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'Doctors have BMW, Mercedes': Laid-off IIT graduate says MBBS is safer than engineering in AI era, sparks debate
The techie shared that he has been applying for jobs for the past 2 months but has received little response despite graduating from a Tier-1 institution.
As concerns over layoffs and the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs continue to grow, a Reddit post by an IIT graduate has sparked debate about whether medicine is a safer career choice than engineering.
In the post, titled "Being an engineer from IIT i feel like Medical field is only safest secured and AI proof field in India," the user said that he had recently been laid off from an American Big Tech company and was struggling to find a new role.
"As you guys know and are aware about the current job market. How Big Tech companies are laying off their employees because of rapid AI Investment and replacement. I got laid off too from an American big tech company," the user wrote.
The techie shared that he has been applying for jobs for the past 2 months but has received little response despite graduating from a Tier-1 institution and securing referrals. "IDK why I am not getting selected," he said.
The OP said that the experience led him to compare engineering careers with medicine. "I always feel MBBS is safest secured and stable field. Like no layoffs tension and 100% job security and respect is on another level," he wrote.
The techie argued that doctors enjoy stronger job security and also pointed to what he has observed in real life regarding doctors' earnings and lifestyle.
"A doctor cannot be unemployed atleast he can earn anything and after years of experience he can earn 5-6 LPM easily or even more. I have seen how many doctors in my nearby hospital parking plot in Bombay have BMW X7 Mercedes GLS Audi RS5 and even a Porsche 911. I know it's not easy and it's very hard and long process but at the end it's rewarding unlike other field where you will get laid off you when you will become expensive employee," he said.
The techie also criticised engineering job prospects in India, saying that many graduates struggle to secure well-paying jobs unless they come from top institutions.
"Most people say mbbs is not worth it and say Btech is better. It not reality guys in India 83% btech Grads are jobless and most remaining people start from 3.5 LPA. Unless you are from IIT NIT IIIT it's different story. Even average MBBS grad earn more than this," he wrote.
"IDK why people say MBBS is not worth it even tho it's high paying. Be grateful guys," he added.
Social media reactions
The post quickly went viral and triggered a wide range of responses, with many users disagreeing with the OP.
"While medicine is AI proof, it isn't the golden goose people think it is. While I feel for my peers in tech who are getting laid off, I cannot but feel worse at our state of having to wait 10+ years to earn what many would be earning after 3-5 years of their graduation," one user wrote.
"Being an IIT graduate, how dumb are you ? Do you know how much time and stress do doctor's go through every single day especially those surgeons moving in BMW," commented another.
"The grass is always green on the other side. For the past two decades, people from medical field has been watching engineering folks earn great packages in IT while they they waste best years of their lifes trying to establish their career. They start earning well in their 40s but their youth is gone. And not all docs are successful. Many struggle even after working so hard and spending huge amount of money on capitation fees. Not to mention its an insanely stressful gig. Dealing with health of people in a country like India where people are entitled, dont trust the docs advice, have low paying capacity and fight with docs is not something to look forward to," wrote a third user.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
