Cleveland Auto Mechanic Becomes Doctor at Age 51

From under the hood to the emergency room, Dr. Carl Allamby has traveled a long and unlikely road. The 54-year-old Cleveland-based emergency physician only officially entered the field of medicine at age 51—after spending 25 years as an auto mechanic and entrepreneur. His transformation wasn’t overnight, nor was it easy. But it was deliberate, disciplined, and driven by a quiet desire for more.

Early Life: Survival Over School

Growing up in East Cleveland during the 1980s, Allamby lived in an environment shaped by poverty and street violence. He recalls a childhood where even the walk to school could be dangerous, and needing to work from a young age to help meet his basic needs.

“You’re embarrassed to go up and get your free lunch,” he said, reflecting on the stigma that often came with poverty. As early as age 13, he held summer jobs. By 15, he was washing dishes at a local Italian restaurant, eventually becoming a line cook.

“I had to provide for myself to buy my clothes, school supplies, and different things that were needed throughout the year or just providing myself with basic needs like food,” he said. By the time he graduated high school, he was already living on his own and working at an auto parts store—a job that opened the door to what would become his first career.

From Grease to Garage Owner

Initially doing side jobs across the street from the parts store, Allamby eventually gained enough clientele to rent, then purchase, his own auto repair shop at age 19. Despite never being a top student in high school, he recognized early on that education still mattered—especially if he wanted to grow his business. So he enrolled in night classes at Cuyahoga Community College, taking automotive courses.

“I was the youngest student in all of my classes,” he recalled. But he stuck with it. He discovered he liked learning and appreciated understanding how things worked.

Over the years, his business grew. He expanded into two locations and even started related ventures like a towing service and a used car company. Yet, despite the success, something was missing.

Rediscovering a Childhood Dream

In his mid-30s, Allamby returned to college—this time to earn a business degree at Ursuline College. Juggling work, family, and school was no small feat. He was married, raising kids, and managing multiple businesses. But with the pressure of childhood no longer hanging over him, he found joy in learning for its own sake.

“I no longer had those burdens that I had when I was a child,” he further told NPR. “When I was in class, I was able to just focus 100% on the lessons being taught.”

Then came a required biology course—the second-to-last class before graduation. “It was just phenomenal. I loved it from the moment that I first walked in there,” he said. That course reawakened a dream he had buried decades earlier: becoming a doctor.

He went home and told his wife. Her response? Complete support. “She was fantastic. She was a supporter of mine from day one… she was right by my side, never a word of doubt,” he told PEOPLE.

Still cautious, Allamby decided to test the waters again. He returned to Cuyahoga Community College and enrolled in more science classes. This time, he got straight A’s.

Eventually, he transferred to Cleveland State University through a partnership with Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED). If he maintained academic excellence, he would be guaranteed a spot in medical school.

He did. Graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s in science, Allamby began medical school at NEOMED in 2015 at age 44.

A Late Start, But Not a Setback

As the oldest student in many of his classes, Allamby often stood out. According to him, there were a lot of times he would walk into a room, and somebody would introduce themselves thinking he was the professor.

Still, he found advantages in being older. “Younger students are dealing with much different circumstances… but I was very focused. I knew how to stay focused on the task in front of me.”

There were sacrifices. He sold his businesses to focus entirely on medicine. The studying was intense.

“If somebody were to watch most of my life over the past few years, it would be me sitting in a quiet room by myself studying and laboring over mounds of information,” he told NPR. “And that’s the horribly boring part,” he added.

But the effort paid off. In 2019, at age 47, he graduated medical school. He then began his emergency medicine residency at Cleveland Clinic Akron.

Fixing People, Not Just Cars

In 2023, he completed his training and accepted a position as an attending physician at Cleveland Clinic’s Hillcrest Hospital. While the tools had changed, the mindset had not.

“People put that same kind of trust and those same kinds of responsibilities on me when it came to taking care of the car,” he said. “Now they trust me to take care of their health. That sense of responsibility hasn’t changed much.”

Even his background in diagnostics and mechanical systems informed his approach to medicine. “My whole life in my automotive career—my training of diagnostics, of repair, of doing complex procedures, of using information, highly advanced electronics—all of those things prepared me for medicine,” he told PEOPLE.

He chose emergency medicine because he likes “being the guy who’s there to help pick up the pieces, to put life back together.”

Carl Allamby’s Formula for Success

Allamby often speaks publicly about his story. But he avoids heroic language. Instead, he breaks it down methodically:

1. Devise a Plan: Start with a clear goal.
   
2. Make Sacrifices: Be prepared to give up comforts.
   
3. Stay the Course: Keep going, even when it’s hard.
   

In his NPR interview, he also stressed the importance of support systems. “There’s going to be times when you feel like giving up, but those are the times to really push forward and to rely on the people who surround you. People who give you positive feedback in order to kind of fill your bucket back up so that you can keep going.”

What We Can Learn From His Journey

Carl Allamby’s story offers practical insights for anyone looking to make a change, especially later in life.

• Growth is not linear. There are no deadlines for dreaming bigger. Whether you’re 21 or 51, learning is still possible.
  
• Start where you are. Allamby didn’t wait for perfect conditions. He took night classes while working full-time and raising a family.
  
• Let curiosity guide you. A single biology class reignited his long-dormant dream. Stay open to moments that spark something inside you.
  
• You can transfer skills. His experience diagnosing car issues translated into reading medical cases. Skills are more adaptable than they may seem.
  
• Support systems matter. Allamby credits his wife, children, and mentors for helping him push through difficult phases.
  
• Comfort is overrated. “Be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” he said. That’s where growth happens.
  

Whether you’re contemplating a career change or just rethinking what fulfillment means, his story reminds us that reinvention isn’t a privilege but a possibility.

A Life Rebuilt, One Decision at a Time

Despite his hectic ER schedule, Allamby makes time for his family, which now includes four children and one grandchild. He and his wife take ballroom dance lessons together to stay connected.

His story has caught national attention, but for Allamby, the message is simple: It’s never too late to change your life.

“You have to find some way to manage the present while working towards a different future,” he said. “When you have that kind of hope and those kinds of dreams, and you mesh that together with really good planning and surround yourself with really good people, almost anything can happen.”

The man who once used a wrench to fix engines now uses his hands to heal bodies. His path wasn’t fast. It wasn’t flashy. But it was forward—always forward.

Feature image source: Carl Allamby on Facebook

This article is co-published with Social Sweethearts GmbH