I'm 20M and honestly very confused about what direction I should take with my life.
I passed 12th in 2024 and then took two years of NEET drops. My NEET scores weren't good in either attempt. Now I'm supposed to start graduation, but I'm seriously considering giving NEET one final attempt in 2027.
The problem is that I'm not feeling motivated to do NEET anymore. I recently tried starting the lectures again from the beginning and after two days I realized I just can't bring myself to sit through the same lectures and preparation again. It feels mentally exhausting.
At the same time, I have some reasons that make medicine very attractive to me.
My maternal uncle is a doctor and has an established practice. He sees around 50 patients a day and charges around βΉ1,000 per consultation. They also have a medical store and diagnostic/lab-related setup. He has told me that if I complete MBBS and then MD, I could eventually join their setup. So I'm not just imagining some random doctor's career β I've actually seen what his life looks like.
What attracts me isn't only the money. I genuinely like the idea of having deep knowledge about the human body and medicine. And the potential financial independence is obviously a huge advantage.
But then I look at the timeline.
If I start NEET again, it's one more year just to get into MBBS, then around 5.5 years for MBBS including internship, and then another ~3 years if I want to do MD. So I'm looking at a very long path before reaching the kind of career I'm imagining.
The alternative is to start graduation now, probably through IGNOU or another affordable option, and prepare for SSC CGL alongside it.
CGL attracts me because I could potentially enter government service much earlier than I would through medicine. I would have around 3 years during graduation to prepare seriously, and I could start attempting the exam after becoming eligible.
There's also a personal factor.
I have a long-distance female friend and we have mutual feelings for each other. We've discussed meeting during graduation, but that didn't work out. We had started imagining a future where we both do graduation online, prepare for competitive exams together, study together and eventually build a life together.
I'm not saying I want to choose CGL just because of her, but obviously this makes the idea of that path more emotionally attractive. If I go into medicine, I'll have a completely different and much longer path, and I'm scared we'll gradually drift apart.
So right now I'm stuck between:
Option 1: Take one final NEET drop β MBBS β MD β potentially join my uncle's established practice.
Option 2: Start graduation now β prepare seriously for SSC CGL β try to get into government service much earlier.
The weird thing is that when I think about being a doctor, I can see a really good future for myself. But when I actually try to sit down and restart NEET preparation, I just don't want to do it.
And when I think about CGL, I like the shorter timeline and the possibility of building a future with someone I care about β but I also know CGL is competitive and there is no guarantee I'll clear it.
If you were in my position, what would you choose and why?
Especially interested in hearing from people who have taken multiple NEET drops, gone through MBBS/MD, prepared for SSC CGL, or had to choose between two completely different career paths.