I gave up my dream of being a doctor at a local hospital just one year out of medical school. That decision cost me close to half a million dollars, but it was worth it.

• Faith Choo became a doctor after she graduated from medical school in 2021.
• However, feelings of burnout drove her to leave the public healthcare system a year after graduating.
• She had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to break her service bond with the Singaporean government.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Faith Choo, 27, who left Singapore's public healthcare system and is now working as a locum doctor. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified her employment history.

Since I was 13, I knew I wanted to be a doctor.