Auto Mechanic Defies The Odds and Becomes Doctor at 51

It’s never too late to change careers and pursue your dreams. Carl Allamby was a car mechanic before he went back to college at 38 to become a doctor. He had originally planned to get his business degree but part of the curriculum included a biology course that “reminded me a lot of the childhood ambitions that I had to become a doctor,” he said to the Cleveland Clinic Newsroom. So he switched to pre-med and graduated in 2019, the oldest student in his class.

A childhood dream

As Carl Allamby grew up, his family dealt with continuous economic hardships. Although he dreamed of a medical career, his circumstances couldn’t allow it. His primary education, along with many of his peers’, was marred by these challenges. “From my own experience, it is very difficult to focus on your education when your mind is filled with challenges outside the walls of the school,” he said to Fox News Digital in a phone interview. “Food insecurity, safely making it to and from school, affording decent clothing and basic school supplies, or just trying to fit in took precedence over studying and getting good grades.” 

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Survival over education

“The schools that we went to just weren’t made for putting out lawyers or other professionals,” Allamby said to Medpage Today. So he had to put his dream aside to focus on survival. “My saving grace was our strong family structure. My siblings and I always stuck together and weathered our hardships as a team.” He added that his parents instilled in them the value of working hard, never giving up on their dreams, and always treating people with respect.

Becoming a car mechanic

As a high schooler, Allamby worked at a car parts store and began doing maintenance and repair on the side. At 19, he took the plunge and started his own auto body shop. “In a sense, I started Allamby’s Auto Service mostly out of desperation and necessity,” he said. But he experienced success that led to two shop locations, and decided to go back to school at age 34 to study business. But his second-to-last class to complete his degree was an intro biology course, and that incited an old dream. “Learning about some of the incredible basic functions of the body reminded me of my childhood ambitions to become a doctor,” he explained.

Switching careers from mechanic to doctor

In addition to studying and his work as a car mechanic, Allamby began to volunteer in a pedistric ward and shadow doctors in emergency, urology and neurology departments. “Every exposure I had in medicine further solidified my choice to pursue a medical career.” At the same time, he was a father of four, and had clients and worked that depended on his shop, so he couldn’t close abruptly. He credits his wife, Kim, a physical therapist, for helping through this difficult period. 

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School, work, and family

Despite the challenging workload, Allamby was determined. “Usually it takes about four years to finish pre-med courses, it took me five,” he explained. “Just because I had to work and provide for a family and be almost a full-time student.” Fortunately, his family was just as dedicated to his dream as he was. “My wife has been a really great supporter of mine,” he added. 

Car mechanic becomes an ER doctor

After years of persistence, Carl Allamby, MD, graduated in 2019. “Being able to make this transition later in life and to be able to live out this dream I had as a child, it was just an incredible, phenomenal day,” he said. Dr. Allamby, now 51 years old, is an emergency medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic. The first people he had inspired may have been his own family. His elder son is a fireman and emergency medical technician, and his elder daughter is a nursing assistant in nursing school. Allamby also has two younger daughters, plus a granddaughter.

Medical care and customer relations

Despite the stark differences between a car mechanic and a doctor, Allamby believes they hold a similar significance in people’s lives. Too many times he had seen people despair at the loss of transportation, unknown costs, and unknown wait times. So the doctor took the empathy, compassion, and reassurance he used as a car mechanic and applied it to his practice. “A lot of what I do in the emergency department is customer relations,” he said. 

Learning from the past

“While thinking about the things we hold dear to our hearts, I think our health, our families and friends and our cars rank high on the list,” said Allamby. “When any of these fail us or suffer loss, emotions run high — and life as we know it can be turned upside down.” Instead of cars, he now provides a wide range of care to people in the ER. Patients, just like vehicles, have the “potential to go from 0 to 60 in seconds.”

“If you want it, go after it”

His story is inspiring to anyone who thinks they are too old for a career shift. When asked about his advice for others, he says anything is possible if you believe in it enough. “You’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish.” Allamby says people are mostly constrained by the limitations they put on themselves. “I feel we all have the opportunity to make our lives better. If you want it, go after it. Don’t give up. Plan your work and work your plan. Your sacrifices today will produce advantages for tomorrow.”

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