Career Change Inspiration: Can Doctors Move into Interior Design?

Episode Question: Can doctors move into interior design?

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Joanna Draper who completed her core surgical training and then stepped away from her surgical career pathway and moved into a career in interior design

We discuss how she came to the decision to make a change and what training she undertook to move into a career in interior design. Joanna also explains how her medical skill set has enabled her to progress quickly to a leadership position with her current Interior Design employer and candidly reflects with me on whether changing careers was the right decision for her.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• As I progressed in my medical career I craved doing something more creative
• I don’t regret doing medicine because I wanted to know that I could do it
• In the end, I reached a place of burnout, realised I couldn’t sustain it and began to realise I was sacrificing too much of my life
• I looked at what I enjoyed as a starting point and rediscovered interior design
• Spending a year as a surgical HO was an opportunity to look at which area of medicine I might want to specialise in and ultimately confirmed for me that I wanted to make a change
• Stepping away is hard because of the time spent training and the investment that has been made
• Interior design does lend itself to transferable skills
• My job is 10% creative and 90% logistical operations and makes effective use of the logistical skills I brought from being a doctor
• College provided the network of contacts that meant that I was offered a role at the business where I interned
• This is not an industry that pays hugely and the best financial benefits come through being part of the management team or having your own studio

 

BEST MOMENTS

‘My company is select and we work with high net worth individuals’

‘The skillset from medicine was valued and gave me an advantage

‘My training as a doctor means I can keep things in perspective’

 

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ABOUT THE HOST

Dr. Abeyna Bubbers-Jones is a practising medical doctor and Founder of Medic Footprints: the global platform connecting doctors with diverse career opportunities beyond conventional medicine.

Her mission is to dramatically elevate health outcomes in the world by connecting 1 million doctors with diverse careers by 2030.

Continually exploring her own path off the medical treadmill, she has developed a wealth of expertise in specialist recruitment connecting industry & health tech companies with talented doctors, whilst supporting & coaching doctors in their own career development and wellbeing.

She is an award winning entrepreneur, Consultant Occupational Health Physician, BBC Expert Voice, Public Speaker, Musician and not-so-good boulderer!

 

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