SDN Members don't see this ad. (About Ads) Hello everyone, I'm not sure what most people's intentions are for aspiring to be physicians. I am not talking about the actual interest in medicine or intentions to help people. Let's assume that's a given...but I wonder, do most people just jump the hurdles to get a job? Like go to college, go to medical school, complete residency/fellowship, and then finally work for the rest of their careers just regurgitating what they have learned? How many people go into this path wanting to make advancements in their chosen field? Lately I have been so focused on outlining my path to medical school, and being really fixated on getting to the point where I can begin to work and make a living. But then I see stories of these extraordinary kids in high school doing all this research already, and it makes me feel small. They want to cure cancer and save the world. I guess as young kids we all had this fire to change the world when we grow up somehow, but it fades sometimes when we do get older. What do you guys think? And what does the picture look like for someone who is interested in finding new cures and procedures? What does it mean exactly to research or to be in academia? I'm sorry if this question is really juvenile to you, but I really don't know.