Instead , in 1950 he decided to join the Syrian Armed Forces .
After graduating from high school , Assad aspired to be a medical doctor , but his father could not pay for his study at the Jesuit University of St. Joseph in Beirut .
In 1950 Assad decided to join the Syrian Armed Forces .
After graduating from high school , Assad aspired to be a medical doctor , but his father could not pay for his study at the Jesuit University of St. Joseph in Beirut .