Nicholas Grundy

Age at time of shift

26

Gender

Male

Education level

Graduate

Universities attended

Cambridge, London Metropolitan, Kings College London

Shifted from

Business Analyst

Location

?

Salary

£20,000-£30,000

Years in old career

3.5

Shifted to

Student Doctor

Location

?

Salary

£0-£20,000

Years in new career

2

Year of shift

unknown

What was your role in your old job?

Various jobs from team leading through to what IBM call consulting.

What is/are your new role(s)?

Studying to be a doctor.

Why did you change?

Found IT boring and IBM seriously unimpressive. Wanted to do something I looked forward to when I got out of bed in the morning.

Are you happy with the change?

Absolutely.

What do you miss and what don't you miss?

There's something to be said for getting paid quite a lot of money for something which is extremely easy, and something to be said for the reverse. But I don't miss anything, really.

How did you go about making the change?

I applied for the course, handed my notice in, and got on with it.

What was the most difficult thing about changing?

Getting a place on the graduate medicine course.

What help did you get?

Advice from friends re: exams

What have you learnt in the process?

That people are very quick to congratulate you. That I really like medicine. That more people should quit jobs they hate.

What do you wish you'd done differently?

It would have been interesting to see how much further I could have extended leaving. Other than that, nothing - I'm glad I spent the time I did at IBM, but very glad I left when I did.

What would you advise others to do in the same situation?

If you're thinking of a medical degree, talk to your friends, try to get into hospitals, understand the financial situation you're getting yourself into, and do as much research as you can.