age and specializing

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rkamsterdam

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I'll be 25 when I begin dental school this fall. While I know this is not "old", it still scares me a bit when considering pursuing a specialty.

I'll be 29 when I graduate and if I do pursue a specialty I'll be well into my 30's before I make a penny. Do you any of you "older" dental student share this sentiment?
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Of course...I just plan to tackle the issue when the time comes. Hard to plan ahead as you don't really know what your life will be like at that point yet.
 
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Fear not, 25 is not old at all when it comes to entering dental school and pursuing a specialty. The average age of the entering student in my class was 24, and 1/2 to 1/3 of my class will likely specialize. There is even a 32 year old in my class who is set on pursing a 6 year OMFS program and is considering a possible PhD as well.
 
cowbuddha said:
Fear not, 25 is not old at all when it comes to entering dental school and pursuing a specialty. The average age of the entering student in my class was 24, and 1/2 to 1/3 of my class will likely specialize. There is even a 32 year old in my class who is set on pursing a 6 year OMFS program and is considering a possible PhD as well.
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I hope his or her parents are wealthy and footing that bill
 
Regmata said:
I hope his or her parents are wealthy and footing that bill
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maybe he made a fortune as an investment banker during the IT boom and decided to pursue something with more substance.

OR he married into money. hmmm?
 
rkamsterdam said:
I'll be 25 when I begin dental school this fall. While I know this is not "old", it still scares me a bit when considering pursuing a specialty.

I'll be 29 when I graduate and if I do pursue a specialty I'll be well into my 30's before I make a penny. Do you any of you "older" dental student share this sentiment?
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Don't worry about age, it doesn't matter much. I will be 32 when I graduate this summer and am starting a 2 year pedo program. A guy in my class 35 and will be starting a 6 year OMFS residency- will be 41 when he finishes! He doesn't have a secret bank account either, just living off the loans and anything he had saved.
 
rkamsterdam said:
maybe he made a fortune as an investment banker during the IT boom and decided to pursue something with more substance.

OR he married into money. hmmm?
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Why does everyone in the dental forums believe that the world consists exclusively of dumb, poor dentists and intelligent, rich investment bankers? Where did this ridiculous myth come from, and who keeps perpetuating it?
 
My girlfriend started dental school at 25 and plans on specializing. The rate of return on an investment of a few years pursuing specialty training is almost always worth it.
 
cowbuddha said:
Fear not, 25 is not old at all when it comes to entering dental school and pursuing a specialty. The average age of the entering student in my class was 24, and 1/2 to 1/3 of my class will likely specialize. There is even a 32 year old in my class who is set on pursing a 6 year OMFS program and is considering a possible PhD as well.
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I don't know. That's a long time for an older student. I personally will be less inclined to go that route.
 
aphistis said:
Why does everyone in the dental forums believe that the world consists exclusively of dumb, poor dentists and intelligent, rich investment bankers? Where did this ridiculous myth come from, and who keeps perpetuating it?
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Its the "us dentist are the victims" mentality. Somebody who feels like they got stiffed is probably perpetuating it.
 
rkamsterdam said:
I'll be 25 when I begin dental school this fall. While I know this is not "old", it still scares me a bit when considering pursuing a specialty.

I'll be 29 when I graduate and if I do pursue a specialty I'll be well into my 30's before I make a penny. Do you any of you "older" dental student share this sentiment?
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This is only based on my observation, but the average age at which dentists retire nowadays is 70ish. You can comfortably expect to work well into your 80's. I don't know about you, but a 50 year career is a pretty darn good run for me ...
 
rkamsterdam said:
I'll be 25 when I begin dental school this fall. While I know this is not "old", it still scares me a bit when considering pursuing a specialty.

I'll be 29 when I graduate and if I do pursue a specialty I'll be well into my 30's before I make a penny. Do you any of you "older" dental student share this sentiment?
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Not sure yet about specializing, but join the club. I'm a newly turned 28 yr old D-1. I'll be 31 when I graduate.
 
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NileBDS said:
This is only based on my observation, but the average age at which dentists retire nowadays is 70ish. You can comfortably expect to work well into your 80's. I don't know about you, but a 50 year career is a pretty darn good run for me ...
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You've got to be frickin knutts to work that long, and even more so as a patient letting an 80 year old touch you with a handpiece......


no offense to the geriatiric dentists out there ( and I dont mean those who treat the elderly.
 
OceanDMD said:
You've got to be frickin knutts to work that long, and even more so as a patient letting an 80 year old touch you with a handpiece......


no offense to the geriatiric dentists out there ( and I dont mean those who treat the elderly.
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yeah, not sure if ill last that long either.
 
SugarNaCl said:
Not sure yet about specializing, but join the club. I'm a newly turned 28 yr old D-1. I'll be 31 when I graduate.
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Same boat my friend. To the OP, don't worry bout that just yet. At my interview there was a guy who was 45. He got in. I talked to him since then and he has never taken the "I'm going to be this old when I graduate" approach.
 
stdmufin27 said:
Same boat my friend. To the OP, don't worry bout that just yet. At my interview there was a guy who was 45. He got in. I talked to him since then and he has never taken the "I'm going to be this old when I graduate" approach.
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yeah, like i said in the first post, I realize that I'm not old though a bit above average. I would like to specialize if that is a possibility. But, I also see myself happy as a generalist, too, and realize that its statistically probable.

After some thought, I think the answer to my question is my personal hierchial arrangement of the following convuloted and sometimes contradicting priorities.

1. My desire to build a family. I want to start a family and my fiance is my age- a ticking biological clock to consider. I would feel irresponsible to start a family with a mortgage payment in student loan debt without a house, but dont want to be old and gray when my children graduate college.

2. Debt and financial issues. I'm in debt, have always been in debt, and will be in more debt at the time of graduation. A previous poster said that specialty training is almost always financially worth it, but contrastly as a finance major I've learned that time is your greatest asset when building wealth or paying off debt thanks to the law of compounding interest.

3. social and personality. I dont know if my personality lends itsself better to being a generalist or specialist, but I guess I realize better while I'm in school.

There are others im sure, but I feel as though I'm rambling now. So, I'd be interested in your opinion of my accessment.

Wow after a reread I realize in an indecisive mess :)
 
I wonder how 30+ older people feel about this thread? "Are you out to depress us!?"
 
OceanDMD said:
You've got to be frickin knutts to work that long, and even more so as a patient letting an 80 year old touch you with a handpiece......


no offense to the geriatiric dentists out there ( and I dont mean those who treat the elderly.
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I think you missed the point of my post. I was alluding to the fact that our generation is expected to lead longer and healthier lives than the retiring baby boomers. If you are expected to live to 100 or 110, why would you retire at 60 ? That means you have to plan for 40 years of retirement ! To me, that's what would be "knutts" ! If I'm healthy and able at 70 or 80, then i'll be working at 70 or 80. But that's just me ...
 
you guys are making the youngsters feel too young..
i will be graduating at 22 and now asking myself: wth :scared:
 
I'm 32, married and have an 8 month old son. I'm starting a pedo residency in July. and I can't wait. You can't look at things negatively. Whether you area GP or specialize, you will make a good living. The biggest decision is what can you see yourself doing for the next 30 years. The money will always be there. During my interviews I met a 35 year old with FIVE kids going back to specialize. Talk about rough.:scared:
 
NileBDS said:
I think you missed the point of my post. I was alluding to the fact that our generation is expected to lead longer and healthier lives than the retiring baby boomers. If you are expected to live to 100 or 110, why would you retire at 60 ? That means you have to plan for 40 years of retirement ! To me, that's what would be "knutts" ! If I'm healthy and able at 70 or 80, then i'll be working at 70 or 80. But that's just me ...
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No offense, Nile, but life expectancies in the United States are a good 25-35 years short of the 100-110 you're predicting here, and we've been trending the wrong way the last couple years. I wouldn't make any down payments on your 110th birthday party just yet if I were you.
 
I'm 29 - will be 33 when I graduate. I haven't thought about specializing yet- I figured I won't know if I want to until I'm in school and develop a real interest in one particular area. I'm just taking it one year at a time...
 
I know a pedodontist who graduated D school at 40 (was a hygienist before then), worked a few years as a GP, then went to residency. She seems very happy with her decision to specialize.
 
aphistis said:
No offense, Nile, but life expectancies in the United States are a good 25-35 years short of the 100-110 you're predicting here, and we've been trending the wrong way the last couple years. I wouldn't make any down payments on your 110th birthday party just yet if I were you.
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You're invited. :)

The only problem I have with the study you are referring to Bill, is that the "[Data are based on death certificates]". The life expectancy they are referring to here, is based on data collected from people who have already died ! It merely reflects demographic conditions which prevailed in 2001 and prior. It does not predict anything.

I, one the other hand, predict that more than 50% of my generation (Gen 'Y') will live to "shake it" at my 100th birthday party. :hardy:
 
Only if you want to watch me shake my wrinkly old moneymaker! But seriously, I agree that the profession we're bound to enter will allow us to work well into supposed retirement age. I mean heck, I don't want to sit on my keester for 45 years (110 yrs. - 65yrs)!
 
I know of a pathologist who started dental school at 34 with 2 kids. Kicked butt in dental school. Specialized in Oral Pathology did some research and is now happily working in a dental school.
 
NileBDS said:
I think you missed the point of my post. I was alluding to the fact that our generation is expected to lead longer and healthier lives than the retiring baby boomers. If you are expected to live to 100 or 110, why would you retire at 60 ? That means you have to plan for 40 years of retirement ! To me, that's what would be "knutts" ! If I'm healthy and able at 70 or 80, then i'll be working at 70 or 80. But that's just me ...
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My liver has a max of about 68 years on it. I dont plan on including a transplant with my retirement. But thats just me.
 
It's the journey not the destination, right? I guess people, no matter how old, who look at their training as another interesting part of their life wouldn't mind taking a few more years to specialize. Like someone said before, the money isn't really an issue. I'll be 30 starting dental school this summer, and while I can't say whether or not I'd like to specialize should given the opportunity, I can say that I've never felt like I'm too old to be in school. Married with one kid, everyday is an adventure!
 
eh384 said:
I'm 32, married and have an 8 month old son. I'm starting a pedo residency in July. and I can't wait. You can't look at things negatively. Whether you area GP or specialize, you will make a good living. The biggest decision is what can you see yourself doing for the next 30 years. The money will always be there. During my interviews I met a 35 year old with FIVE kids going back to specialize. Talk about rough.:scared:
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Almost the same here. I am 33 (been a gen dentist for 4 years in the Army) with a 3 year old and a 9 year old and starting pedo this summer. I never once took my age into consideration. I will go back to making no money, but o well. You gotta do what you gotta do!
 
rkamsterdam said:
maybe he made a fortune as an investment banker during the IT boom and decided to pursue something with more substance.

OR he married into money. hmmm?
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Well, that's an elaborate theory. Actually, he just bummed around after college for a few years, then finally realized he was wasting time and getting older. Now that he finally found what he wants to do in life, he studies harder than anyone in the class.
 
It all depends on what your reason to specialize is. I am 21 years old, will graduate when im 25. Personally i have no reason to specialize, rather i have reasons why not to specialize. But if you really have a passion for endo even if ur 40, its what you like and you should pursue it. Many people dont even have anything they enjoy. you should feel grateful that you have something you really enjoy and regardless of your age, if thats your priority then do what you like cause im not sure if your gonna have a "2nd life" to pursue what you like!. If you wanna do it for prestige and money then, go ahead be that production machine, but at one point you will feel sorry for your self!
 
joooj86 said:
It all depends on what your reason to specialize is. I am 21 years old, will graduate when im 25. Personally i have no reason to specialize, rather i have reasons why not to specialize. But if you really have a passion for endo even if ur 40, its what you like and you should pursue it. Many people dont even have anything they enjoy. you should feel grateful that you have something you really enjoy and regardless of your age, if thats your priority then do what you like cause im not sure if your gonna have a "2nd life" to pursue what you like!. If you wanna do it for prestige and money then, go ahead be that production machine, but at one point you will feel sorry for your self!
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:thumbup:
 
moolah said:
you guys are making the youngsters feel too young..
i will be graduating at 22 and now asking myself: wth :scared:
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don't feel bad man. i wish i could be 22-23 starting school...but instead, i decided to party, go skiing and miss tests, sleep in b/c the wind would give me a cold head ache while walking to class, it rained 4-5 days a week (spring and summer), and spending the actual NICE days outside playin frisbee or some other "hippie" sport (slackline, rockclimbing, hiking, ya know):D

but i don't regret a thing!! i may not be QUITE where i'd like to be with my carrer, but i wouldn't trade in the experiences i've had or the people i've met for the chance to start practicing just 3-4 years sooner.

kudos to you for being more focused than i was ALL years of your udergraduate/graduate (and prob a lot of the middle-late 20 year olds on here too - haha)
 
i wish i could be 22-23 starting school
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I think moolah meant that they will be 22 when they get their DDS, not when they start dental school (I think? Their status indicates they are a dental student) :eek:

Which is totally awesome and I have a lot of respect for people who have their **** together from such a young age. If I could go back in time and give advice to myself when I was starting HS I would definitely say "Do what is necessary to be competitive for an accelerated BS/DDS program." There seems to be a moderate amount of hostility to such an attitude here on SDN, with the reasoning being that one undergoes a great deal of maturing/growing up/gaining life experience during 4 years of undergrad. While I agree that this is true, I don't think one would cease to mature/grow up/gain life experience during dental school.
 
bodiddely said:
I think moolah meant that they will be 22 when they get their DDS, not when they start dental school (I think? Their status indicates they are a dental student) :eek:

Which is totally awesome and I have a lot of respect for people who have their **** together from such a young age. If I could go back in time and give advice to myself when I was starting HS I would definitely say "Do what is necessary to be competitive for an accelerated BS/DDS program." There seems to be a moderate amount of hostility to such an attitude here on SDN, with the reasoning being that one undergoes a great deal of maturing/growing up/gaining life experience during 4 years of undergrad. While I agree that this is true, I don't think one would cease to mature/grow up/gain life experience during dental school.
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Why make life so boring. Enjoy being young and goofing off. Whats the hurry to get through dental school. So what if you spend a couple extra years in undergrad. Is there really that big of a difference retiring at 60 versus 68?
 
OceanDMD said:
Why make life so boring. Enjoy being young and goofing off. Whats the hurry to get through dental school. So what if you spend a couple extra years in undergrad. Is there really that big of a difference retiring at 60 versus 68?
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That's the same as asking is there really a dfference of starting dental school at age 28 vs 36?
 
Squished Rat said:
That's the same as asking is there really a dfference of starting dental school at age 28 vs 36?
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brilliant. Thats my point. Start at 28, or 36. retire at 60, or 68. Whats the big difference.
 
I agree that age doesn't matter. once you are out, you will quickly pay back your loans, and can easily do this if you specialize and work hard when you are first out.

I am considering doing my second specialty residency, and I am 31 now, and will be 32 almost 33 by the time I start a 2-4 year residency.
 
OceanDMD said:
Why make life so boring. Enjoy being young and goofing off. Whats the hurry to get through dental school. So what if you spend a couple extra years in undergrad. Is there really that big of a difference retiring at 60 versus 68?
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who says you can't continue goofing off when you'll be a graduate? :hardy:
the only difference is i'll have an great income and goof in style!
and the difference between retiring at 60 vs 68?
at 60, i'll watch you work until you reach 68 :p


bodiddely said:
There seems to be a moderate amount of hostility to such an attitude here on SDN, with the reasoning being that one undergoes a great deal of maturing/growing up/gaining life experience during 4 years of undergrad. While I agree that this is true, I don't think one would cease to mature/grow up/gain life experience during dental school.
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i believe that it is true that ppl mature during their 4 yrs of undergrad, but i also believe that entering dental school at 18 obliges you to mature faster.. which leads me to saying that the level of maturity of a 22 yr old dentist is not so far from a 26 yr old dentist... (for the ppl without a spouse or kids)
 
First - I apologize for bringing back such an old thread.

Second - I'm interested in hearing from older (>35) students who tried to specialize. I'd like to hear whether or not their age was brought up in the interview/program admissions process. So far, this thread has only seemed to tackle whether or not older folks "can" specialize.
 
I am a 33 year old gal that is finishing up her Army obligation and will now be going back to school to specialize. I am not concerned about it at all and it was not a question that was even brought up during the interview.
 
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