Am I crazy?

[westy101]

---

Members don't see this ad.

So I am 32 yrs old, make about ~$180k/yr and am now considering going back to community college to start my long road to dentistry. Am I crazy? One of my main concerns is whether community college will be good enough for dental schools, though unfortunately, none of the unversities in my area have any space for non-matric students. From what I've seen, it looks like doing all of my pre-req's at CC, will eliminate a good percentage of dental schools for me. Are there enough schools out there that accept CC credits to make it still worth it. I feel like the odds are stacked against me already...

Any thoughts would be apprecaited. If it helps, I already have a bachelors (GPA of 2.9) and masters (GPA 3.5) in engineering. I figure if I can get a 3.5 GPA in my pre-req's, and score well on the DAT I should be in good shape. Am i wrong?

 

[duckdds]

So you are quitting your job to go for another job that makes the same amount of cash?
Unless you absolutely dread your job and you can't find any other opportunities, then I would question your decision to quit a job that pays within the top percentile.

As for CC, there are some schools that do not accept CC credit, but most do. The general consensus around here is that it's okay to do some of your pre-reqs at a CC, but the upper-science classes should be done at a uni.

 

[Teeth12345]

So I am 32 yrs old, make about ~$180k/yr and am now considering going back to community college to start my long road to dentistry. Am I crazy? One of my main concerns is whether community college will be good enough for dental schools, though unfortunately, none of the unversities in my area have any space for non-matric students. From what I've seen, it looks like doing all of my pre-req's at CC, will eliminate a good percentage of dental schools for me. Are there enough schools out there that accept CC credits to make it still worth it. I feel like the odds are stacked against me already...

Any thoughts would be apprecaited. If it helps, I already have a bachelors (GPA of 2.9) and masters (GPA 3.5) in engineering. I figure if I can get a 3.5 GPA in my pre-req's, and score well on the DAT I should be in good shape. Am i wrong?

just out of curiosity, why do you want to leave your current job?

 

[Cofo]

CRAZY ?!?
I was crazy once. They put me in a room. A room with rubber walls. Rubber walls make me crazy. CRAZY ?!? I was crazy once. They put me in a room. A room with rubber walls. Rubber walls make me crazy. CRAZY ?!? I was .....ehh, you get the idea.

(sorry I couldn't resist).

 

[MNdental]

yikes, maybe.

 

[doc toothache]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527335

 

[dentalWorks]

So I am 32 yrs old, make about ~$180k/yr and am now considering going back to community college to start my long road to dentistry. Am I crazy? One of my main concerns is whether community college will be good enough for dental schools, though unfortunately, none of the unversities in my area have any space for non-matric students. From what I've seen, it looks like doing all of my pre-req's at CC, will eliminate a good percentage of dental schools for me. Are there enough schools out there that accept CC credits to make it still worth it. I feel like the odds are stacked against me already...

Any thoughts would be apprecaited. If it helps, I already have a bachelors (GPA of 2.9) and masters (GPA 3.5) in engineering. I figure if I can get a 3.5 GPA in my pre-req's, and score well on the DAT I should be in good shape. Am i wrong?

this is a tough situation to be in.... and if I had your exact circumstances, I wouldn't do dentistry right now simply because... it would cost me around 1 million dollars to get my dental degree. I can see how, to some, it would be sound choice, to me, its financial suicide

1 million = 4 years of dental education about 350k (assuming private or expensive out-of-state college). Plus you can't work at your 180k job, so thats 700k loss from 4 years of no-work.

As far as CC credits go.... Its not exactly a bad plan, MOST dental schools do accept CC's (only select few don't want to see any CC). What you do is, take parttime CC credits and kill off all your pre-dents (whatever you need to take). When your done with your CC pre-reqs, you take the DAT and then take some upper level bios at a 4-year university. If you do well in all 3 areas (CC, DAT, and 4-year university) you will have a shot.

 

[Jimmy270]

"So you are quitting your job to go for another job that makes the same amount of cash?"

I know right, god forbid that someone might actually being going into dentistry for something else besides the money(like say, because they think that they might actually enjoy practicing it?) That's just crazy talk.

to the op: maybe you could simply call a dental school that you would be interested in attending and ask them what they would advise for someone in your situation. I don't see any reason why you cant do it, it just might take you a little bit longer then you would like. Best of luck to you.

 

[westy101]

Thanks for the responses so far. The provided link was very helpful and I plan on giving some schools a call tomorrow. My motivation is really two-fold: first, to have a career with a better work/life balance with my wife and I possibly having kids in the future; second, I'm actually interested in dentistry and being able to help people (especially interested in dentist w/out borders type work). Anyhow, lot's to consider and the debt is certainly a big one.

My plan would be to take 1.5 yrs to take gen chem, bio, phys and the first couple classes of org chem. Then write the DAT and apply to schools, with the intent to finish up the microbio, anatomy, etc before matriculation.

 

[jeffity]

Thanks for the responses so far. The provided link was very helpful and I plan on giving some schools a call tomorrow. My motivation is really two-fold: first, to have a career with a better work/life balance with my wife and I possibly having kids in the future; second, I'm actually interested in dentistry and being able to help people (especially interested in dentist w/out borders type work). Anyhow, lot's to consider and the debt is certainly a big one.

My plan would be to take 1.5 yrs to take gen chem, bio, phys and the first couple classes of org chem. Then write the DAT and apply to schools, with the intent to finish up the microbio, anatomy, etc before matriculation.

This is pretty much my story....except you have an extra digit on your salary.

 

[westy101]

jeffity, glad to hear you made it! Curious, were you able to finish enough of the pre-req's to write the DAT and matriculate within 2years? After having drawn out a schedule, it may be tricky to get the DAT done in time to apply for the following Fall. The difficulty stems from having to take a year of gen chem before taking org chem (which you need for the DAT). Apologize if this is too detailed and you're way past all of this stuff😉

 

[HillsNayyr]

So I am 32 yrs old, make about ~$180k/yr and am now considering going back to community college to start my long road to dentistry. Am I crazy? One of my main concerns is whether community college will be good enough for dental schools, though unfortunately, none of the unversities in my area have any space for non-matric students. From what I've seen, it looks like doing all of my pre-req's at CC, will eliminate a good percentage of dental schools for me. Are there enough schools out there that accept CC credits to make it still worth it. I feel like the odds are stacked against me already...

Any thoughts would be apprecaited. If it helps, I already have a bachelors (GPA of 2.9) and masters (GPA 3.5) in engineering. I figure if I can get a 3.5 GPA in my pre-req's, and score well on the DAT I should be in good shape. Am i wrong?

Imo it seems like a bad idea. I'm going on the assumption that you don't have any of the classes you would need. So that's a minimum of 3 years undergrad right there. Then tack on another 4 years of dental school assuming you get in on the first try. You would be at the minimum age of 39 before you graduated (and that's the absolute best case scenario).
Unless you literally cannot see yourself being happy with your current career I wouldn't do it. If you really want to get some hands on dentistry related work you could always go for a hygienist degree and do that part time while keeping your current job for the $$.





Edit: didn't read your second post. If it would only take you 1.5 years to complete the pre req's then you just really have to ask yourself about the money and debt.
Also, you state family life as one of the reasons you want to go for dentistry. Not to rain on your parade or anything, but you're going to be pretty damn busy for the duration of your pre-req's and dental school. Just something to consider.

 

[txaggie03]

what state do you live in?

That will be a big factor in the amount of debt.

Check pages 29 and 30 for total school costs for the four years:

http://www.ada.org/sections/professionalResources/pdfs/survey_ed_vol2.pdf

 

[MAdental]

I dont think it is worth your time and money. 180k per year is more ^2 enough to live like a champ. you gota go back, STUDY (phase I, the hard part), spend money, GET those marks, then study for the DAT, then sit and wait for a bunch of ppl to decide whether you are good for their program, then get IN, pay a shi* load of money and STUDY again ( Phase II, harder part) pass the board, to become a dentist ( at 38) and make 200k a year.ADD A BIG IF to all those....... ??? why?? Nah bro....Not worth the trouble.

 

[jeffity]

jeffity, glad to hear you made it! Curious, were you able to finish enough of the pre-req's to write the DAT and matriculate within 2years? After having drawn out a schedule, it may be tricky to get the DAT done in time to apply for the following Fall. The difficulty stems from having to take a year of gen chem before taking org chem (which you need for the DAT). Apologize if this is too detailed and you're way past all of this stuff😉

I'm just applying now. Ignore my avatar and signature. That's to annoy a select few people and amuse myself. I'm building quite the enemy base with it. This is my master plan (all at a 4-yr university):

Spring 2010
BIO 1 w/ lab
CHM 1 w/ lab
PHY 1 w/ lab

Summer 2010 1st Session
1st baby born
Summer 2010 2nd Session
CHM 2 w/lab

Fall 2010
BIO 2 w/ lab
PHY 2 w/ lab
OCHM 1 w/lab

Winter 2010
Took DAT

Spring 2011
OCHM 2 w/lab
Anat/Physio 1 w/ lab
Dental field placement (elective)
Latin/Greek Roots in bio-scientific terminology (elective)

Summer 2011
Application submitted (no summer school this time)

Fall 2011
Biochm (no lab)
Microbio (no lab...risky)
Anat/Physio 2 w/ lab
Elective

Winter 2011
Acceptance (it will happen)

Spring 2012
Maybe classes. Maybe work. Maybe I'll be selling my house to move. Or maybe I'll take one last vacation before the real school starts.

And that's it. I just turned 33. It's totally doable. I'm more than optimistic about getting in. I don't have a masters as you do. I think you'll be in good shape if you do well on DAT and try to pull off perfection in the pre-reqs. I'd suggest the university route if you can. Your background/diversity sounds good and I assume you're a sharp fellow given your salary and profession. So you can do it. Have a good look at the profession before the leap. I've been happier than I've ever been since I decided to switch it up.

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

So, what spurred the interest in dentistry?

 

[mr24]

I imagine with that income you have some savings built up..... If so the debt won't be as bad for you as it is for most of us. Either way you should go for it. Dentistry is awesome!

 

[lmaozedong1]

To leave that much money, one must be crazy.

 

[Rdh777]

Im 31 female 3 young children- currently RDH burnt out- steady income working 5 days week approx 90K year- thinking about going back to school Pre-reqs for Dental School.

Like yourself I want to be able to make more of a difference- Dentistry, owning my own practice self gratification, more income all sounds good but lots of hard work and I too will prob be at least 37 by the time I'm through. People think I'm crazy for thinking this way, and sometimes I think Im being greedy and I should PASS on this chance and be focus more on securing a future for my children with the DH income. But I know I will be unhappy =( "stuck" as a DH.

So your not as crazy as I am...You do not have 3 children depending on you. Hey at the end of the day "What your mind perceives, it CAN achieve". YOu have less to worry about than I do. Its doable if you really don't like what your doing- go for it you'll be working for at least 25+ years before you retire as a Dentist. Hope my challenges have made your situation look a little more Doable! =)

Best of luck!

 

[westy101]

Thanks for the motivation RDH! I just wish I could do all of my pre-req's at a 4 year Uni, rather than CC. I feel like I'm a fairly smart guy, but it also worries me that a couple C's in organic chem could take down the whole plan. The margin for error is thin..but then again, you can't let fear drive your decisions.

 

[srbm1786]

I'm just curious - have you paid off all the debt from your Bachelor's and Master's degrees? Do you plan to take out loans for the remaining prerequisites or will you be paying cash for them? And like an above poster asked, is there a in-state dental school you could attend?

Those would all be factors in making the decision for me. For example, if I didn't have any remaining student loan debt, could pay cash for the prerequisites I needed, and could attend a state school (I'm a Louisiana resident and 4 years at LSU dental is only about $85K), it might be financially feasible. If, however, I had prior education debt, would incur more debt to finish my prereqs, and had to attend an expensive out-of-state institution, given your age and current income, it wouldn't be wise financially. How much the financial security matters is up to you, but it would be a deciding factor for me.

 

[westy101]

I have paid off my Bachelor's and Master's debt but only recently. I definitely have enough cash to pay for community college courses but probably not if I took everything at a 4-year Uni. They charge substantially more. I live in Tacoma Washington, so the only dental school is UW and from what I have learned, they are VERY difficult to get into. Probably can't bank on in-state tuition then.

 

[Dusk]

You sound like a smart guy. Ochem or any prereq for that problem should be no problem for you. However, leaving a job that pays so much is quite a large risk. But of course, living your dream is priceless, but as others have mentioned your situation is a tough one to be in.. Personally I wouldn't do it. Tacoma eh? A small world we live in.

 

[polarbears]

Why do I think it is so hard to believe "180K/yr salary" at the age of 32 yrs old? Either he's bluffing his age or his salary just like many other non-traditional applicants around SDN......Unless you're a senior director or chief engineering (Lv 4) level at a bigger engineering firm in a metro area (Chicago, LA, SF, NYC).

Even my senior director that I reported to didn't even make that much, and he was pretty open about sharing his salary to all his sub-ordinates (which I thought was VERY ODD) He's 40 yrs old, Stanford Undergrad and MBA from Sloan (MIT). Various finance experiences from big 4... he is extremely smart, very business savy, and he did everything right to get to where he is as fast as he can. (I don't think I can every reach that level honestly haha)

Back to your question, I admire your dedication. Even with 200K/yr @ 40, people still change career because they are not happy where they are. Is it crazy? It's your call but I personally don't think it is crazy unless you have 1 million mortgage to pay for, 2 kids to send to college, and maybe a second family that you need to support or whatever.

Taking a class at CC definitely hinders your chance but doesn't eliminate it. It is a great way to save money and you probably will feel better for yourself by minimizing the risk/investment you have to do. There are tons of schools out there that take CC credits, however, make sure to take some upper div biology courses as well. So expect to spend at least one semester at 4 year institution. You can't possibly breeze your way through CC credits. I am telling you this again... Take upper division biology class to make up for the fact that you took all your pre-reqs at CC.

So I am 32 yrs old, make about ~$180k/yr and am now considering going back to community college to start my long road to dentistry. Am I crazy? One of my main concerns is whether community college will be good enough for dental schools, though unfortunately, none of the unversities in my area have any space for non-matric students. From what I've seen, it looks like doing all of my pre-req's at CC, will eliminate a good percentage of dental schools for me. Are there enough schools out there that accept CC credits to make it still worth it. I feel like the odds are stacked against me already...

Any thoughts would be apprecaited. If it helps, I already have a bachelors (GPA of 2.9) and masters (GPA 3.5) in engineering. I figure if I can get a 3.5 GPA in my pre-req's, and score well on the DAT I should be in good shape. Am i wrong?

 

[westy101]

Polarbears, i work in finance with a significant annual bonus. Work with many folks that come from Sloan, Kellogg, Stanford, Haas, etc. In fact, I have been accepted to several of these programs for the Fall. Trying to decide between continuing my current path or making a big switch.

Salary really isn't a major decision maker for me, as long as I can provide for my family and also have some time to spend with them.

 

[Omenino]

theres nothing wrong with CC. Some schools will accept and some schools wont...do ur research first when u apply. my friend went to a CC and now he is a professor at a medical school. no ur not crazy...do wat you enjoy more and that makes u happy.

So I am 32 yrs old, make about ~$180k/yr and am now considering going back to community college to start my long road to dentistry. Am I crazy? One of my main concerns is whether community college will be good enough for dental schools, though unfortunately, none of the unversities in my area have any space for non-matric students. From what I've seen, it looks like doing all of my pre-req's at CC, will eliminate a good percentage of dental schools for me. Are there enough schools out there that accept CC credits to make it still worth it. I feel like the odds are stacked against me already...

Any thoughts would be apprecaited. If it helps, I already have a bachelors (GPA of 2.9) and masters (GPA 3.5) in engineering. I figure if I can get a 3.5 GPA in my pre-req's, and score well on the DAT I should be in good shape. Am i wrong?

 

[rp37]

8+*7

 

[sacapuntas]

Why do I think it is so hard to believe "180K/yr salary" at the age of 32 yrs old? Either he's bluffing his age or his salary just like many other non-traditional applicants around SDN......Unless you're a senior director or chief engineering (Lv 4) level at a bigger engineering firm in a metro area (Chicago, LA, SF, NYC).

Not hard to believe a 180k salary at all. I worked with 3 sales reps for the last 3 years, all 3 of them made more than 140k and 1 made more than 320k and this was a strictly sales position with no managerial roles. Think about it, sell 2.4 million in product at 27% profit this = 648,000 in profit you are bringing to the company. Where I worked you got whatever % your profit was of your profit, in this example 27% of 648,000 or $174,960. With a few years of dedication and sales skills, it wasn't overly hard to hit this numbers in the industry I was in. I even know insurance agents making 200+k. It is all about being in the right situation and bringing value to a company.

All this to say, there are a lot of jobs paying $150k, and tehy are often much easier to get into than dentistry.

 

[polarbears]

Polarbears, i work in finance with a significant annual bonus. Work with many folks that come from Sloan, Kellogg, Stanford, Haas, etc. In fact, I have been accepted to several of these programs for the Fall. Trying to decide between continuing my current path or making a big switch.

Salary really isn't a major decision maker for me, as long as I can provide for my family and also have some time to spend with them.

how did you pull those MBA's off with your 3.2 undergraduate GPA? You must have gotten at least 730+ on your GMAT. Anyway, unless you hate your job so much, I am not sure if you are taking the right risk. Is it because your current job is stressful? Man I felt bad leaving my work and I was only making low 80K/year (Senior F.A.) and I totally understand what you are going through.

Obviously you're a very smart guy but 180K/year is a lot of money to give up. I feel like you deserve something better and you're capable of doing something even bigger. Dentistry is just as stressful or maybe even more because we are upfront working in a public sector.

As a matter of fact, I left my company about a year ago to take all my pre-reqs and it took me about 3 semesters to complete all of them and I am attending DS this fall (still torn between Michigan & Penn). I am still not sure if I made the right call since my wife/family members weren't that supportive about me going back to school to pile up another 200K debt.

Anyway, I envy your dedication, and I wish I can talk to more guys like you. Where are you located by the way?

 

[westy101]

Did quite well on the GMAT. Unlike med school or dentistry, b-school puts a lot more weight on your experience (life and career) than your grades. I'm located in WA but spend A LOT of time in silicon valley. Suffice to say, my work/life balance is not very good.

How the heck did you finish your pre-req's in 1 year, study and write the DAT, and still make the application deadline for matriculating the next year? That's awesome.

 

[flyingforever]

I would rather not choose dentistry if I was making $180 k/year. You still making competitive salary in comparison to dentist. Most dentist don't make that kind of money when they start. You never know that you may not make it to dental school.

 

[LetsGo2DSchool]

You are out of your mind. According to the ADA, the average salary for a general dentist who owns a practice or part of a practice is $180K. So you want to give up your $180K/yr living and age quickly from years of long stressful nights of studying to make $180K, not to mention dishing out another $500K someday to start a practice, not to mention the $700-800K you will lose in tuition and opportunity costs?

 

[LetsGo2DSchool]

If you look at the stats in the 2011 ADEA Guide to Dental Schools, which are self-reported by the schools, just about every school has only one student in the incoming class over the age of 30. I think USC was the only school I can remember that had more than one, which was about 4 if I can remember correctly.

So the stats are against you.

I'm guessing the low numbers are because schools want older students to fit in well with the class and perhaps that's less common for the over-30 crowd. Or perhaps there aren't that many over-30 applicants which I doubt.

 

[polarbears]

Did quite well on the GMAT. Unlike med school or dentistry, b-school puts a lot more weight on your experience (life and career) than your grades. I'm located in WA but spend A LOT of time in silicon valley. Suffice to say, my work/life balance is not very good.

How the heck did you finish your pre-req's in 1 year, study and write the DAT, and still make the application deadline for matriculating the next year? That's awesome.

As a matter of fact, I always envy an intelligent guy like you. Engineering background, top notch business school with insane amount of salary.

Anyway I didn't have to take Chem/Physics since I had to take them for my engineering requirements anyway. So I took 3 science (Bio + O-Chem + One upper Bio (Anatomy)) classes each semester and I took DAT after one semester of taking pre-req.

basically even when I was taking Ochem 1, Bio 1, I started studying & self-taught the second part of Ochem and Biology. I took DAT during my winter break and somehow I was able to score 23+ all across. I have to tell you, it wasn't fun at all doing volunteering + 3 science classes + writing personal statement + studying for DAT + asking rec letter... Basically I condensed 2-3 years amount of prep work into 1.5 yrs.

Honestly, Classes weren't as hard as engineering classes. Just whole bunch of memorization. I am pretty sure you can pull that off too but I strongly do not recommend doing it. Such a quick turn-around was viewed very NEGATIVELY during my interview... reason being the lack of interest or true passion for the field of dentistry.

Good Luck man.

 

[polarbears]

If you look at the stats in the 2011 ADEA Guide to Dental Schools, which are self-reported by the schools, just about every school has only one student in the incoming class over the age of 30. I think USC was the only school I can remember that had more than one, which was about 4 if I can remember correctly.

So the stats are against you.

I'm guessing the low numbers are because schools want older students to fit in well with the class and perhaps that's less common for the over-30 crowd. Or perhaps there aren't that many over-30 applicants which I doubt.

False. Look around SDN and there is a doc-toothache's post listing the average age in each school and I am pretty sure it wasn't just one in every school.

Michigan alone has more than 5 students that are 30+.

 

[jeffity]

If you look at the stats in the 2011 ADEA Guide to Dental Schools, which are self-reported by the schools, just about every school has only one student in the incoming class over the age of 30. I think USC was the only school I can remember that had more than one, which was about 4 if I can remember correctly.

So the stats are against you.

I'm guessing the low numbers are because schools want older students to fit in well with the class and perhaps that's less common for the over-30 crowd. Or perhaps there aren't that many over-30 applicants which I doubt.

There's a lot of things I disagree with here, but I'm just going to focus on the one that you could have avoided by just flipping open the book. There are hardly any schools that have just 1, even less with 0, and handful not reported. Here's the 5+ in case anyone is interested. Basically, age has nothing to do with it and you threw out a terribly incorrect statistic.

ASDOH - 6
MWU-AZ - 8
UCSF - 6
UoP - 6
USC - 9
Western - 7
Colorado - 5
Georgia - 5
Indiana - 6
Louisville - 6
Maryland - 6
UDM - 5
Missouri - 10
UNLV - 13
NYU - 11
UNC - 10
Case - 6
Oklahoma - 8
Oregon - 6
Houston - 7
San Antonio - 7
VCU - 5
Washington - 7

 

[dentalWorks]

There's a lot of things I disagree with here, but I'm just going to focus on the one that you could have avoided by just flipping open the book. There are hardly any schools that have just 1, even less with 0, and handful not reported. Here's the 5+ in case anyone is interested. Basically, age has nothing to do with it and you threw out a terribly incorrect statistic.

ASDOH - 6
MWU-AZ - 8
UCSF - 6
UoP - 6
USC - 9
Western - 7
Colorado - 5
Georgia - 5
Indiana - 6
Louisville - 6
Maryland - 6
UDM - 5
Missouri - 10
UNLV - 13
NYU - 11
UNC - 10
Case - 6
Oklahoma - 8
Oregon - 6
Houston - 7
San Antonio - 7
VCU - 5
Washington - 7

what about YSD (Yale School of Dentistry)?

 

[jeffity]

what about YSD (Yale School of Dentistry)?

Well, we all know there are 13,00 seats. As the self-appointed YSD Dean of Admissions, I now declare that only 30+ applicants will be accepted.

All this 30+ talk has left me sleepy and wanting a warm glass of milk. I wonder how many 30+ applicants there really are each year.

 

[txlonghorn]

I can understand where you are coming from. Coming from a similar background, making a pretty high salary and being older, I wondered if it was worth giving up the golden handcuffs to pursue dentistry. My motivation was similar to yours - having a manageable lifestyle, doing what I am interested in, and working to make a difference in peoples' lives. After doing some soul searching, speaking with people in the profession, and comparing my career as a dentist to my old career, I decided to take the plunge. The main difference I have is that I was a bit younger than you, at age 25, when I started my science coursework.

In your position, making the change becomes very difficult, and, honestly, I don't know if I would do it. At 32, I would probably want to start a family pretty soon and would make the sacrifice of continuing my existing career to take care of my family. When I was going through my post bacc coursework, there was an attorney who wanted to attend medical school that was taking classes with me. He did very well in all of his classes, but then had a daughter during his last semester there and dropped out of all of his classes. I spoke with him a few months later and he told me that he went back to the legal profession and gave up the dream of becoming an MD. As he was the breadwinner in his household, he wanted to provide his daughter with the best lifestyle while growing up.

Now don't get me wrong, there are many people that have kids while attending medical school, dental school, and other professional schools and care for their children well. It is just that many of them that I know are a bit younger than you are. Being 34,at earliest, when you start dental school and completing by 38, you will have to think about how you will provide for your retirement, children's college fund, etc. I am sure you have though through most of what I have said already, but I just wanted to give you my opinion.

 

[wired202808]

So I am 32 yrs old, make about ~$180k/yr and am now considering going back to community college to start my long road to dentistry. Am I crazy? One of my main concerns is whether community college will be good enough for dental schools, though unfortunately, none of the unversities in my area have any space for non-matric students. From what I've seen, it looks like doing all of my pre-req's at CC, will eliminate a good percentage of dental schools for me. Are there enough schools out there that accept CC credits to make it still worth it. I feel like the odds are stacked against me already...

Any thoughts would be apprecaited. If it helps, I already have a bachelors (GPA of 2.9) and masters (GPA 3.5) in engineering. I figure if I can get a 3.5 GPA in my pre-req's, and score well on the DAT I should be in good shape. Am i wrong?

no point to do it my man! sorry but if you're already set, then no need to rock the boat. If your unhappy with your job just change jobs! I dont think its all about the money but it makes no sense to drop ur salary just to go back to zero. what im saying is its a tough choice that you might regret later.

 

[youknowthedrill]

The big question is- if you don't pursue dentistry, will you regret it for the rest of your life? Take a day off and shadow your dentist. Set up a meeting with the dental school in Washington as ask them about CC credits (just don't mention your income). Money and time are factors to consider, but they aren't everything. My husband's a physician and he left a large specialty group to go solo. His income has been cut drastically, but he's building it back up. The benefits- more time at home (home by 5-6 now- was working until 9-10), works for himself, more relaxed home life. I started working towards a dental career two years ago. I'm more focused than I was as an 18 y/o student. I know this is what I want to do, and my family is willing to make sacrifices for me to work towards this goal. As long as your spouse is on board and its what you truly want- go for it!

 

[wired202808]

The big question is- if you don't pursue dentistry, will you regret it for the rest of your life? Take a day off and shadow your dentist. Set up a meeting with the dental school in Washington as ask them about CC credits (just don't mention your income). Money and time are factors to consider, but they aren't everything. My husband's a physician and he left a large specialty group to go solo. His income has been cut drastically, but he's building it back up. The benefits- more time at home (home by 5-6 now- was working until 9-10), works for himself, more relaxed home life. I started working towards a dental career two years ago. I'm more focused than I was as an 18 y/o student. I know this is what I want to do, and my family is willing to make sacrifices for me to work towards this goal. As long as your spouse is on board and its what you truly want- go for it!

your husband changed jobs not careers... going back to school and losing the residual income for 4+ years, plus your savings on d-school, will probably not make you any happier. unless you life in denial.