Sachin Jain, President and CEO, Board Director at SCAN Health Plan, shared on LinkedIn:
“Some of the best career advice I’ve ever received came from Thomas Tsang.
‘You are planning for a 40-year career, not a 4-year career.’
At the time, I had taken a leave from residency to serve in government after President Obama made health reform his top priority.
The HITECH Act and the Affordable Care Act had just passed. Implementation was in full swing.
As a senior advisor to the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, I had a front-row seat to history. It was exhilarating, and there was no shortage of meaningful work.
Then May 2011 arrived, and I faced a choice:
Stay in government.
Or go back and finish residency.
I knew what I should do.
But I hesitated.
There was just too much momentum. Too much excitement.
Tom didn’t hesitate.
‘You’re pursuing long-term goals, not short-term ones. Finish your residency. The longer you delay, the less likely you are to go back.’
I went back.
It was the right decision.
Finishing residency gave me more than a credential. It gave me closure. Confidence. And a foundation I’ve relied on ever since. It opened doors that simply wouldn’t have been available otherwise.
Now, I see early-career professionals wrestle with similar choices all the time-whether to skip a degree, cut a corner, or chase the immediate opportunity.
Sometimes that’s right.
But often, it’s short-term thinking masquerading as pragmatism.
So I share Tom’s advice:
‘You’re building a 40-year career-not a 4-year one.’
Words to live by.
(Photo: me with Tom at Health Evolution Summit).”
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