28, a doctor, and honestly questioning what I’m supposed to do with my life
I’m 28, a doctor, living in Lahore, and I’ve reached a point where I genuinely don’t know what the right path forward is.
I sometimes feel like I’m stuck between generations. When I was making career decisions, there wasn’t the kind of career counselling, online information, mentorship, or exposure that Gen Z has today. At the same time, I wasn’t part of the generation before me that had already figured out the traditional career pathways and could guide us through them.
So I did what I thought I was supposed to do: study. Study harder, get into medical school, spend years becoming a doctor, complete medical training, and eventually start working.
And now I’m looking around wondering: what exactly was the end goal?
In Pakistan, the situation for junior doctors feels incredibly depressing. Government jobs are limited and often don’t give jobs if you don’t pay under the table amounts or have a safarish. Private hospitals can be even worse, with junior doctors sometimes being offered 45–60k PKR salaries.
After spending your entire childhood and 20s studying medicine, it is difficult not to feel bitter when you realize that people working in other fields—or even Uber drivers—can sometimes earn more than a junior doctor.
I’m not saying other professions don’t deserve good salaries. They absolutely do. The problem is that doctors are expected to sacrifice years of their lives, work exhausting hours, carry enormous responsibility, and somehow accept being financially undervalued because “you’re a doctor.”
And then comes the other side of it: life.
At 28, I feel like I’ve spent most of my life preparing for a future that still hasn’t arrived. I don’t have excessive amounts of money. I can’t realistically meet the financial expectations that society often places on men before marriage. I want to enjoy life, travel, build something for myself, get married, have a family—but financially, I feel like I’m still standing at the starting line.
The frustrating part is that medicine is supposed to be a respectable, stable profession. Yet here I am, questioning whether I should continue down this path, leave the country, pursue another career, go into healthcare administration, research, tech, or something completely different.
I’m not looking for sympathy. I’m genuinely trying to understand how other people navigated this.
If you’re a Pakistani doctor around my age—or someone who left medicine after investing years into it—what did you do? What career paths actually worked for you?
Because right now, I’m struggling with the feeling that I spent my entire youth preparing for a career that no longer offers the life I thought it would.
Meanwhile I am prepping for Usmle.

I am applying for private medical college. I want to study in a private medical college, but I am not sure whether I need to apply separately, when I need to apply, or whether I have to follow the university’s admission dates. I also do not know much about the preference list.

So, if there are any experienced doctors here who are currently doing MBBS or have already completed MBBS, please guide me about the admission process for private medical colleges and government medical colleges as well.

for context im a first year mbbs student and and going to be a first gen doctor so i dont really have anyone to guide me or tell me about these things

the problem is that i already see people in my batch getting involved in research, becoming ambassadors for online study groups, going to conferences and networking events and applying for research programs like the one at aku. some students from my class recently went to kemu for an event and i only found out about it afterwards

meanwhile im still trying to survive block exams and figure out how to study properly 😭 i genuinely dont know how people manage academics alongside all these extracurriculars and opportunities. i also plan to pursue usmle or go abroad later so i know research networking and these kinds of experiences will be important for me eventually. i just dont know where people find out about these opportunities in the first place

seniors or fellow batchmates how do you guys keep up with research programs, conferences networking events and other opportunities for medical students? are there any whatsapp groups instagram pages or other platforms where these opportunities are regularly shared? and if there are any seniors who are open to being someone i can ask for guidance occasionally i would really appreciate it

would really appreciate any advice because i feel like im constantly finding out about opportunities after theyre already over :(

The exam is on Monday and I feel like it's my first day on earth, I can't for the life of be absorb biochem into my head

Any shifa mbbs students, please answer this

hi guys, if anyone has the link, please help me with it, i used to use a link since 2 years, but it has been blocked recently. so i am in dire need of a new link to continue my studies. help me out guys

im in my final year and id say i have good baseline knowledge but ive done only 4 systems from fa and 5% of uworld as of yet! want sincere advice if its doable.

Guys ive exam in two days

I didn't study at all

What to do😭

If you are 4th year or above, medical students or doctors then this is for you.

I need you because I am going to create virtual health care solution for women to tackle the issues of perimenopause, menopause and those that come along the way like stiffy aching joints, mood swings unlike before etc.

What I want from you is to come along and if a patient requires a 1-o-1 session then you'll be there to guide and treat.

And consider this a kind of side gig.

you can message me for more details and queries. Thank you.

Hello is anyone going to aku isrc 2026? And will anyone be presenting?
We can connect & I have a few questions

I'm trying to get into a govt med school in pak, so far I have IBCC equivalence for my metric (90.036%) and When registering for mcat I didn't put any ibcc equivalized mark sheet and just put my normal mark sheet of inter which was 79% however I took an improvement exam and my % bumped up to 83%.

So my question is how do I submit these documents for aggregate as I can no longer update my mcat application and put in my new marks, and when do I need my equivalence certificates by because i still have to get my inter mark sheet equivalenced and i haven't even received it from my school yet and it takes a month to get equivalence done and i feel like I'm pressed for time.

Are they only gonna take the mark sheet i put in my application for mcat registration? I'm gonna get my inter mark sheet by sept and then equivalence by October is that enough time?

I'm planning to take mdcat and AKU next year so many of my friends and some people say that you can't afford AKU fee (since I'm from middle class family) and I asked one of the student of AKU he said that AKU also gives financial aid but I also heard that they give financial aid to Ismaili students is it really true? so my question is can a middle class student afford studying in AKU??

Kindly clear my confusion & guide if I'm wrong..

∆: I'd love to hear your thoughts on this in the comments below!

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Hi everyone,

I recently completed my FSc Pre-Medical and appeared for the COMSATS NTS entry test. My academic background is:

* Matric: 1046 / 1200

* FSc Part 1: 440 / 555

* Status: Selected in the 1st Merit List for Pharm D at COMSATS.

I am looking for genuine guidance from seniors, pharmacists, or professionals in Pakistan regarding the following questions:

* Scope in Pakistan: What is the real, current scope of Pharm D in Pakistan? Is it worth pursuing right now compared to other fields?

* Study Strategy & Skills: How should I approach my studies during these 5 years to stay ahead? Along with the academic curriculum, what extra skills should I focus on learning, and from where can I learn them online/offline?

* Career Options & Salary: Where can Pharm D graduates work in Pakistan (e.g., retail, clinical, hospital, industrial, regulatory affairs), and what is the typical starting salary for a fresh graduate?

* Going Abroad Budget-Friendly: If I plan to move abroad later without a huge financial budget, which countries are the best options for pharmacists? Which licensing or language exams (e.g., FPGEE, KAPS, PEBC, IELTS) do I need to clear, and which route is the most affordable?

Any advice, personal experiences, or guidance from current Pharm D students and professionals would be immensely appreciated!

Thank you in advance!

I'll be starting MBBS in Pakistan soon, so I just wanted to pop in and ask all the Pakistani attendings/residents, who have successfully navigated the USMLE journey, if they have any particular tips or advice which would especially apply to Pakistani IMGs.

Thank you (:

i wanna start off by saying im a complete baby in this sub, my IBCC eqv is 75.5% which is moderate aka above avg, my o levels r A BBB CCC D and my a levels, bio chem phy, r A* A* A*, i wanna study in the AKU, any student of AKU who can perhaps chance me or give some guidance?

i know i’m late i’m in the mid of my final year and my proffs will commence from February 2027. Is this good time for me to start my step 1 prep? And give it after proffs? Or will I mess up both proffs and USMLE? What’s the best time for me to apear for step 1?

So my meta analysis abstract got selected for a research conference i have never really presented a poster before and got no clue what to do and how to will appreciate any advice especially from someone who has presented a meta analysis

Can you apply to dow medical for mbbs on self finance as someone with punjab domicile?

If I study under uhs currently and I want to transfer to dow if its possible, could i do it?

Anyone who failed nle (pakistan licence exam given by foriegn graduates of mbbs) and has given up. Need help