Hello, my readers
It's been a while since my last post on this blog. Honestly I wasn't sure what sort of topic I should write about and I've been pretty busy, but in the spirit of Christmas I felt to talk about a fairly big transition in my life: Venturing into the world of finance from medicine. If you're about to transition into a new chapter of your life, or you think you might, maybe you can find some enjoyment in this post.
If you read my About Me page, then you'll know that I completed my secondary and tertiary education in medical research (especially in neurology) with a final Master's dissertation about using big data for dementia research. Since then I've been working in a university lab studying topics that exist on the intersection of medicine and business. Without giving away too much due to privacy concerns, my daily tasks consist of collecting and processing data related to healthcare. Initially I was considering starting a PhD about utilizing data science for neuroscience research, so this job was the perfect opportunity for me to develop my academic skills while I was applying for PhD places. In the end, I did get that PhD opportunity but by that time I started feeling like I was getting complacent in academia. I wanted to try and start a new chapter of my life into the corporate world. Is academia really where I want to be? Would I actually prefer working in a company if I tried it? Is medicine what I really want to pursue a career in? I just couldn't shake those feelings.
After 4-5 months of job hunting, I ended up accepting a tech position at a FinTech company. To be perfectly honest with you, when I first saw this job advertisement, I didn't think I would get the job simply because of my educational background. One of the topics under research at the lab where I work can cover healthcare finances, but I didn't have any formal education in finance nor a very strong academic foundation of engineering. Even my family members felt it would be difficult for me. I still applied for the position because I was really interested in it, and I'm so glad that I did! Apparently the company thought that I was a strong logical thinker and felt my interests and observations regarding digital monetary transactions were genuine and I would be self-motivated enough to grow myself into the role. Due to the job requirements, I've been studying for a securities broker qualification (which I passed yay!) and I learned A LOT about money, trust funds, stocks, bonds etc. In the past I would not have ever dreamed of being able to understand why Wall Street crashed, but now I know that it's because of messing around with the derivative market!! That's so cool to me that I can say that now! I still like medicine and will continue to learn and read about topics I find interesting (most likely neurodiversity), but I just love that I can still learn so much about the world and start my new journey in the fabulous world of FinTech.
If you're at a point in your life where you feel like you want to make a change, maybe go ahead and try! Figure out what you can do and what you need to be able to do to make those changes. It might take a long time, it might be hard work, but it will never happen if you don't try. Finally, rejoice the year with a Merry Christmas and may you all have a wonderful New Year!!!
Kind regards,
Lukas Fleur
P.S. I started advertising a magazine called North Wing Magazine (the logo in the top right hand corner). It's a medical magazine primarily run by students hoping to spread awareness regarding medical and healthcare related topics, especially in the UK. There's essays, articles, or simple pieces written by some amazing people! If that's your cup of tea, check it out!
