Yes, the doctor is in the house, literally in the house, with so many parents putting in so much effort to have at least one of their children graduating into the medical profession. As far as Telegus in Malaysia are concerned, the medical profession is the holy grail of success, the hallmark of achievement and the symbol of recognition. What’s behind this frenzy, you may ask. We list here 6 reasons why people want their children to become doctors.
- Doctors save lives. In accidents, during calamities, during labour and in whatever emergencies, doctors come in and fix the situation. And they continue to do so all their lives.
What does you child do?
He saves life, everyday, all year round.
Wow. - Everyone understands the profession. Compare a doctor with an actuarist who does all the complex statistical mapping for a huge insurance company involved in ensuring the stability of a huge industry that fuels the economy of millions of people.
My son is an actuarist.
Aah… . …. …… (after a long pause) What does he do?
Well, he does some mathematics to make sure companies get paid if bad things happen.
Mathematics…. I see. (doesn’t see a thing!)
See what we mean. - It’s a benchmark (like a measurement tool). One doctor a family is good. Two doctors, great. Three doctors, awesome. Four doctors, phenomenal! A family with 3 doctors is better than a family with 2 doctors. A family with 2 doctors is better than the one with 1 doctor. What happens when there aren’t any doctors? There will be no measuring taking place.
All my four girls are accountants.
Aah…..good. All my four girls are doctors.
All four of them?! Really?! Wow!!!! - Getting a medical degree is time and money consuming. It takes 5 years of university and 2 years of grueling practical training before the job becomes yours. You need true grit, but your family needs true grit and a whole lot of other qualities such as perseverance, patience, determination, conviction, faith, etc. If a family produces a doctor, it says a lot about their capability and their ability, to finance and support their children not just monetary wise, but also mentally, physically, socially and in many other ways that makes it possible for a young person to take on a journey that challenging. It does speak volumes about the family.
- Doctors never go out of work. At least in this country. At least until now. Doctors are always needed. Unless they make some bad business decisions or do something really unfortunate, most doctors live quite comfortably compared to the rest of the population, which then means that they are more able to take better care of their parents in their old age. Logically.
- Doctors have a skill that EVERYONE needs. Everyone has a body that sometimes doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to and that is when it’s so good to have a quick informal consultation, maybe at the dining table or maybe, during that little chat at a wedding. Family members get free consultation and valuable recommendations, and elderly relatives consider the ‘doctor in the house’ an asset they should really take care of. Nice, isn’t?
I have this numbing feeling in my feet. Do you think I should see a doctor?
If it keeps happening, you should.
Do you want to have a look at it?
Err…….
Well, it’s a great profession and until today, a lot of accomplished students still choose to become doctors, though parents play an important role in influencing those decisions. At the same time, all professions continue to evolve and newer fields are being created, and the best thing is to have as much information as possible before making any career choices.
Most young people choose jobs based on the money and the status they think it will bring. Later in life, they will feel that the decision should have been made based on the ‘life’ they want and that they should have chosen a job that could give them that life. Okay, let’s hear the comments.
