Is being a dentist really that bad?

[Splenda88]

This is such a "boomer" mentality. You guys seem to think young dentists are all lazy and entitled. They aren't. They all got top grades in school in order to be accepted into dentistry. In fact, they probably got better grades than us because it's harder to get into dental school now than it was in the past. So if they want "easy, high paying jobs" it's because they studied hard, did better than everyone else so they could have the freedom to do any career they want, so they picked dentistry because the media has portrayed dentists of having these highly paid easy lives. Which was true, until dental schools cashed in on this perception and started jacking up tuition

I have not met any to this day that has an "easy, high paying job".

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[Splenda88]

I don’t think they are lazy at all. But entitled….may be a little bit. Just because you sacrifice your youth years to study hard to earn good grades and to become a dentist/doctor, it doesn’t mean that you will be guaranteed with easy highly paid job after graduation….and you won’t have to work on the weekends. There’s no guarantee that when you open your own dental practice, your practice will be flooded with new patients. At least, we dentists can find jobs. There are a lot of college graduates who can’t find jobs (have to get jobs that are not related to their earned degrees) and have a lot of student loans to pay back.

They are indeed a lot smarter than us. They are also more studious than us. And sadly, they won’t the have the same bright future (great lifestyle) that we, older dentists, have had. That’s because of high student loan debt, oversaturation, inflation, higher cost of living, higher home prices etc. None of these is their fault. I feel bad for the younger generation. And that’s why I continue to work to save for my kids. Just like my parents, who want me to have a happier life than what they had, I too want my kids not to have to work hard like me. As long as they are willing to work hard to get into a professional school (and not doing crazy things like many of the spoiled rich kids), I am happy to work hard to reward them for their hard work in school.

I am a physician who started med school when I was in my 30s and in all honesty, I never understand the "sacrifice your youth" concept that people here in SDN talk about

The vast majority of 23-30 yrs old are out there are working 45-50 hrs/wk to earn 45-70k/yr. They are not in Ibiza every 3 months partying.

Based on my personal experience, the 23-27 yrs old that were in my class in med school had better life enjoyment than I when I was single working as a nurse. These guys/gals party every 2 wks after an exam. Most of them used every single opportunity to go on trips w/in the US or overseas.

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

Just look the average GPA and DAT increases each year.

Most of this is certainly explained away by grade inflation and improved/increased DAT prep resources.

Grade Inflation Is Real

A new report says grade inflation is real and it may be contributing to our growing college graduation rates.

www.forbes.com

Some might argue we’re actually experiencing a dumbing down of society.

Officers Are Less Intelligent: What Does It Mean?

The American military is not getting the leaders it needs for the complexities of 21st-century warfare. This refrain has been a centerpiece of the “Force for the Future” initiative, and now there is

ndupress.ndu.edu

Big Hoss

 

[Thehighwind87]

I am a physician who started med school when I was in my 30s and in all honesty, I never understand the "sacrifice your youth" concept that people here in SDN talk about

The vast majority of 23-30 yrs old are out there are working 45-50 hrs/wk to earn 45-70k/yr. They are not in Ibiza every 3 months partying.

Based on my personal experience, the 23-27 yrs old that were in my class in med school had better life enjoyment than I when I was single working as a nurse. These guys/gals party every 2 wks after an exam. Most of them used every single opportunity to go on trips w/in the US or overseas.

Lol, we had those same people in our class partying it up after exams. But then reality hits once you are 35-45 deep in debt with a mortgage, student loan, kids and practice loan and you gotta have everything running on all cylinders for that lifestyle to continue.

Then you have those that don’t have it running on all cylinders stressed to meet debt obligations. And don’t underestimate people that put on the facade that everything is going a-ok. I would reckon the majority of docs putting on a good show but the real net worth is in the big negatives. This mainly goes for new grads as the boomer docs and dentists had it good and are wealthy.

While you aren’t wrong about kiddos partying etc- the real world humbles you later on if you aren’t financially smart.

In addition you can’t really compare a doctor to some guy working 45-50 hour weeks earning 45-70k. Compare it to something equivilant like a nurse, np, pa, engineer etc. OFC if you compare your dental or med degree to someone bagging groceries then we have no reason to complain but when you compare it to a likewise degree then yes- being a dentist ain’t that great all things considered. And the primary reason is “debt” and deflationary income year over year.

 

[Splenda88]

Lol, we had those same people in our class partying it up after exams. But then reality hits once you are 35-45 deep in debt with a mortgage, student loan, kids and practice loan and you gotta have everything running on all cylinders for that lifestyle to continue.

Then you have those that don’t have it running on all cylinders stressed to meet debt obligations. And don’t underestimate people that put on the facade that everything is going a-ok. I would reckon the majority of docs putting on a good show but the real net worth is in the big negatives. This mainly goes for new grads as the boomer docs and dentists had it good and are wealthy.

While you aren’t wrong about kiddos partying etc- the real world humbles you later on if you aren’t financially smart.

In addition you can’t really compare a doctor to some guy working 45-50 hour weeks earning 45-70k. Compare it to something equivilant like a nurse, np, pa, engineer etc. OFC if you compare your dental or med degree to someone bagging groceries then we have no reason to complain but when you compare it to a likewise degree then yes- being a dentist ain’t that great all things considered. And the primary reason is “debt” and deflationary income year over year.

The question was not about debt... It was about "sacrificing youth"... What does that mean sacrificing your youth because you went to d-school or med school.

I am not comparing degree(s) here. You guys think the 23-27 y/o college grad who is working for 45-70k is having the time of his/her life. Life is a grind if one is not from a wealthy/rich family.

I think more people need to travel outside of the US so they can understand how privilege we are here. We don't live in isolation; you have to compare yourself with the alternative.

Student debt is an issue but there are ways to mitigate that. We have to make sacrifices in life. Shocker!

 

[charlestweed]

I am a physician who started med school when I was in my 30s and in all honesty, I never understand the "sacrifice your youth" concept that people here in SDN talk about

The vast majority of 23-30 yrs old are out there are working 45-50 hrs/wk to earn 45-70k/yr. They are not in Ibiza every 3 months partying.

Based on my personal experience, the 23-27 yrs old that were in my class in med school had better life enjoyment than I when I was single working as a nurse. These guys/gals party every 2 wks after an exam. Most of them used every single opportunity to go on trips w/in the US or overseas.

I share your opinion. To me, attending dental school and doing 2-3 yrs of ortho residency were like taking long 6-7 gap years. I think the quality of my life during my youth (18-29 yo) was better than that of the people who started working at 18. I’d much rather deal with the stress of earning good grades in schools than working 8+ hours a day as an unskilled low paid worker. Being a full time student, I didn’t have to deal with the constant stress of getting fired, working under a bossy boss, the pressure of having to make bill payments on time every month etc. While in dental school, I met my girlfriend, who is now my wife, and we had had a lot of good time together. During my ortho training years, I got to travel to a lot of interesting places (for CE classes, GORP, and AAO meetings) with my co-residents….of course, with borrowed money. Since I took 6-7 long “gap years” and took out more student loans to pay for schools + for my travels/restaurant dining with friends, I knew that I had to work harder (and longer) later in life to pay back the loans and to catch with the ones who didn’t go through lengthy schooling like me. I’ve never regarded going to school as a sacrifice...and since it involves taking out student loans, it’s more like a financial investment to me. And just like any other financial investments, there’s no guarantee of success. You still have to put in a lot of effort after graduation.

 

[Splenda88]

In addition you can’t really compare a doctor to some guy working 45-50 hour weeks earning 45-70k. Compare it to something equivilant like a nurse, np, pa, engineer etc. OFC if you compare your dental or med degree to someone bagging groceries then we have no reason to complain but when you compare it to a likewise degree then yes- being a dentist ain’t that great all things considered. And the primary reason is “debt” and deflationary income year over year.

It's not some guy. These are usually college grads working these hours earning 45-70k/yr.

This is the case of the grass is greener

I was a nurse for 7+ yrs and I can tell you nursing is not pretty.

I have PA/NP in my group that I supervise. Their job is not easy and I make 2.75X of what they make

One of my best friends has been a civil engineer 15+ yrs. The guy has worked for at least 4 companies due to multiple lay offs. He barely makes six figure now working 50+ hrs/wk. He is usually crapping in his pants whenever there is a downturn in the economy because he knows what's coming.

 

[MidwestOwl]

This is such a "boomer" mentality. You guys seem to think young dentists are all lazy and entitled. They aren't. They all got top grades in school in order to be accepted into dentistry. In fact, they probably got better grades than us because it's harder to get into dental school now than it was in the past. So if they want "easy, high paying jobs" it's because they studied hard, did better than everyone else so they could have the freedom to do any career they want, so they picked dentistry because the media has portrayed dentists of having these highly paid easy lives. Which was true, until dental schools cashed in on this perception and started jacking up tuition

I got accepted to Harvard with 25 DAT when the national score for acceptees at that time was 19 so not sure how much smarter the youngers can be???

 

[Thehighwind87]

I got accepted to Harvard with 25 DAT when the national score for acceptees at that time was 19 so not sure how much smarter the youngers can be???

That comment does seem to date you as a boomer to be honest.

 

[hydrangea88]

You will be fine my dude! My gp partner busts her ass and is doing easy 400k at a DSO, working 4 days a week at one location. She never plans to own. You can easily make 200 no sweat!

how old is your friend and how many years of experience does she have?

 

[chipskylark13]

I bought the tech dip in AAPL, TSLA, and Meta. I want to sell it off to actualize the gains, bc I think we could see apple pull back into 167-175 range and then I would just rebuy increasing my share count compared to now. I believe in passive investment, but sometimes I like to go against the talking heads. But I am also a perma bull in tech (concentration builds wealth)!

You guys think the market pulls back some more or is now the time to buy?

 

[Pablo Sanchez]

You guys think the market pulls back some more or is now the time to buy?

The time to buy has been all along. If you’re not dollar cost averaging, you’re losing money. It’s amazing how many people think they can time the market despite the evidence and experts consistently concluding otherwise.

 

[Thehighwind87]

The time to buy has been all along. If you’re not dollar cost averaging, you’re losing money. It’s amazing how many people think they can time the market despite the evidence and experts consistently concluding otherwise.

The time to buy is everyday. However there are times of peak fear where it makes for the best buying opportunity. Dec 2018, March 2020, March 2022

I always invest but I keep a large lumpsum for those big red days.