Some confusion about career direction. Finally decided to blend Medicine & Business. And not abandon Medical training & know-how.

There are 4 specific areas which interest me:

1. Entrepreneurship - starting a business, preferably healthcare related.
2. Healthcare Management Consulting.  
3. General Management Consulting.
4. Marketing.

However, when it comes to choosing a specific path, it can get a little confusing...

The question is.. yes, I do have knowledge of business management now. But should I throw away my training and experience in the field of healthcare, in favour of general business consulting? I am a bit hesitatant to do so.

I spoke to someone recently and the person said "It is easier for someone to become an MBA than to become an MD". Kinda true. That person insisted that I should go back to practicing Medicine in Canada or pursure Healthcare Management. And that I should not discontinue using my knowledge of Medicine.

Another person I spoke to, insisted that I had way too much experience and medical knowledge to go for an internship. He suggested that I should enter into a job contract iummediately after this term. That makes sense too. An internship may pay peanuts compared to a full time employment. Something to think about.

I do not remember how many times I have changed my resume and varied it in the direction of Marketing sometimes, Consulting sometimes and Entrepreneurship, sometimes. However, I do need to settle down with one choice. With the job market presently not in the best of shape, I should focus on a field that shall ensure guaranteed employment or a sustainable business opportunity.

After a lot of thinking, my stand today is that I should not abandon my knowledge of Medicine. So I think I am going to stick to Healthcare Management Consulting and Healthcare related Entrepreneurship. Enough of dilly dallying, already!

We are only 2 months away from completion of this Winter 2012 term. After that, we shall all chase jobs or internships. Need to make up my mind and stick to a plan :)

Gerry.

List of all the airlines that I have flown ---> (more than 45)

Here is a list of all the airlines that I have flown:
It was mostly work related and it was common to fly more than one airline per day and land in more than 3 countries per day. (There was a time when I felt that I spent almost as much time in the air than on land, LOL)

1. Air India
2. Indian Airlines
3. Jet Airways
4. Gulf Air
5. Saudi Airlines
6. PIA (Pakistan International Airlines)
7. Kuwait Airlines
8. King Fisher
9. Deccan Airways
10. British Airways
11. Air France
12. KLM
13. TAP
14. SAS
15. China
16. Cathay Pacific
17. SpiceJet
18. GO Air
19. Virgin
20. Air Canada
21. American Airlines
22. Delta
23. US Airways
24. WestJet
25. Alaskan Air
26. Aloha Air
27. Korean
28. Eva
29. Thai
30. JetBlue
31. Continental
32. Singapore Airlines
33. Olympic
34. Lufthansa
35. Austrian
36. AlItalia
37. Emirates
38. Aerofloat
39. Iberia
40. Jet Lite
41. ANA
42. Etihad
43. NorthWest Airlines
44. Transavia
45. LOT

Plus have also flown in private Lear jets on work.

I used to have Super Elite card of Air Canada, Platinum card of KLM-Air France, Gold card of British Airways and Platinum of American Airways. But now I am back to Ivory / Silver / Blue / basic levels. Hopefully, I shall start flying again, after graduating from this MBA program and shall get back to the Super Elite & Platinum levels.

So which was my favorite airlines? I must say that I enjoy Air Canada & Westjet because they are Canadian airlines and I am a Canadian. But the airlines that I love the most is British Airways - Business class flying.

The reason - British Airways for me is HOME. It is a home in the air. It is not just the service, but the people that make the difference. I used to fly BA so often (I have transited LHR - London Heathrow more than 75 times!) that I even knew a lot of the crew by face. And I even knew a lot of the staff in teh Business class lounges and in the airport. Britain is part of the Common Wealth and I am from India. So we have a connection there. Plus British aircrew know how to treat you well - they treat you as a friend, as one of their own. Somehow, they seem to "get it". I remember once, while flying Business Class, the stewardess asked me how my day was so far. And I replied that I had a lousy day. So she gave me extra nuts (salted macadamian nuts - yum), extra drink (bloody mary) and after she was done serving, she came and sat in the aisle, next to my seat and chatted with me for almost 25 minutes and made me feel better. Small things like these and more. I love the personalized chef in LHR who makes pastas.

Boy, I have flown so many flights, I used to live in airports at one time, ha ha :) I remember one month when I went to Athens 3 times. I have been to Hawaii more than 10 times. Been to Pisa half a dozen times and so on... Fun adventures :)))

Will write more soon. But I also love the service of Thai Airways and the food of Jet Airways.

Provinces of Canada that I driven around in (Road Trip)

These are the provinces that I have traveled by road (driven myself):

1. Ontario - all over Ontario - extensive driving (more than 3000 km)
2. Manitoba - Winnipeg, Brandon, Falcon Lake etc
3. Saskatchewan - Saskatoon, Regina
4. Alberta - Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer,
5. Quebec - Quebec city, Montreal,
6. New Brunswick - Fredericton,  
7. Nova Scotia - Sydney, Halifax
8. Newfoundland & Labrador - St.Johns, Port a basque
9. PEI (Prince Edward Island) - Charlottetown

I have driven across (horizintally) a huge chunk of Canada on the TransCanadian National Highway. Will complete the list soon...

What is the longest that I have driven in a single day (less than 24 hours span)? ---> 1500 kms !
What is the longest that I have driven non stop (hands on the wheel & continuous driving) -> 350 kms.

I have traveled to British Columbia &  Nunuvat by air, but not by land.
I have not been to Yukon or NWT yet.

To the Non-Canadians reading this, driving around in Canada is the closest you can get to heaven, ha ha :))).Soooo much fun! Especially the Fall season when the leaves change colour. Another fun element is the animals that you during the drives - moose, bear, deer, racoons, you name it! The most fun I have had was driving in Newfoundland. Canada is one of the most beautiful countries in the world!

The best part was that my parents were with me and I was showing them around Canada.. Sweet memories. I am glad that I am in Canada :) Love this country!

List of the cars that I have owned so far (Between graduation from Medical School and before graduating from Business School).

Ok, so I seem to be in the mood to make lists today :) Here is the list of cars that I have owned in my life - at different times, of course. I was so used to changing cars every now and then. Not expensive ones. I did lose about 20% value each time, but it was fun to experience all types of vehicles - sedans, van & SUV.
These cars were bought with my OWN hard earned money, mind you :)))) I have worked as a doctor (General Practitioner, Emergency Room Doctor & Flight Doctor) in the past and have been able to make decent money in the past. Ok, I have never bought a brand new car so far and I am not a fan of / in favour of buying new cars. I like to buy cars after they have lost their initial depreciation, but still have the quality. I prefer cars that are more than 2 years old.

The list:

In India:

1. Fiat - Premier Padmini
2. Maruti Omni
3. Maruti 800
4. Ambassador

In the Middle East:

1. Toyota Cressida
2. Mitsubishi Lancer
3. Nissan Sunny

In Canada:

1. Toyota Sienna
2. Nissan Xterra

Currenlty car-less (as a student, owning a car is not my priority, right now. I am happy / satisfied with using the TTC). But after graduation, I would perhaps consider a Toyota Venza or a Mercedes Benz R320 CDI Cross-over vehicle.

Which was my favourite vehicle among all these, so far? Of course, the first vehicle is always special. But my best has to be the Nissan Xterra. It was a beast and I absolutely LOVED it. I have thoroughly enjoyed using my Toyota Sienna as well.