I feel compelled to reply as I feel we are on the same path.
Am also pursuing med school. Sitting my first GAMSAT test soon as a practice run. Am also redoing my degree in a lame-ass humanities area to get my GPA up and some volunteer work to get into the med which is literally around the corner from my cheap apartment. I also happen to work in a Fortune 500 (real estate) fulltime where I have the opportunity to forge a lucrative career but I am choosing the med path instead. I agree with some of the sentiments in this post.
Progression is never linear. It is random. Some guys blow up early and make 500k in a hot market, other dudes are not even breaking 6 figures after 10 years of keeping a seat warm. Why - random luck, personality, no connections whatever. No degree can hook you up either.
I choose Med School because family physicians can break 300k once qualified (4 years school, 1 year internship, 3 years training). The probability distribution for this is extremely certain compared with a RE broker/agent. The nearest comp/risk level I can get in my current company is at director/VP level in appraisal breaking 250k after 10 years grinding. Most don't last that long
Am over 35 but fuck it.
I don't agree with the premise that guys should not consider time as a factor. Its really the only commodity that skill and talent cannot product and you should always be conscious of it. If I get into med I cannot choose any other speciality due to time constraints.
OP I understand where you are coming from but when you are on the wrong side of 35 things look a lot different. Time MATTERS. Take a calculated risk AFTER burnishing your CV with some decent corp brands. I know if I fail I am still looking at a decent career because of my CV.