[cstross]

I went in exactly the opposite direction back in 1989, aged 24: had initially studied for a degree in, then qualified as, a pharmacist, and practiced for a couple of years. Found it really wasn't for me, so went back to university and did an accelerated conversion degree in CS.

Thirty years later (and another career shift!) all I can say is, if you're unhappy in a profession at 22, you will not be happier if you waste even more years chasing down a blind alley. Worse, the older you get the more your options narrow — path dependency is a thing for people as well as for technologies. If you're in a job where you can't imagine being in it five years hence, or ten years hence, let alone thirty years from now, you should get out while you're still young enough, and write off the first career as a learning experience. It's not all bad: whatever you do next, you'll have a broader context than your peers who went into the medical sciences straight out of school.

[majewsky]

> if you're unhappy in a profession at 22, you will not be happier if you waste even more years chasing down a blind alley

Can't agree more. I changed from theoretical physics to CS upon realizing that a) it's not my true calling and b) I'm not cut out for the highly competitive research community ("publish or perish " etc.), coincidentally also at age 22.

Found a well-paying developer position within a few weeks, and my employer allowed me to work part-time and do a CS bachelor in parallel. I just finished that, and I'm very happy with my choice.

What I'd recommend is that you seek some in-person counselling (unis usually offer career advice counseling to their students) and talk it through thoroughly.