number of reasons:
So do I have a real job? Probably no. Do I contribute to society and pay taxes? I try to on the first and most definitely on the second. Please keep the stories coming.
The end first for me. Since 2009 I have been permanently travelling. Except for the cars I lead a simple lifestyle which affords me the chance to enjoy my time now, rather than work long hours to enjoy it later. Other than the cars, all my possessions fit in a 10x10 storage unit. That includes the two Euro bumper covers for the 993! The only reason it is this large is because I have some furniture from a 12 month stint in Florida in 2016/17 because I wanted to work on the 993 and was just sick of so many moves.
Options and currency trading helps pay the bills now. I follow the trend trading philosophy so no need to be glued to the screen or scanning the news constantly. I wait to see a trend rather than try and guess the trend.
A few other internet based projects provide the challenges and a bit of bonus money. More of these have failed rather than succeeded.They started wth an interest in coding and a $10 HTML book back in 2000. Not everything requires a university degree. I bought my first Porsche back in Australia based on the money from these projects. A five year old 993 Carrera 4S.
Came to this stage via accounting and then management consulting. I followed my plan of getting experience in small, medium and large professional service firms and then realised it was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Took a 75% drop in income and started travelling the world. This calendar year has seen me staying an average of five nights in each place. It's not a lifestyle for everyone.
Things were made easier for me for a number of reasons:
- my accounting degree was basically free (thank you Australian education pre HECS days)
- I don't have kids
- I had supportive parents who were able to help during my studies which meant I didn't 'need' to find part time work. I did help detail cars at a car rental place during the summers and still say this was one of the best jobs I had
- The car addiction was helped by basing myself in the US and basically halving the price of cars compared to Australia
- I won my permanent residency through the diversity lottery system back in 2011 so travel from a US base is much easier and cheaper than Australia
So do I have a real job? Probably no. Do I contribute to society and pay taxes? I try to on the first and most definitely on the second. Please keep the stories coming.
09-02-2018, 02:54 PM
#221
Been going to my doc for 30 odd years. Sign in his waiting room is "Sorry for the wait, good care takes time". Fully agree, you can't always take good care in a 15 min slot. There are some that try because they aren't overly concerned or are trying to cram appointments in because that's how they get paid.
09-02-2018, 03:08 PM
#222
Three Wheelin'
Originally Posted by SToronto
Been going to my doc for 30 odd years. Sign in his waiting room is "Sorry for the wait, good care takes time". Fully agree, you can't always take good care in a 15 min slot. There are some that try because they aren't overly concerned or are trying to cram appointments in because that's how they get paid.
09-02-2018, 03:25 PM
#223
Originally Posted by mwar99
In my experience the quality of the care wasn't the problem with the wait. It was booking an appointment every 15 minutes when the appointments take longer than that.
Couple years or so back I was in the waiting room at my wife's OB appt. I was floored about what was going on there, though we suspected it was like a factory. I listened as the receptionist booked two people on the phone for exactly the same time and then booked a revisit for a patient in the room for the same time as the two phone bookings. Three people, same time, same doc. Who knows if there was a fourth. That waiting room was usually full.
09-02-2018, 03:28 PM
#224
Burning Brakes
‘The details of my life are quite inconsequential. Where do I begin ?
My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Some times he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy, the sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical, summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds, pretty standard really. At the age of 12 I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen, a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my *********. There really is nothing like a shorn *******, it's breathtaking, I suggest you try it.’
Doctor (EV iL)
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Ufnavy06 (02-15-2024)
09-02-2018, 04:14 PM
#225
Three Wheelin'
‘The details of my life are quite inconsequential. Where do I begin ?
My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Some times he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy, the sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical, summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds, pretty standard really. At the age of 12 I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen, a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my *********. There really is nothing like a shorn *******, it's breathtaking, I suggest you try it.’
Doctor (EV iL)
The following users liked this post:
lbpa18 (10-19-2020)