A few starting off questions

[MyInitialsAreDR]

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Hello all. I'm currently a freshman accounting major (yet to take an actual class) and I've been having second thoughts about it pretty much since I chose it. I like the security of it, and that I know the pretty much path I'd take, which is 2-3 large public accounting firm then move to industry for better salary/hours. The problem is I know large public firm accountants are known to work 70+ hrs easily, especially during the busy season. Doesn't sound too appealing to me, especially seeing that its that many hours of entry level auditing which is notorious for its monotony.

I certainly like science. Its one of the few classes that I liked studying for in a way (relative to other classes, not saying I'd study for fun if I didn't have to). Mainly because a lot of it is memorization which I'm good at. I thought about med school on and off for many years now, but I'm not fond of the idea of 8 years of school/training after college. Plus, I know there are many now saying the tuition rising while salaries remain the same is the makings of a not so financially sound investment. And that's now, imagine how will it be in 3 years when I graduate.

So now I'm considering dentistry. The two are similar in some senses. Both deal with sciences obviously. Lately its seeming like dentistry makes more sense however. You're in training for half the time, which means the debt is payed off quicker due to a combination of more full salary years+less years of putting off debt that is accruing interest. Still get to help people, so that's appealing (although I'm a believer in that if your only reason to do medicine/dentistry is to help people, that's foolish. You can volunteer on weekends if that's your only motive). I really love the idea of at one point being self-employed. That's a huge plus to me. I've always liked entrepreneurship, but I feel its too risky without something in high demand like health care.

So my questions are, if I started next year, my sophomore year, taking the science classes, would I behind as far as the application process? I would take Chem I, Bio I, and Physics I in the fall, then obviously the same classes but part two in the spring. Summer I'd take Orgo I and possibly another science and then finish Orgo Fall of junior year and whatever other upper level sciences are required. My gen eds are all done due to APs and my work last summer and this year so thats done. I'd have to switch to some sort of science major because at my school to take Bio you have to need it for your major (stupid rule if you ask me). I know for medicine, many apply, take the MCATs, etc., during junior year, in which case a student like me is seemingly behind. Is it the same for Dental school and the DAT or would my situation be still on track?

One last question. And you can criticize me for thinking of finances this much but I don't see whats wrong with thinking logically about a future life and career investment. I know no one can predict this, but in three years will Dental school be worth the investment? It seems like medicine is either at that point, or heading there full speed ahead, so I have to worry if dentistry would be as well. At some point if tuition keeps rising and salaries remain the same, it wouldn't be really worth it. This is not about rolling in money so please don't attack me. I don't think there is anything wrong about wanting to be compensated well for a career and worrying about a ROI with such an expensive education.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks 😀

 

[MedDevil]

I think that while you have a good idea of how you're planning to set up your classes, cramming three lab sciences into one semester is really going to stress you out unless you know you can handle it. However, it's definitely still doable. If you can, try to move physics to either junior or senior year so you have some time to do other things you'll need for your application. (volunteering, shadowing, etc) If you can finish Orgo 2 by the end of Fall your Junior year, study for the DAT over winter and take it afterwards. Then you should still be on track to apply the coming summer.

If you feel that dentistry is something you know you'll love to do, then it's definitely worth the investment. In terms of finances at the moment, the number of dentists retiring is greater than the number of dentists going into practice, so the demand is definitely there and you'll have the opportunity to work off your debt and make a well-earned living off of it.

 

[two thirty]

If you have all your general eds done and you are still a freshman, you can easily squeeze all the pre-reqs in. You'll be a year behind on chemistry classes, but you can make that up. I do agree with the guy who said to avoid 3 sciences with labs though, two a semester is tough enough. You want to ace your pre-reqs rather than just get through them as fast as possible. You can postpone physics until senior year if necessary, as it's not necessary for the DAT, but just has to be done before you enter dental school.

You sound like a smart kid and a lot of your reasons for picking dentistry are similar to mine. Study hard and you can do it. You sound much more interested in this than accounting(who wouldn't be, accounting sounds so boring as a career 😀)

And the future should be fine for dentists. It may decline a little bit, but dental school is still a great investment and dentistry is a relatively stable career.

Good luck!

 

[MyInitialsAreDR]

Thanks a lot to both of you for your responses. Yea, I mapped out my schedule, and with three sciences with labs there certainly wouldn't be much free time. I do actually have to take pre calc and trig in order to take physics first anyway, so maybe putting it off till senior year or so would be better. I was just worried it would be on the DAT. Also, Calc I is required at my school for Bio majors, so maybe I'd take that later along with the physics.

As far as the ECs, is payed work experience "frowned upon"? I'd do some volunteering as well, but one of the major draws to studying accounting was I'd be able to work a lot due to the lighter schedule. This would definitely help me with living expenses and spending money while I'm in undergrad at least. Is it ok to do more payed work than volunteering, or am I coming off as greedy to the AdCom?

As far as me loving it or not, honestly I don't "love" the idea of being a dentist, but I don't dislike it. Its nothing towards dentistry, I just feel like that towards all professions, which is why I'm having such a hard time picking one. Thats why I tend to look at security and finances more than passion, because the idea of doing work that is my passion is so farfetched to me. Not to say I'm a miserable person. I certainly have passions in life, none of which are work related.

Again thanks for the help!

 

[MedDevil]

Many dental schools also require a semester to a year of calculus, so taking that later on will be a good idea. Neither calculus nor physics appears on the DAT though, so taking them even your senior year won't be a problem.

Paid work experience isn't frowned upon at all, dental schools understand that students may need to work to help pay for college expenses. There's even a section on the AADSAS that asks about what kind of work experience you have. If anything, it can only help your application. I think that as long as you have a good amount of volunteering on your application, having more paid work experience won't be an issue. If anything, finding work in a clinical setting would be ideal because you gain exposure as well as earn money.

 

[dentalWorks]

Hello all. I'm currently a freshman accounting major (yet to take an actual class) and I've been having second thoughts about it pretty much since I chose it. I like the security of it, and that I know the pretty much path I'd take, which is 2-3 large public accounting firm then move to industry for better salary/hours. The problem is I know large public firm accountants are known to work 70+ hrs easily, especially during the busy season. Doesn't sound too appealing to me, especially seeing that its that many hours of entry level auditing which is notorious for its monotony.

I certainly like science. Its one of the few classes that I liked studying for in a way (relative to other classes, not saying I'd study for fun if I didn't have to). Mainly because a lot of it is memorization which I'm good at. I thought about med school on and off for many years now, but I'm not fond of the idea of 8 years of school/training after college. Plus, I know there are many now saying the tuition rising while salaries remain the same is the makings of a not so financially sound investment. And that's now, imagine how will it be in 3 years when I graduate.

So now I'm considering dentistry. The two are similar in some senses. Both deal with sciences obviously. Lately its seeming like dentistry makes more sense however. You're in training for half the time, which means the debt is payed off quicker due to a combination of more full salary years+less years of putting off debt that is accruing interest. Still get to help people, so that's appealing (although I'm a believer in that if your only reason to do medicine/dentistry is to help people, that's foolish. You can volunteer on weekends if that's your only motive). I really love the idea of at one point being self-employed. That's a huge plus to me. I've always liked entrepreneurship, but I feel its too risky without something in high demand like health care.

So my questions are, if I started next year, my sophomore year, taking the science classes, would I behind as far as the application process? I would take Chem I, Bio I, and Physics I in the fall, then obviously the same classes but part two in the spring. Summer I'd take Orgo I and possibly another science and then finish Orgo Fall of junior year and whatever other upper level sciences are required. My gen eds are all done due to APs and my work last summer and this year so thats done. I'd have to switch to some sort of science major because at my school to take Bio you have to need it for your major (stupid rule if you ask me). I know for medicine, many apply, take the MCATs, etc., during junior year, in which case a student like me is seemingly behind. Is it the same for Dental school and the DAT or would my situation be still on track?

One last question. And you can criticize me for thinking of finances this much but I don't see whats wrong with thinking logically about a future life and career investment. I know no one can predict this, but in three years will Dental school be worth the investment? It seems like medicine is either at that point, or heading there full speed ahead, so I have to worry if dentistry would be as well. At some point if tuition keeps rising and salaries remain the same, it wouldn't be really worth it. This is not about rolling in money so please don't attack me. I don't think there is anything wrong about wanting to be compensated well for a career and worrying about a ROI with such an expensive education.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks 😀

I don't have exact data in-front of me, but I believe there are alot more state medical schools than dental... this translates to (if you end up with an in-state medical school) your tuition will be like 1-3 to 1/2 of that of dental school.

since many dental schools are private, and somtimes people relocate from thier homestate to study dentistry, the tuition is ENOURMOUS. I am talking $300-400 for the 4 years (including living expense).... So keep this in mind when you figure out the medicine vs dentistry.

There are alot more medical schools (like 160+) than dental (60-ish), this means there is a higher chance that you'll have a state school that has a 20k per year tuition.... Which translates to less then 200k of debt after 4 years (pretty reasonable). The medical residency sucks, sure, but you get paid semi-minimum wage (if your looking at it hourly), so its not so bad.

You seem like a young guy, but I like your take on dentistry. I don't see anything wrong with someone looking after their future finances when picking a career. After all folks, Dentistry is a career, its not a hobby.

However I have to be honest with you. Sure if you talk to a few dentists who have been in the business for 10+ years, it'll seem like they are doing very well (and they are). But don't expect that for yourself. Your initial years as a new graduate, you'll be lucky to pull in 120k a year (maybe a little higher, little lower, but won't deviate much from 120k), while having between 300-400k of debt on a 5-6% interest rate...... Of course, as dentist gain more experience (and are hungry) their income increases as well.

I am a believer that any dentist, whether you graduate with 200k of debt or 500k will EVENTUALLY hit the "magic spot" (magic spot = 250k per year income), the question becomes... when? It might be 10 years after graduation, maybe less? maybe a little more... but eventually you "should" get there.

And finally, taking your initial science courses in your sophomore year isn't late... I mean many start them in their freshman year, but 1 year isn't that bad. As matter of fact, you can start something this summer. Maybe biology? or general chem? physics? But overall, whats important is that you start the pre-dents, when you start them is almost irrelevant.

 

[MyInitialsAreDR]

Many dental schools also require a semester to a year of calculus, so taking that later on will be a good idea. Neither calculus nor physics appears on the DAT though, so taking them even your senior year won't be a problem.

Paid work experience isn't frowned upon at all, dental schools understand that students may need to work to help pay for college expenses. There's even a section on the AADSAS that asks about what kind of work experience you have. If anything, it can only help your application. I think that as long as you have a good amount of volunteering on your application, having more paid work experience won't be an issue. If anything, finding work in a clinical setting would be ideal because you gain exposure as well as earn money.

Great. I would definitely still do volunteering obviously, but having some spare money would be great too. I don't wanna run out of money for food and have to pay for the cheapest food item at walmart all in dimes and nickels like yesterday . Thanks again!!

I don't have exact data in-front of me, but I believe there are alot more state medical schools than dental... this translates to (if you end up with an in-state medical school) your tuition will be like 1-3 to 1/2 of that of dental school.

Yeah, I've certainly noticed this. My state (FL) has I believe 4 or 5 public med schools while UF is the only public dental school, with Nova being the other private one.

since many dental schools are private, and somtimes people relocate from thier homestate to study dentistry, the tuition is ENOURMOUS. I am talking $300-400 for the 4 years (including living expense).... So keep this in mind when you figure out the medicine vs dentistry.

There are alot more medical schools (like 160+) than dental (60-ish), this means there is a higher chance that you'll have a state school that has a 20k per year tuition.... Which translates to less then 200k of debt after 4 years (pretty reasonable). The medical residency sucks, sure, but you get paid semi-minimum wage (if your looking at it hourly), so its not so bad.

I haven't crunched any numbers and its hard to figure it out when everyone's situation differs, but the way I've always thought of it is say you get into a in-state med and a private dental. Obviously close to double the total cost at dental, but I wonder how close the difference is after, say, 4 years after medical school or dental school respectively. The dentist has had a substantial salary for four years already and therefore is able to pay off larger chunks of the debt. The med student has just finished his residency and was likely not paying anything on his debt at that time. And assuming he's out after four years, hes likely a gen phys., so his salary will likely top out before the dentist. I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just curious as to how it would play out if you crunched the numbers.

You seem like a young guy, but I like your take on dentistry. I don't see anything wrong with someone looking after their future finances when picking a career. After all folks, Dentistry is a career, its not a hobby.

I appreciate that answer. Its hard to get good advice when everyone says follow your passion and I have none, to support myself on at least.

However I have to be honest with you. Sure if you talk to a few dentists who have been in the business for 10+ years, it'll seem like they are doing very well (and they are). But don't expect that for yourself. Your initial years as a new graduate, you'll be lucky to pull in 120k a year (maybe a little higher, little lower, but won't deviate much from 120k), while having between 300-400k of debt on a 5-6% interest rate...... Of course, as dentist gain more experience (and are hungry) their income increases as well.

I am a believer that any dentist, whether you graduate with 200k of debt or 500k will EVENTUALLY hit the "magic spot" (magic spot = 250k per year income), the question becomes... when? It might be 10 years after graduation, maybe less? maybe a little more... but eventually you "should" get there.

Yea I wasn't expecting too much right outta the gate, but nonetheless, $120k is nothing to scoff at, debt included.

And the beauty of dentistry is also the scary part of it. You are your own tool to an income. That can be great when you're successful, but also scary if you have hiccups. My dad is a small business owner so I've seen the good and the bad of being your own boss. He's won awards like best pizza in several cities, a radio contest, etc., yet business is still slow. Shows that sometimes you can be very good at what you do and still catch some bad breaks with location or timing. But I guess health care sort of has a built in safety net of your services regularly being in demand.

And finally, taking your initial science courses in your sophomore year isn't late... I mean many start them in their freshman year, but 1 year isn't that bad. As matter of fact, you can start something this summer. Maybe biology? or general chem? physics? But overall, whats important is that you start the pre-dents, when you start them is almost irrelevant.

I was just making sure because it seems as though over on the pre-med side, many people say that physics should be done before the MCATs and that many also apply early in their junior years. Which would obviously mean that you would need to be pretty much set by middle of junior year as far as applying for that cycle, unless I interpreted it wrong.

I can't take any sciences at my university this summer because I'll be back home and I've heard you really shouldn't take the pre reqs at a CC. If I do make the switch, I'll probably take pre calc, trig, or both at the local CC, because they are both pre reqs for both calculus and physics. I'd also be working and volunteering, and possibly shadowing. Theres dentists everywhere by my university, but not as many back home, all though still quite a few.

Thanks again for the help!

 

[dentalWorks]

I haven't crunched any numbers and its hard to figure it out when everyone's situation differs, but the way I've always thought of it is say you get into a in-state med and a private dental. Obviously close to double the total cost at dental, but I wonder how close the difference is after, say, 4 years after medical school or dental school respectively. The dentist has had a substantial salary for four years already and therefore is able to pay off larger chunks of the debt. The med student has just finished his residency and was likely not paying anything on his debt at that time. And assuming he's out after four years, hes likely a gen phys., so his salary will likely top out before the dentist. I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just curious as to how it would play out if you crunched the numbers.

This is true. Its actually 100% accurate if you are comparing a GP dentist with a primary care physician (your typical family doc, internal medicine doc, ped doc, and even obgy doc).

If you are looking at the more "fancy" medical specialties, it varies I guess. I mean my good buddy just matched into radiology, his overall training (including fellowship) will be 6 years. But average radiologist make is like 400k a year. Actually now that I think about it, 6 years of making approx 50k a year while working 60+ hrs a week is... ALOT OF TRAINING.

Yea I wasn't expecting too much right outta the gate, but nonetheless, $120k is nothing to scoff at, debt included.

I agree

And the beauty of dentistry is also the scary part of it. You are your own tool to an income. That can be great when you're successful, but also scary if you have hiccups. My dad is a small business owner so I've seen the good and the bad of being your own boss. He's won awards like best pizza in several cities, a radio contest, etc., yet business is still slow. Shows that sometimes you can be very good at what you do and still catch some bad breaks with location or timing. But I guess health care sort of has a built in safety net of your services regularly being in demand.

Well, its not like the dentist who made 300k 3-4 years ago is now making alot less.... Hes probably still pulling well above 200k maybe even closer to 250k. I think the trick to mastering economic conditions is to adapt your business in accordance with your collections..... When collections go low, thats when you gotta re-adjust and cut cost. We'll figure it out someday 🙂

I was just making sure because it seems as though over on the pre-med side, many people say that physics should be done before the MCATs and that many also apply early in their junior years. Which would obviously mean that you would need to be pretty much set by middle of junior year as far as applying for that cycle, unless I interpreted it wrong.

That would make perfect sense for pre-meds. Physics is a big part of the MCAT. But its irrelevant for pre-dents since its not tested on the DAT.

I can't take any sciences at my university this summer because I'll be back home and I've heard you really shouldn't take the pre reqs at a CC. If I do make the switch, I'll probably take pre calc, trig, or both at the local CC, because they are both pre reqs for both calculus and physics. I'd also be working and volunteering, and possibly shadowing. Theres dentists everywhere by my university, but not as many back home, all though still quite a few.

Oh thats fine, you don't have to do any summer classes... i was just suggesting it in-case you were bored and wanted to learn.

thats a good idea, do your volunteering and shadowing this summer... ya know... get it "outta tha way" lol

as far as doing pre-calc / trig or whatever at CC... its non-issue. Those aren't even pre-dent courses.

 

[MyInitialsAreDR]

Hey thanks again for your help DW. I'm not sure if I'm gonna pull the trigger on this, but I think I can make a much more informed decision now. Honestly, I think what bothers me more than anything is the idea that wherever I get in, I pretty much have no choice but to move there. There is but one public dental school in Florida, so its not like I have such great chances of getting to stay in state. With accounting, I always figured I'd have more of a choice. The firms, big and small, have many, many offices that recruit all over the state. If I didn't get accepted to one office, I may get accepted by another and so forth. And if none in the entire state accepted me, well then I know I'm just not really competitive with other students. With dentistry its not the same. I have one shot at in in state public school and then otherwise its pretty much go where the letters take you. Its certainly a big decision, and I don't know if I'll be able to pull the trigger. I'm not a huge risk taker unfortunately. I tend to go with "safe" picks, which might be why I'm losing in fantasy baseball so far lol.

 

[dentalWorks]

Hey thanks again for your help DW. I'm not sure if I'm gonna pull the trigger on this, but I think I can make a much more informed decision now. Honestly, I think what bothers me more than anything is the idea that wherever I get in, I pretty much have no choice but to move there. There is but one public dental school in Florida, so its not like I have such great chances of getting to stay in state. With accounting, I always figured I'd have more of a choice. The firms, big and small, have many, many offices that recruit all over the state. If I didn't get accepted to one office, I may get accepted by another and so forth. And if none in the entire state accepted me, well then I know I'm just not really competitive with other students. With dentistry its not the same. I have one shot at in in state public school and then otherwise its pretty much go where the letters take you. Its certainly a big decision, and I don't know if I'll be able to pull the trigger. I'm not a huge risk taker unfortunately. I tend to go with "safe" picks, which might be why I'm losing in fantasy baseball so far lol.

For non-healthcare jobs, the safest and most guaranteed degree is in I.T nowadays. Now, there are alot of I.T jobs being outsourced as we speak and its still an "okay" market here in the U.S.

When I was a software engineer, our department was filled with software developers from varying backgrounds in mechanical, electrical, computer, and even chemical engineering lol. I.T has swept the technological job market. If you have a degree in the math-sciences, you most likely will land an I.T job.

Accounting is a decent degree, and some graduates find decent jobs, but it comes no where near to I.T..... Think about it this way, a small I.T firm will have 20-50 software engineers but only need 1-2 master accountants to do their financial paper works.

 

[MyInitialsAreDR]

For non-healthcare jobs, the safest and most guaranteed degree is in I.T nowadays. Now, there are alot of I.T jobs being outsourced as we speak and its still an "okay" market here in the U.S.

When I was a software engineer, our department was filled with software developers from varying backgrounds in mechanical, electrical, computer, and even chemical engineering lol. I.T has swept the technological job market. If you have a degree in the math-sciences, you most likely will land an I.T job.

Accounting is a decent degree, and some graduates find decent jobs, but it comes no where near to I.T..... Think about it this way, a small I.T firm will have 20-50 software engineers but only need 1-2 master accountants to do their financial paper works.

Interesting suggestion, but I pretty much hate computers besides for doing the everyday stuff. I think its pretty much Accounting vs. Dentistry at this point. Coming to that decision will be very hard for me

 

[nap5035]

Accounting is a decent degree, and some graduates find decent jobs, but it comes no where near to I.T..... Think about it this way, a small I.T firm will have 20-50 software engineers but only need 1-2 master accountants to do their financial paper works.

obviously an I.T. firm would have more IT guys than accountants haha its an IT firm! I could come back and say a nice-sized accounting firm could have 200 accountants and 4 I.T. guys...

OP, I'm a graduated accounting major who is doing a post-bacc for dental school. I loved accounting and I received my degree, so I have a nice backup plan if I don't get into dental school. The thing I liked most about accounting was making numbers line up, having things balance, something you'll definitely find if you take some science classes. My suggestion would be to take gen chem 1 and intro to bio...they're weed-out courses but elementary enough that you'd get a feel for your abilities...if you like it you can always stay ~6 years at undergrad and get your accounting degree + a certificate in pre-med! That's what I did and I'm happy with my choice. Good luck

 

[MyInitialsAreDR]

OP, I'm a graduated accounting major who is doing a post-bacc for dental school. I loved accounting and I received my degree, so I have a nice backup plan if I don't get into dental school. The thing I liked most about accounting was making numbers line up, having things balance, something you'll definitely find if you take some science classes. My suggestion would be to take gen chem 1 and intro to bio...they're weed-out courses but elementary enough that you'd get a feel for your abilities...if you like it you can always stay ~6 years at undergrad and get your accounting degree + a certificate in pre-med! That's what I did and I'm happy with my choice. Good luck

Wow. Very cool to hear from someone in a similar situation as myself. I feel as though accounting can have interesting concepts like science does, even though it has a bad reputation for being "bean counting." Those who have practiced in the field understand its much more than that.

If you don't mind me asking, any particular reasons you chose not to pursue an accounting career?

 

[nap5035]

Wow. Very cool to hear from someone in a similar situation as myself. I feel as though accounting can have interesting concepts like science does, even though it has a bad reputation for being "bean counting." Those who have practiced in the field understand its much more than that.

If you don't mind me asking, any particular reasons you chose not to pursue an accounting career?

sure. I really got a kick out of science when I was a little kid/high school--mom's biology teacher so she was always helping me out/doing projects with me and I really enjoyed it. But in high school I wasn't a special student or anything, and back then you think of doctors/dentists as sort of an untouchable elite--at least I did. So I kinda just fell into business, (i got directly accepted into my school's business school which was a reward in itself). All the friends I made were Finance/Accounting types, and I quickly gravitated to Accounting because I do like the autonomy of it. It wasn't as cutthroat as trying to get hired by a hedge fund or anything like that so I liked that part of it. But like I said, doing a problem and having my balance sheet perfect were the things that "got me off" about accounting.

And as I finished internships with accounting firms and banks, you soon realize that you're extremely disposable. You're just an ID card, and they work you really hard. In a few years after you start working at companies, your job can be completed by a recent grad, and you either have to really stand out or you're gonna get canned.

Contrary to what a lot of people on here think, there's a lot of money to be made with an accounting degree. Working at BIG4 for a few years and then bouncing to either a boutique firm or small fund can be extremely lucrative. You can easily find a small firm and be one of a few accountants, with obviously not that much pressure since you're watching one company.

Dentistry has a lot of things in it that you might like, coming from your background/interests. There's the autonomy (rarely will you have to deal with something out-of-the-ordinary). Eventually when you own your own practice you'll manage your own books. But it offers a doctor-patient relationship, great hours, and little pressure from superiors.

If you REALLY want to see if you like it, maybe over the summer do a volunteer dental trip down in Latin America. I did one after I graduated to make sure, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how well I did/how much I liked it.

 

[MyInitialsAreDR]

Working at BIG4 for a few years and then bouncing to either a boutique firm or small fund can be extremely lucrative. You can easily find a small firm and be one of a few accountants, with obviously not that much pressure since you're watching one company.

This is my exact plan if I do indeed stick to accounting Big4 or other large public firm them go industry. Again, thats one of the draws for me to accounting, thats theres more or less a path you can take. As you touch on, obviously there are negatives to it as well.

Dentistry has a lot of things in it that you might like, coming from your background/interests. There's the autonomy (rarely will you have to deal with something out-of-the-ordinary). Eventually when you own your own practice you'll manage your own books. But it offers a doctor-patient relationship, great hours, and little pressure from superiors.

If you REALLY want to see if you like it, maybe over the summer do a volunteer dental trip down in Latin America. I did one after I graduated to make sure, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how well I did/how much I liked it.

You evaluated what draws me to both fields. When learning a concept or studying, I like hearing "this is how it is" and not "its like this 30% of the time, the other times theres surprises" . Both fields primarily offer that. It seems to me the more I think about it, I don't think I can really go wrong as much as I worry about it 😡.

I'm getting the idea of maybe taking Chem I+Bio I and the respective labs in the fall along with my two accounting classes scheduled for next semester, as they are both online video lectures so I don't have to actually go to class. That will at the very least give me more time to decide. The only problem is, both subjects are very challenging and I don't really want to take then focus away from one field or another and possibly lower my GPA. But still, that may be the best choice if I'm still undecided.

 

[wired202808]

Initial, I can add some feedback here. As I am a non-traditional student who graduated and worked in the Finance/Accounting industry. While in a way its a "safer bet" vs. Dentistry, because its easier to complete the degree and find a job w/o major loans, I wouldn't say its a BETTER choice.

In the real world, BIG 4 or not, Accounting is not only tough (70+ hour weeks) its also exceptionally stressful. It's not a walk in the park or something you're gonna enjoy when Busy Season hits. Yes, after a X amount of years you can get up to the 125 to 150K mark (probably 10 years) you will be paying for it in blood, sweat, and tears. In addition, remember when you work for someone else (you can be fired at any time for any reason; even if you're a "top performer.") Plus, while your Big 4 firm bills you out at $200 or $250 per hour, they're paying you less than $40 per hour (not really fair or worthwhile)

In the long run, I truly believe Dentistry is for those folks who a) like Dentistry but EVEN BETTER for those who want to OWN and operate their own business. If that's your goal (i.e. financial freedom w/o ceilings) and working less hours for more $$$, then Dentistry makes more sense. If you want to play it safe and enjoy working for someone else w/o the hassle, then you should stick with Accounting. But remember most people regret choices like NOT going to Medical School, Dental School, etc. How do I know this? Because I should have done that during undergrad instead of focusing on the "easy and safe" route of Accounting/Finance. In addition, those routes are not the safer or easier in a down economy. Just wanted to provide you my 2 cents.

Hope this helps and I don't mean to be condesending towards the Accounting/Finance profession, but there's just something cool about being called "Doctor" every working day

 

[MyInitialsAreDR]

Initial, I can add some feedback here. As I am a non-traditional student who graduated and worked in the Finance/Accounting industry. While in a way its a "safer bet" vs. Dentistry, because its easier to complete the degree and find a job w/o major loans, I wouldn't say its a BETTER choice.

In the real world, BIG 4 or not, Accounting is not only tough (70+ hour weeks) its also exceptionally stressful. It's not a walk in the park or something you're gonna enjoy when Busy Season hits. Yes, after a X amount of years you can get up to the 125 to 150K mark (probably 10 years) you will be paying for it in blood, sweat, and tears. In addition, remember when you work for someone else (you can be fired at any time for any reason; even if you're a "top performer.") Plus, while your Big 4 firm bills you out at $200 or $250 per hour, they're paying you less than $40 per hour (not really fair or worthwhile)

In the long run, I truly believe Dentistry is for those folks who a) like Dentistry but EVEN BETTER for those who want to OWN and operate their own business. If that's your goal (i.e. financial freedom w/o ceilings) and working less hours for more $$$, then Dentistry makes more sense. If you want to play it safe and enjoy working for someone else w/o the hassle, then you should stick with Accounting. But remember most people regret choices like NOT going to Medical School, Dental School, etc. How do I know this? Because I should have done that during undergrad instead of focusing on the "easy and safe" route of Accounting/Finance. In addition, those routes are not the safer or easier in a down economy. Just wanted to provide you my 2 cents.

Hope this helps and I don't mean to be condesending towards the Accounting/Finance profession, but there's just something cool about being called "Doctor" every working day

Thanks so much for your help! You're definitely right about accounting being the "safer" pick for me. I'm drawn to it mainly because I know there is more or less a "path" you take. Plus, due to multiple scholarships and federal aide grants, I will graduate with no debt. Therefore, the idea of immediately having all of my income go to retirement savings, pleasure, future expenditures for a house or something with none of it (besides taxes obv.) coming out from things like school and practice debt is very appealing. Plus, I always figured if I hated accounting, I could apply for a job as an FBI agent after a few year of work. I've read a book about it and it seems like a cool job and not anything like its portrayed in movies obviously. I have a friend/neighbor back home that is an FBI agent. He has great hours, decent pay and obviously the great government benefits. CPA is one of their "pathways" for employment. Plus, you get to carry a gun, not too shabby 😉

The things driving me away from dentistry is the level of being a "slave to" certain concepts for a while. Obviously debt is the first thing that comes to mind, but another is where you get accepted for dental school. Florida has but one public school (UF), so the odds of having to leave the state, and whatever I have here is very possible, be it family, friends, a girlfriend that maybe would've developed into a wife if I would've stayed, whatever. Weird reasons, I know, but that kinda stuff gives me a bad feeling for some reason.

Also, while in school an Accounting degree would allow me much more time off to work, have a social life, go to the gym, and all the other things I like. Not because of the level of difficulty difference, but because of the hours. For some reason, quite a few of the accounting courses are video streaming online lectures. I would only have to go to class twice a week for an hour for my other electives. For the sciences, on the other hand, I'd be in class five days a week. Again, dumb reasons but these are really the things in my head now.

The "be your own boss" is probably my favorite idea behind a dentistry career. I would love that freedom. But I also know the immense stress owning a business brings.

Having to put everything off for a while also bothers me. Buying my first car, saving for a home, if I'm lucky buying a girlfriend an engagement ring, all these things I feel like have to be put on hold, and that you are basically putting your life on hold for a certain amount of time. I don't know if I'm over dramatizing it, but those are some of my fears.

The worst part I think is that no one knows how high dental school tuition will reach in the three years between now and me potentially applying to dental school. This is a very scary unknown for me. Dental school debts could reach $600k and they would still fill seats, so whats stopping that from happening? I'd hate to be stuck with a bio degree and see that my only option is going to a school with 100k tuition. Plus, more dental schools are appearing which means more future competition, which will likely out balance those retiring.

At this point, I'm just about as undecided as ever unfortunately. The only possibility I can think of to ease my mind besides actually making a decision is taking Bio I and lab, Chem I and lab, and then the intro accounting classes I planned on taking, being Quantitative Business Tools I and Financial Accounting. This isn't my favorite alternative because I'd be taking away from each subject as an individual. I guess I'll figure it out at some point.

 

[wired202808]

Instead, all your reasons are valid and issues I would probably worry about as well. The only thing I would say about the $600K debt is that even if that was the case, you would still pay it back relatively fast (even if you start at 120K a year = $5.5K a month cash in your pocket and if you have a gf that makes even 50K, that means you have 7 to 8K each month of income, that's nothing to sneeze at.)

I guess it all boils down to whether or not you will be happy with Accounting as a choice, I regret it because I feel I could achieve more and do it in a way that I want vs. the traditional "worker bee" route. I really think that's the kicker, if you can see yourself happy with Accounting and not change your mind later, you'll be in good shape. I just changed my mind after going through the whole thing because I felt if I put in a littleeeeee bit more work, I can have my cake and eat it too. If you need further help or advice, don't hesitate to ask.

 

[MyInitialsAreDR]

Instead, all your reasons are valid and issues I would probably worry about as well. The only thing I would say about the $600K debt is that even if that was the case, you would still pay it back relatively fast (even if you start at 120K a year = $5.5K a month cash in your pocket and if you have a gf that makes even 50K, that means you have 7 to 8K each month of income, that's nothing to sneeze at.)

I guess it all boils down to whether or not you will be happy with Accounting as a choice, I regret it because I feel I could achieve more and do it in a way that I want vs. the traditional "worker bee" route. I really think that's the kicker, if you can see yourself happy with Accounting and not change your mind later, you'll be in good shape. I just changed my mind after going through the whole thing because I felt if I put in a littleeeeee bit more work, I can have my cake and eat it too. If you need further help or advice, don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks a lot!!

 

[youknowthedrill]

Since you're not taking any classes this summer, you should spend a little time shadowing/interviewing people in a few fields. See if you can shadow your family dentist and family physician and talk to a couple of accountants. You need to explore several possible career paths and see which feels like the best fit for you.

 

[MyInitialsAreDR]

Since you're not taking any classes this summer, you should spend a little time shadowing/interviewing people in a few fields. See if you can shadow your family dentist and family physician and talk to a couple of accountants. You need to explore several possible career paths and see which feels like the best fit for you.

My very close friend/neighbor's wife is a CPA who owns her own office, she's already offered to let me work for her this summer. The thing is, if I make the switch it would be really smart for me to do it before school lets out and I go back home. That way, I can register for the classes for fall. If I take the summer to decide, I can't even start the pre reqs till spring of my sophomore year instead of fall. Plus, I feel like the CPA I would work for isn't as much of a mirror of what I'd actually want to do. She mainly does personal taxes and the like. I would be aiming more for working for a private company. I would be much more comfortable if I could just decide before school lets out.

Thanks for your input!!

 

[MyInitialsAreDR]

Just figured I'd give this a bump for any possible new opinions...

Summarizing: I'm actually for the first time leaning towards dentistry instead of accounting

Things pulling me towards dentistry: Being my own boss, knowing that my hard work will pay off for the most important people, and that being me and my family, more "secure" path to an above average salary, and not working for "the man" and at least helping people, even though they probably don't think of dentists being as helpful as doctors, better hours

Things pushing me away from dentistry: Basically being forced to move to wherever I'm accepted (this is a big one), not being able to really support myself financially for a while, having debt looming over my head, being completely unsure just how sky high tuition will go between now and when I start (in three years), things I've heard about many more dentists entering the field than retiring, and having to go into even MORE debt to open a practice

So as you all can see, there's still a lot going into the decision.

Anymore input is appreciated, and a second thanks to those who already contributed!