So I should actually start contributing to my roth IRA in residency? Interesting. I knew 401k was off the table, because it's not like residents are full-time salaried workers, or even people for that matter, but I never even thought about roth IRA. Like I said, I haven't sorted out the details yet. I guess once you refinance you're no longer eligible for federal loan repayment programs, so that makes sense. I'd have to wait on attending paychecks.
As far as the runaway cost of all education in this country, not just medical, yeah it sucks big time but it's not like we have any other options. I was a non-trad before going into medicine and I thought long and hard before going down this road. To the best of my knowledge, virtually everything else has gone to crap. Law is saturated, so is veterinary medicine, dentistry, pharmacy (RIP), MBAs are being pumped out in record numbers, tech sounds good but it's a bum deal more often than not, and, yup, midlevels too are severely oversaturated. Part of the reasons they're fighting so hard to expand their scope is because they have no jobs, although ego, salary, and not wanting to be a midlevel into their late 50s is definitely a part of it. Hell, even some specialties are starting to feel the repercussions from the glut of new grads they pump out every year, which is why every time somebody gives a presentation about opening up new residencies I'm there shaking my head while everyone else claps away and has a merry old time. Dermatology has done a great job of controlling this part and we could all take a page from them.
