Ask Amy: Couple faces a big city problem
Dear Amy: My boyfriend and I have been together for seven years, and we are still going strong. We have talked about marriage and want to marry one day. I believe that we will be married soon.
I will graduate from medical school this year. It was always my plan to live in a small town or very small city closer to beautiful nature, as soon as I graduate. I despise life in the big city and have always looked forward to the day when I would escape it.
My boyfriend doesn't want to live in a small town -- ever. His career relies on him living in a city. He loves city life.
This is the biggest of several differences between us.
I'm ready to give up my dreams to be with him, and even though I love him deeply, I think I'll be miserable.
I don't want to lose him.
Will this doom us? What can we do?
-- Desperate
Dear Desperate: A doomed relationship could be your liberation.
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the United States is projected to have a shortfall of up to 121,300 physicians by 2030, owing to older doctors retiring, and the increased needs of a rising number of elders requiring more doctors.
...continued