35 and over going to dental school

[sumozmom]

I still remember in Jan. 2003 when I took my first 2 pre-req classes (all come from a CC) and I was anxious and nervous of the future. I took a leap of faith, quit a great job which I enjoyed without any guarantees. I turned 34 a couple of weeks into starting d-school and also have 3 children. I can totally relate and I can tell you I'm very glad to be here and don't have any regrets. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I was accepted to 4 very respectable schools and I feel confident that age was (in my opinion) an advantage in my situation. Good luck, don't give up and keep on "dreaming"!

Did u quit to take pre-recs? How long did the pre-recs take?

How is ur fam managing now financially?

Did u move to go to school?

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[wimmcs]

Did u quit to take pre-recs? How long did the pre-recs take?

How is ur fam managing now financially?

Did u move to go to school?

Yes, I quit at the end of 2002 and took 2 classes in the Spring of 2003. After I felt I could handle science classes, I took full loads clear through my acceptance in Dec. 2004.

Luckily my hb works, so we had to take student loans just to pay for school and he takes care of the rest financially (tight though).

I was also lucky enough to be accepted to AZ my home state, so even though I moved, I moved from one side of town to the other, no biggy.

 

[Dr IWannaBe]

Step aside, kids...

I'm 42 and I'm switching careers. I'll do what I should have done many years ago, and finally got the courage (a.k.a. cojones - pronounced "co-HO-nays" for those of you who don't "habla").

I am currently in the telecom business (have been for the past 15 years or so). I have taken all the courses necessary to take tha DAT (except Org. Chem II). I am hoping to get in Dental School in 2007. This means I'd get out of Dental School by 2011, which would mean I'd be 47 or so.

Very exciting times ahead, no doubt. Scary and exciting at the same time.

Reasons for going to Dental School?
a) Get to improve the quality of life of folks, and you get to see the fruit of your labor right away. This is what I call instant gratification (and the patient too, of course!).

b) You get to be your own boss - with all the pros and cons that this brings. But at least your future is in YOUR hands, not in the hands of a corporate machine that you have no control over.

c) Salary? Not too bad from what I've read and seen. Depends on the skills you develop and how you treat your patients. I think that a fair day's work deserves a fair day's pay, plus the satisfaction of doing something good for people that need your help.

d) I've been told that Dentists get to enjoy their family life a lot more than any other health profession out there. I'm not sure if this is an absolute true statement, but I'm willing to find out....

Good luck to you all. I'll be taking the DAT in March or April of 2006. Hope it isn't as bad as I've heard it is.

You are very inspiring. May God bless you.

 

[sumozmom]

I still remember in Jan. 2003 when I took my first 2 pre-req classes (all come from a CC) and I was anxious and nervous of the future. I took a leap of faith, quit a great job which I enjoyed without any guarantees. I turned 34 a couple of weeks into starting d-school and also have 3 children. I can totally relate and I can tell you I'm very glad to be here and don't have any regrets. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I was accepted to 4 very respectable schools and I feel confident that age was (in my opinion) an advantage in my situation. Good luck, don't give up and keep on "dreaming"!

How is the fam dealing w/it?

 

[sumozmom]

I'm also a 33 year old looking into Dentistry. I have 3 kids (5, 3, and 3 mo.) I have a Master's in music and I have been teaching in public schools for almost 7 years. I will be starting my pre-reqs this coming Monday (Physics) and of course...a bit apprehensive! This forum is wonderful because you sometimes feel alone in your desire to "dream"

how was ur first class?

 

[Pelotari]

how long have you been working on this path?

Sorry, I didn't realize you had posted a question for me. But, as they say, better late than never.

It has been exactly 1 year since I started my DS pre-requisites. In one year, I've only been able to complete Chem I, Chem II, Org. Chem I, Physics I, Biology I, and Biology II. This semester I am taking Org. Chem I, Physics II, and am preparing to take the DAT in April or May. I originally thought I could tackle the DAT by March, but it is just too much material to cover.

During the coming semesters (and after SUCCESSFULLY ROCKING THE DAT ), I plan to somehow fit Biochemistry, Anatomy & Physiology I and II, Microbiology, and English I and II. All of this must be done before I start Dental School in 2007. Achievable? I hope so. According to the schedule I came up with I'd have to take classes up to the summer before starting Dental School. I still have to figure out how's that going to work out if I'm going to need to relocate....

How about you, Sumozmom? Have you come up with your timeline?

 

[sumozmom]

Sorry, I didn't realize you had posted a question for me. But, as they say, better late than never.

It has been exactly 1 year since I started my DS pre-requisites. In one year, I've only been able to complete Chem I, Chem II, Org. Chem I, Physics I, Biology I, and Biology II. This semester I am taking Org. Chem I, Physics II, and am preparing to take the DAT in April or May. I originally thought I could tackle the DAT by March, but it is just too much material to cover.

During the coming semesters (and after SUCCESSFULLY ROCKING THE DAT ), I plan to somehow fit Biochemistry, Anatomy & Physiology I and II, Microbiology, and English I and II. All of this must be done before I start Dental School in 2007. Achievable? I hope so. According to the schedule I came up with I'd have to take classes up to the summer before starting Dental School. I still have to figure out how's that going to work out if I'm going to need to relocate....

How about you, Sumozmom? Have you come up with your timeline?

Wow- great job -
r u still working f/t?
How many classes did u take a semester .

My first pre-rec class starts mon the23rd.
so here is the plan
fall spring 2006
clac and chem1
summer 2006
chem 2 phys 1
fall 2006
o-chem 1 and phys 2
spring 2007
ochem2 and DAT
summer or fall 2007
bio-chem

I'm leaving a margin for error just incase summer classes interfere w/my F/T job.


so when u grad at 47 - will u specialize or even go for a 1 yr GPR?

 

[sumozmom]

Sorry, I didn't realize you had posted a question for me. But, as they say, better late than never.

It has been exactly 1 year since I started my DS pre-requisites. In one year, I've only been able to complete Chem I, Chem II, Org. Chem I, Physics I, Biology I, and Biology II. This semester I am taking Org. Chem I, Physics II, and am preparing to take the DAT in April or May. I originally thought I could tackle the DAT by March, but it is just too much material to cover.

During the coming semesters (and after SUCCESSFULLY ROCKING THE DAT ), I plan to somehow fit Biochemistry, Anatomy & Physiology I and II, Microbiology, and English I and II. All of this must be done before I start Dental School in 2007. Achievable? I hope so. According to the schedule I came up with I'd have to take classes up to the summer before starting Dental School. I still have to figure out how's that going to work out if I'm going to need to relocate....

How about you, Sumozmom? Have you come up with your timeline?

also - has it been hard?

1) the classes after so many yrs ( which ones more so)
2) w/the fam

What will u do once u get into school and u cannot work?

 

[Pelotari]

also - has it been hard?

1) the classes after so many yrs ( which ones more so)
2) w/the fam

What will u do once u get into school and u cannot work?

Hi sumozmom,

Here it goes:

1) It has been a little bit hard, mainly because I work full time and I have to make it up at night a lot. I sleep about 5 to 6 hours a day. The hardest class for me so far has been Org. Chem I. I think it has to do with the professor and his testing style. You really need to know the material to do well with him. The second hardest class would have been Biology II. For me it was hard because of the amount of info (classification) you have to learn and regurgitate. Physics so far has been very easy.

2) With the family, we had to change some routines around, and my wife has taken up more chores that were mine since I'm at school at night. I miss my kids more than they miss me. They are six and 3 years old respectively, so it is not too bad since they are easily distracted. I miss spending time with my wife too, but it this is only a temporary situation. I am very fortunate since she cheers me on when I'm feeling overwhelmed at work and school.

Hope this helps.

 

[sumozmom]

Hi sumozmom,

Here it goes:

1) It has been a little bit hard, mainly because I work full time and I have to make it up at night a lot. I sleep about 5 to 6 hours a day. The hardest class for me so far has been Org. Chem I. I think it has to do with the professor and his testing style. You really need to know the material to do well with him. The second hardest class would have been Biology II. For me it was hard because of the amount of info (classification) you have to learn and regurgitate. Physics so far has been very easy.

2) With the family, we had to change some routines around, and my wife has taken up more chores that were mine since I'm at school at night. I miss my kids more than they miss me. They are six and 3 years old respectively, so it is not too bad since they are easily distracted. I miss spending time with my wife too, but it this is only a temporary situation. I am very fortunate since she cheers me on when I'm feeling overwhelmed at work and school.

Hope this helps.

so when u grad at 47 - will u specialize or even go for a 1 yr GPR?

did u have to study everyday at nught and time at work to study?

does ur boss know?

 

[chordata]

I posted this in the Dental Form...but I was hoping someone reading this thread would have some insight.

This isn't one of my top concerns but it kind of bothers me... Has anyone tried to determine their break even point? What I mean by that is has anyone tried to figure out how many years it will take for you to earn back the income lost from leaving your fulltime job and expenses stemming from loans after you've started practicing?

I have a job that pays pretty well right now...however, I'm a little concerned about recovering all the savings I'll have lost while in d-school. I'm starting to think that it may take several (more than 10-15) years to break even. (10-15 years may not seem to long to some but for those of us that have a late start into dentistry 10-15 years may translate into a much later retirement.)

 

[sumozmom]

I posted this in the Dental Form...but I was hoping someone reading this thread would have some insight.

This isn't one of my top concerns but it kind of bothers me... Has anyone tried to determine their break even point? What I mean by that is has anyone tried to figure out how many years it will take for you to earn back the income lost from leaving your fulltime job and expenses stemming from loans after you've started practicing?

I have a job that pays pretty well right now...however, I'm a little concerned about recovering all the savings I'll have lost while in d-school. I'm starting to think that it may take several (more than 10-15) years to break even. (10-15 years may not seem to long to some but for those of us that have a late start into dentistry 10-15 years may translate into a much later retirement.)

I would start a new topic on this one like
"non - traditional and the breakeven point"

 

[Pelotari]

I posted this in the Dental Form...but I was hoping someone reading this thread would have some insight.

This isn't one of my top concerns but it kind of bothers me... Has anyone tried to determine their break even point? What I mean by that is has anyone tried to figure out how many years it will take for you to earn back the income lost from leaving your fulltime job and expenses stemming from loans after you've started practicing?

I have a job that pays pretty well right now...however, I'm a little concerned about recovering all the savings I'll have lost while in d-school. I'm starting to think that it may take several (more than 10-15) years to break even. (10-15 years may not seem to long to some but for those of us that have a late start into dentistry 10-15 years may translate into a much later retirement.)

That is a very good question that I've pondered myself many times. There is no easy answer and I doubt that anyone has done this study since many, many factors are involved (including geographical location of where you want to practice). However, to me the most important question is, should I go for it? Should I go to Dental School at my age? This is also a difficult question, especially if you are already well established in a different industry.

This may help some of the folks out there asking themselves this fundamental question. In order to answer this seemingly simple question, I had to answer some of the following ones:

- If I lose my job today, what kind of income will I get in my next one based on my experience and the job market trend?
- How stable is the industry that I am in today?
- What is the competition like if I find myself out of a job today? Will I have to go back to school and re-train myself to compete with newgrads, or will I start at a higher position?
- How likely is it for me to find a job in my present field based on x, y, or z characteristics / experience / etc.?
- If I'm fortunate enough to get admitted into a Dental Program, what kind of sacrifices will my spouse and kids have to endure? For how long (i.e. specialize)? Is he/she willing to commit?
- Assuming the best scenario, what will my debt be like after D.S.?
- Assuming the worst case scenario, what will my debt be like after D.S.?
- Assuming the worst scenario (income as a DDS), how many years will I have to work AS MY OWN BOSS to break even?
- What do I see myself doing in 5-8 years as a dentist vs. if I stay where I am?
- How many years do I have ahead of me after my DDS/specialization to work towards my kids' college?
- Who invented liquid soap and why? HA! Just wanted to see if you were paying attention!

These questions are very subjective and there is no absolute answer, in my opinion. Each person is in a very unique situation and therefore there is no magic crystal ball.

What has helped me to move forward is to PRAY. Pray hard. I can't think of only myself anymore; my wife's and kids' future is largely based on how solid my plan is and how I carry it through - starting now in my pre-dental studies. Thus, the pressure is all on me to make sure I have a solid and REALISTIC plan. If adcoms ever ask me to describe which has been one of the hardest decisions I've ever made, this is certainly one of them. A LOT is at stake for me.

Best of luck to you all that are in the same boat as I am. It is somewhat comforting to know that there are people out there with some of the same questions as I.

 

[esource]

I am 32 now. I am a programmer. I thought of becoming a Dentist when I was 30 when I have no job. And the IT market was really bad. I found a job around Dec 2004. Even though I don't like that company.
I took BIO I and BIO II already for pre-recs. I suppose to take Ochem I & II this year and take DAT afterwards. Then I got pregnant. And I find another job which I really like and very close to my house. I thought about quitting. Not going back to school any more. But there is a little voice inside of me just can't shut up.
Finally, few weeks ago I decided again to continue my education when I will be 38. I want to have another baby when I am 34. And I will go back to school part time to take O Chem I & II when my youngest is 2 years old. I don't know if I will achieve my goal or not in one day. In my old plan I should become a dentist when I am 38. And now I will be 43. Don't know if it will be worth it.
The wired thing is I was having the same doubt as you. I was planning to do my calculation tonight to see if it is worth to change my career because of money. And I read your thread.

 

[sumozmom]

I am 32 now. I am a programmer. I thought of becoming a Dentist when I was 30 when I have no job. And the IT market was really bad. I found a job around Dec 2004. Even though I don't like that company.
I took BIO I and BIO II already for pre-recs. I suppose to take Ochem I & II this year and take DAT afterwards. Then I got pregnant. And I find another job which I really like and very close to my house. I thought about quitting. Not going back to school any more. But there is a little voice inside of me just can't shut up.
Finally, few weeks ago I decided again to continue my education when I will be 38. I want to have another baby when I am 34. And I will go back to school part time to take O Chem I & II when my youngest is 2 years old. I don't know if I will achieve my goal or not in one day. In my old plan I should become a dentist when I am 38. And now I will be 43. Don't know if it will be worth it.
The wired thing is I was having the same doubt as you. I was planning to do my calculation tonight to see if it is worth to change my career because of money. And I read your thread.

Dentistry is a selfless job- it's about helping other...it's about giving back - doit b/c u like it ....have u shadowed at all?

i'll be 38 in a few weeks and i just started my pre-recs - it will take two yrs- than d-sholl.
good luck

 

[jmac44]

I'll be 31 when D-school starts and I just recieved my first acceptance last week. I graduated in 97 with an engineering degree. I worked for four years as an engineer and then three years as a teaching pro (tennis) after moving to florida. I know I'm not over 35, but the person who opened my eyes to dentistry is a retired dentist who was an engineer for 11 years before going back to dental school at 35. I always thought you had to know in high school and then track through college into dental school to become a dentist. After hearing his story of becoming a dentist at 39 I was inspired to try. It was definitely scary quitting my job and going back to school full time to finish the prereq's. I've taken Bio I & II, Gen Chem II, O-chem I & II, Micro, Genetics, Biochem I, A & P I, Physics II, and an english class over the last year and a half. I think that having varied professional experiences that have led me to this decision helped me in my interviews. Good luck to all the older applicants and future applicants and remember to apply early. I found this forum late and didn't get my application to AADSAS until about October 1st.

Overall GPA: 3.17
Science GPA: 3.15
Post-Bac GPA: 4.0
DAT: 22/22/22

Applied: Maryland, Nova, Florida, Pitt, Penn, Temple, Harvard, and OSU
Denied: OSU
Interviews: Maryland(12/14), Nova(2/10), Florida(1/6), Pitt (not attending)
Acceptance: Maryland

 

[Yah-E]

First, please let my commend all of you who are switching or looking into switch careers into Dentistry. Dentistry is truly an amazing profession! I thought I loved it when I was a predental student, but now that I'm almost finished with dental school, I love it even more!

Secondly, the point about "opportunity cost", yes, it can be tremendous, but you must ask yourself this: "Do I enjoy what I am doing now?", are you excited to go to work every morning when you get up? If the answer is YES, then I wouldn't waste my time to go to dental school. Because I'll tell you one thing, as long as you're happy in what you do, then financial rewards will come. Think of loosing your current income and go to dental school as investing in the mutual funds. Sure you'll loose some doe now, but in the long run, your financial gain/outlook will be very bright! A dental education is an investment with a SURE gain!!

Some family members and friends believe the fact that I want to specialize is nuts because the opportunity cost of being a general dentist right out of dental school. Again, it all goes back to what makes you happier! I have some 2nd career classmates within my class who are also in the mid-30s, they freaking love the choice they've made in coming to dental school.

Good luck to you all! Hey, for those of you that already have some $$, at least you won't need to take more loans out! I heard some crazy story back in the days where an accountant decided to switch to dentistry, he came in and paid off all 4 years of tuition on the first day of school! There are perks in having money already and wanting to make more with dentistry.

 

[sumozmom]

I'll be 31 when D-school starts and I just recieved my first acceptance last week. I graduated in 97 with an engineering degree. I worked for four years as an engineer and then three years as a teaching pro (tennis) after moving to florida. I know I'm not over 35, but the person who opened my eyes to dentistry is a retired dentist who was an engineer for 11 years before going back to dental school at 35. I always thought you had to know in high school and then track through college into dental school to become a dentist. After hearing his story of becoming a dentist at 39 I was inspired to try. It was definitely scary quitting my job and going back to school full time to finish the prereq's. I've taken Bio I & II, Gen Chem II, O-chem I & II, Micro, Genetics, Biochem I, A & P I, Physics II, and an english class over the last year and a half. I think that having varied professional experiences that have led me to this decision helped me in my interviews. Good luck to all the older applicants and future applicants and remember to apply early. I found this forum late and didn't get my application to AADSAS until about October 1st.

Overall GPA: 3.17
Science GPA: 3.15
Post-Bac GPA: 4.0
DAT: 22/22/22

Applied: Maryland, Nova, Florida, Pitt, Penn, Temple, Harvard, and OSU
Denied: OSU
Interviews: Maryland(12/14), Nova(2/10), Florida(1/6), Pitt (not attending)
Acceptance: Maryland

how did u survive during ur pre-recs going from and engineer sal to a tennis coaching sal?

 

[jmac44]

I actually made more money in tennis than in engineering. My engineering job was in a small town in PA and the salary wasn't that huge but neither was the cost of living. When I moved to Florida it was to be with my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) so we lived together which helped with cost of living. After my first three months of teaching tennis I broke my foot and was off the court for 3 months. I basically lived off money I had saved for a rainy day. That was when I realized what I really needed to survive. Then I got lucky and scored a job at one of the biggest country clubs in the country. I worked crazy hours in season but I was paid pretty well. I was operations manager and oversaw a 39 court facility. That included managing the desk staff and maitenance crew. So actually I wasn't just teaching tennis. The only problem was that from Nov to March I worked all the time and never got to see my wife. That included working all holidays. In fact my breaking point came over the two week period of Christmas and New years when I worked 143 hours. After that, I realized I didn't want to do this when I was 45 or 50. After deciding on dentistry I quit to go back to school fulltime while my wife worked. I have two part-time jobs now to help with costs but dental school will be almost all loans. I'm lucky to have a very supportive wife who is behind me all the way. She see's it as an investment in our future.

 

[esource]

Dentistry is a selfless job- it's about helping other...it's about giving back - doit b/c u like it ....have u shadowed at all?

i'll be 38 in a few weeks and i just started my pre-recs - it will take two yrs- than d-sholl.
good luck

I have shadowed already. I know I will like it and I do have the heart to help others.
I have different background with you. I grew up in a medical school. My grandfather is the president of the med. school. I like Biology since I was a little. When I graduate from HS my grandfather told me that I should become a doctor. Of course I never listen to him. We never like each other.
I thought I hate programming. But after I didn't work for 2 years and find a the greatest job I never dream of. I am scare of letting it go like that. And I am Chinese. I am afraid thant I can't make it in the Dental school even I will get accepted. Then it will be very hard for me to find a job again. I was there before.

 

[Dr IWannaBe]

how was ur first class?

It hasn't been too bad. I go to work very early to study so I can be ready for class in the evening and when I get home, I can still be with my family without worrying about studying.

 

[sumozmom]

I actually made more money in tennis than in engineering. My engineering job was in a small town in PA and the salary wasn't that huge but neither was the cost of living. When I moved to Florida it was to be with my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) so we lived together which helped with cost of living. After my first three months of teaching tennis I broke my foot and was off the court for 3 months. I basically lived off money I had saved for a rainy day. That was when I realized what I really needed to survive. Then I got lucky and scored a job at one of the biggest country clubs in the country. I worked crazy hours in season but I was paid pretty well. I was operations manager and oversaw a 39 court facility. That included managing the desk staff and maitenance crew. So actually I wasn't just teaching tennis. The only problem was that from Nov to March I worked all the time and never got to see my wife. That included working all holidays. In fact my breaking point came over the two week period of Christmas and New years when I worked 143 hours. After that, I realized I didn't want to do this when I was 45 or 50. After deciding on dentistry I quit to go back to school fulltime while my wife worked. I have two part-time jobs now to help with costs but dental school will be almost all loans. I'm lucky to have a very supportive wife who is behind me all the way. She see's it as an investment in our future.

what school r u targeting?

 

[sumozmom]

I have shadowed already. I know I will like it and I do have the heart to help others.
I have different background with you. I grew up in a medical school. My grandfather is the president of the med. school. I like Biology since I was a little. When I graduate from HS my grandfather told me that I should become a doctor. Of course I never listen to him. We never like each other.
I thought I hate programming. But after I didn't work for 2 years and find a the greatest job I never dream of. I am scare of letting it go like that. And I am Chinese. I am afraid thant I can't make it in the Dental school even I will get accepted. Then it will be very hard for me to find a job again. I was there before.

go w/ ur heart

 

[jmac44]

what school r u targeting?

Maryland (close to family), Nova (close to my current home), and Florida (price) are my top three. If I get in to all three , I'm really not sure of what I'll do.

 

[sumozmom]

It hasn't been too bad. I go to work very early to study so I can be ready for class in the evening and when I get home, I can still be with my family without worrying about studying.

how where ur grades before....? is ur gpa ok?

and now ....?

 

[colt]

Age is just a number; life is about the journey. Good luck to you all!

 

[Dr IWannaBe]

how where ur grades before....? is ur gpa ok?

and now ....?

My undergrad gpa was 3.48 ( I guess 3.5 sounds better when I round it off) and my graduate gpa was 3.7----but I only took 2 physical science courses and one biology class in undergrad (Music major), so really I'm starting my pre-reqs from scratch.

 

[mdub]

Dentistry is a selfless job- it's about helping other...it's about giving back - doit b/c u like it ....have u shadowed at all?

That's naive and a terribly incomplete view of how choosing an occupation works and should work. If dentistry's average hours jumped to 55/week, pay dropped to an average of $100,000, and there was a required residency of 2 years, would you expect there to be the same number of dentists and aspiring dentists? No. That's ridiculous. SHOULD there be the same number of dentists and aspiring dentists?

People have to consider all sorts of factors when picking or changing a career. If you think the only thing people should consider is doing what they like, you're a fool. The conditions under which one works are terribly important. How much time you get to spend with friends and family is important. How much money you make for you and your family is important. How much you enjoy your job is important.

 

[sumozmom]

That's naive and a terribly incomplete view of how choosing an occupation works and should work. If dentistry's average hours jumped to 55/week, pay dropped to an average of $100,000, and there was a required residency of 2 years, would you expect there to be the same number of dentists and aspiring dentists? No. That's ridiculous. SHOULD there be the same number of dentists and aspiring dentists?

People have to consider all sorts of factors when picking or changing a career. If you think the only thing people should consider is doing what they like, you're a fool. The conditions under which one works are terribly important. How much time you get to spend with friends and family is important. How much money you make for you and your family is important. How much you enjoy your job is important.

everybody has their opinion...i enjoyed urs as well...thnx



FYI
"Kindness is the golden chain by which society is bound together."
-Goethe

 

[isurus22]

I posted this in the Dental Form...but I was hoping someone reading this thread would have some insight.

This isn't one of my top concerns but it kind of bothers me... Has anyone tried to determine their break even point? What I mean by that is has anyone tried to figure out how many years it will take for you to earn back the income lost from leaving your fulltime job and expenses stemming from loans after you've started practicing?

I have a job that pays pretty well right now...however, I'm a little concerned about recovering all the savings I'll have lost while in d-school. I'm starting to think that it may take several (more than 10-15) years to break even. (10-15 years may not seem to long to some but for those of us that have a late start into dentistry 10-15 years may translate into a much later retirement.)

Ive done the math. I make about 75K right now. It will take some time like 8 years-10 years to make back what I lose in income quitting school then add about 200,000 for tuition. One thing to consider is that when you get in your late 50s you are the first to get laid off in a big company. The Dentists I know work 4 days a week and can work 1 if you wanted until your 85. Im an engineer now and I don't want to work 50 hours a week for a company the rest of my life. So you may lose some money initially but your job security is much better and your income is dependent on how much energy you put into it, not just what someone says your worth.

 

[sumozmom]

Ive done the math. I make about 75K right now. It will take some time like 8 years-10 years to make back what I lose in income quitting school then add about 200,000 for tuition. One thing to consider is that when you get in your late 50s you are the first to get laid off in a big company. The Dentists I know work 4 days a week and can work 1 if you wanted until your 85. Im an engineer now and I don't want to work 50 hours a week for a company the rest of my life. So you may lose some money initially but your job security is much better and your income is dependent on how much energy you put into it, not just what someone says your worth.

wow great story so...what is your plan? R u in D School now?