A significant career change requires two elements: letting go of the old and adopting the new.
The first time I did this was when I went from engineer to physician at the age of 28. Even then, with the help of a “change architecture”—my medical school—it took a solid couple of years.
This time round—my career change from physician to writer—has in some some ways been much harder. I identified myself as a physician for a quarter of a century, and that was extremely difficult to let go of, especially without the help of an external change architecture. In my case, it took 4 years!
So, for physicians contemplating a similar career change, I have one piece off advice: be patient.