Is Dental school worth it?

[rodmichael82]

My best friend is a young (25 year old) computer engineer that makes 90k a year but he hates his job. He feels like it's boring and monotonous. He's always been interested in dental and medical school. He has been asking me if he should quit his job, go back to school and take pre-reqs so he can pursue his dream in the medical field. Unfortunately I don't know too much about dental school because I'm a medical student. I told him that I think dental school is a better pick than medical school. I personally have a lot of respect for dentists and I've seen some fairly young dentists enjoying their independence and life. However, he's wondering if it's worth it to leave everything to start a new career. If you guys were in his shoes what would you do?

Thank you guys in advance!

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[Silent Cool]

My best friend is a young (25 year old) computer engineer that makes 90k a year but he hates his job. He feels like it's boring and monotonous. He's always been interested in dental and medical school. He has been asking me if he should quit his job, go back to school and take pre-reqs so he can pursue his dream in the medical field. Unfortunately I don't know too much about dental school because I'm a medical student. I told him that I think dental school is a better pick than medical school. I personally have a lot of respect for dentists and I've seen some fairly young dentists enjoying their independence and life. However, he's wondering if it's worth it to leave everything to start a new career. If you guys were in his shoes what would you do?

Thank you guys in advance!

Yes, it is definitely worth it. Engineering is a dead end, and his income won't go up by much. The rewards of dentistry in the long-term are far, far better--not the least of which is money, and the other being as you said independence.

good luck.

 

[johnho771]

Educate your friend or have your friend educate himself about the finances of dental school. Not sure if he has his pre-reqs done, but it could potentially be a few years before he is eligible to apply to D-school. Dentistry is definitely a great career but I imagine the outlook of the career is drastically different between a student graduating with 500k in loans vs another student graduating with only 150k in loans. Not sure where he is from, but hopefully there is a public dental school in your state. Keeping debt low through school can play a large part in the future independence one can achieve after dental school as well as financial rewards.

 

[Mattthias]

He'd be a fool

 

[yappy]

Financially he should stay where he's at if he's on a CAREER track and has the soft skills to become a project manager or higher. If not, and if he loves it, he might as well make the transition to medicine or dentistry less he end up unemployed @ 50 in a career field that punishes age, severely.

Your post indicates that he wants autonomy @ a young age. If that's the case he should stay where he's at.

 

[TuckerT21]

I love dentistry and am happy about my choice, but if I was a non-traditional student looking for a career change it wouldn't be for dentistry with today's tuition prices. Coming from an engineering standpoint, I would try to become management or start an engineering firm. That would allow the freedom and ownership that a dentist might have, but you are spending 4-6 years and >500K getting in and graduating. I will be leaving dental school + undergrad with ~$185k in debt (all loans for both)…but that's only because I lived with family the first 2 years, got married in DDS2, and my wife makes a good salary.

 

[b-rad12]

I love dentistry and am happy about my choice, but if I was a non-traditional student looking for a career change it wouldn't be for dentistry with today's tuition prices. Coming from an engineering standpoint, I would try to become management or start an engineering firm. That would allow the freedom and ownership that a dentist might have, but you are spending 4-6 years and >500K getting in and graduating. I will be leaving dental school + undergrad with ~$185k in debt (all loans for both)…but that's only because I lived with family the first 2 years, got married in DDS2, and my wife makes a good salary.

Do you go to one of the Texas schools?

 

[TuckerT21]

Yeah I go to UTSD at Houston. So yeah the other reason I don't have 400-500K in debt is because I went to a Texas school. I just commented on another post though about how our school is increasing tuition by 1500 next year and 6K the year after on top of that. All of these dental school are competing with each other now for faculty and for this and that…It is going to get where the cheaper schools are going to increase and increase because every other school is so expensive. Why not go to 35K/year when every other school might be at 50k/year? People will still do everything they can to choose Texas because it is subjectively "the cheapest" dental school, even though it is still objectively expensive.

 

[Shunwei]

I love dentistry and am happy about my choice, but if I was a non-traditional student looking for a career change it wouldn't be for dentistry with today's tuition prices. Coming from an engineering standpoint, I would try to become management or start an engineering firm. That would allow the freedom and ownership that a dentist might have, but you are spending 4-6 years and >500K getting in and graduating. I will be leaving dental school + undergrad with ~$185k in debt (all loans for both)…but that's only because I lived with family the first 2 years, got married in DDS2, and my wife makes a good salary.

It doesn't matter if you get into management or start your own company, because engineering is a dead end field long-term. Both yappy and silent are right in that the field is very unforgiving to age and once you lose your job past 40 it can be a purgatory (and yes, management loses their jobs easily too). The most important factor damning the field is off-shoring and in-sourcing of the engineering firms. From a purely financial point of view, the money needed to hire an American Jones can easily hire two or three Chinese Wangs or Indian Guptas.

If your friend is indeed only 25 and want long-term stability, it's a no-brainier on what should be done. At least I did it and am happy with my choice.

 

[ramborhino]

I think he should go for it, but only after he decides he could realistically see himself enjoying the job. Isn't he in a much better situation than the twenty-somethings who graduated with a biology degree and have no job/income? If he can keep his job while he takes pre-reqs and saves up to pay for student living expenses and some tuition at an in-state dental school, he will be in a very solid situation.

 

[Silent Cool]

It doesn't matter if you get into management or start your own company, because engineering is a dead end field long-term. Both yappy and silent are right in that the field is very unforgiving to age and once you lose your job past 40 it can be a purgatory (and yes, management loses their jobs easily too). The most important factor damning the field is off-shoring and in-sourcing of the engineering firms. From a purely financial point of view, the money needed to hire an American Jones can easily hire two or three Chinese Wangs or Indian Guptas.

If your friend is indeed only 25 and want long-term stability, it's a no-brainier on what should be done. At least I did it and am happy with my choice.

Shunwei is right on the money. For a number of years I worked in the biotechnology industry or, as I like to call it, "corporate hell." Seriously, unless you can see yourself becoming a VP or an Exec, you are better off in almost any health care career. You'd be better off as an ICU nurse than a corporate cog. Engineering is a dead-end. The only corporate-type avenue I might recommend is patent law (intellectual property law). The reason is that demand is high and so is compensation. You must pass the patent bar, which is a notoriously difficult exam (I think passing rate is like 33%). But, job prospects and money are good in that field, and it would be the only thing in business/corporate that might rival the long-term value of a health care career, especially dentistry.

25 is hardly "too old." Give me a break. Bereno didn't finish college until he was 25, and then he entered dental school. Dentalworks left his dead-end programming job at 26 or 27 to take the pre-reqs and started DS at 30. He has easily 30 years of self-employment ahead of him.

Ditch the corporate gig, go to dental school, and good luck.

 

[Shunwei]

Shunwei is right on the money. For a number of years I worked in the biotechnology industry or, as I like to call it, "corporate hell." Seriously, unless you can see yourself becoming a VP or an Exec, you are better off in almost any health care career. You'd be better off as an ICU nurse than a corporate cog. Engineering is a dead-end. The only corporate-type avenue I might recommend is patent law (intellectual property law). The reason is that demand is high and so is compensation. You must pass the patent bar, which is a notoriously difficult exam (I think passing rate is like 33%). But, job prospects and money are good in that field, and it would be the only thing in business/corporate that might rival the long-term value of a health care career, especially dentistry.

25 is hardly "too old." Give me a break. Bereno didn't finish college until he was 25, and then he entered dental school. Dentalworks left his dead-end programming job at 26 or 27 to take the pre-reqs and started DS at 30. He has easily 30 years of self-employment ahead of him.

Ditch the corporate gig, go to dental school, and good luck.

Actually, patent law is on the decline as well. Many PhDs are into that route to escape the phd glut so as a consequence that route is getting quite saturated as well. I myself examined that route when I was planning my Shawshank and didn't like what I saw long-term, which must be the horizon considered when planning a career move. Not to mention it is a very high stress field as well, with also considerable student loans and a salary that is good, but nothing spectacular.

 

[NDPitch]

I was in a dead end corporate medical software job for 3.5 years before I got out of it, and into dental school at 27 years old.

As long as this person has the proper expectations for what it's going to take to get in, AND has a solid financial plan that takes into account the very large costs associated with dental school and paying back all that debt, I say go for it.

 

[dieanotherday]

my husband makes about the same doing software engineering
has your friend considered going for his ph.d in comp sci or other engineering disciplines
or he could get his mba and become a project manager like PPs have said
if hes at the right company, they might completely pay/reimburse for the MS or Ph.D in engineering
he should consider getting really technical in his specific line of work so that he can eventually call the shots

 

[Miley Cyrus.]

Your friend could consider PA school. Only a 2year program and make 100-130k. Most PAs are very very happy.

 

[user3]

gosh, I used to think DO students had it worst. But looking around, it seems like average dental school tuition has well surpassed that of DO schools.

comparing the most expensive private dental and private DO school:

USC tuition/fees: average $80k+/year https://dentistry.usc.edu/programs/dds/cost-of-attendance/
MWU-CCOM: tuition/fees currently $58k

if I were considering dental school, I would do everything I could to get into my state school or the cheapest private one available

 

[Stereum]

These types of questions are pretty subjective. I have a background in biotech and now work in IT/CS. I decided to pursue dentistry mostly for the autonomy, but the cost is definitely daunting. My company is trying to convince me to stay by paying for grad school and I would be lying if I didn't take up their offer. However, you should always do what you feel like you'll love. It's cliche but it's true. With all that being said, every job becomes boring at some point and the grass is always greener...