Non-traditional student/Low GPA (2.6). Worth pursuing Med School at this point, or am I delusional?
Hey Reddit, crush my dreams please:
I'm a 28m, I graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor's in Computer Science. My GPA (2.6) was not good, my last couple semesters I had several Fails/Retakes due to mental health issues. I limped across the finish line.
I've been working as a Software Engineer since 2021 and was laid off in Summer 2025 due to budget issues at my company. The fallout from that layoff has made me really reevaluate life/career goals. My 4 years of work experience have taught me I really, really dislike soulless corporate work. I want to do something meaningful with my life, ideally helping people within my community rather than optimizing profits. I know corporate admin BS is still an issue in medicine, but I 100% know I'd enjoy the underlying work way more and find meaning in it.
My ex-fiance was a Med Student, we were together for 5 years before we broke it off. Living with her and seeing her journey through med school inspired me, seeing her study and eventually making an impact really got me interested in the field. Unfortunately I realize my situation is pretty dogshit for a career pivot. I know I'd have to take at least 2 years of Bacc classes, ace them to boost my GPA, ace the MCAT, and all while getting hundreds of hours in shadowing experience. Unfortunately, I'm also not in the most stable place mentally after the past year. I'm hoping with meds/treatment to be in a good enough place to start Bacc classes (or whatever the plan is) this Fall or next year. I don't have any concrete plans right now, but I'm trying to get my shit together and figure out the next steps for my life.
Honestly, I don't have a burning passion for medicine by itself, at least not yet. But I truly do want to switch my career to something that will help people. And a career that brings financial stability for the rest of my life, not having to worry about corporate layoffs. Becoming a physician seems like the best bet.
Am I delusional or is this viable? My only "edge" is that I'm a URM (Native American), which I know can be a boost for applications.