Career Change?

[confusedteacher]

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I'm in a bit of a tough time in my life. I graduated college in May with an Elementary Education degree, and (luckily) was hired to teach math in my home town. I'm living with my parents, staying very frugal, and will be debt-free in about five years (about $15,000 in undergrad loans).

I make $30,890, as well as an additional 3,000 I pull in through athletic events. I work five days a week, and at least four of those days are over 12 hours long. I also work for around 6 hours every weekend preparing lessons and grading papers. I don't mind the long hours, but I don't have much to show for them. I'm able to save very little money, and my future prospects, with the way education is going, appear to not be much better. I could become an administrator in 5 years (if I"m lucky) and make around $55,000.

Should I think about changing careers, especially in the area of dentistry? I love science, and very much regret going into elementary education. I was very idealistic entering college, and thought that being able to change the lives of students would make it all worth it. It doesn't. I enjoy my work, but I shudder at the thought of doing it for another 30 years, especially with no significant rise in lifestyle.

I value the ability to move ahead in a career based on your personal performance, and that just isn't possible in education. I don't like working for other people, and would love to work somewhere where my income is based on my personal work. Again, this isn't possible in education.

My girlfriend's father is a dentist, and he does very well. He also enjoys his work tremendously, and we have alike personalities. The academic challenge of dental school wouldn't bother me at all. I graduated valedictorian, and then graduated with honors from college with ease. I would have to return to college for a year to complete pre-requisites, and then go on to dental school from there. I'm a little hesitant to talk to him about it, just because of the dynamics involved.

Is this a valid option? Would I be better staying in education? I would be paying for dental school myself, which means I would be taking out a lot of loans.

 

[Bereno]

Good for you. I think its great that you are evaluating yourself in a very real (and scary) way. I went through something similar when I was getting ready for law school.

I would talk to your girlfriend's father. I would ask him if he could show you around for a day and see how you like it, and maybe even talk about the real nitty-gritty details of dentistry (what sucks about it, whats great about it). If you are not comfortable doing this, find someone else to shadow. Basically, you really need to shadow a dentist to make an educated decision. Dentistry is NOT for everyone. I happen to love volunteering in the dental field, which is why I am applying for dental school. Another thing I would highly recommend is try and volunteer at a free dental clinic for the needy. This is where you can get some of the best hands on experience and see if you like the work involved. If you want to be sure of your decision you need to be proactive about it. Granted, the pay is good, but you will be in a lot of debt coming out of d-school. If you want to make more money than you are now, a good option would be to get an MBA. That would pay off sooner lol.

Its not much advice, but its all I got lol 👍

 

[93geo]

Depending on where you are from, you may have an in-state dental school where you would have the best chances of acceptance. Either that or you may have a specific school in mind that you would like to attend over others. Either way I would suggest going and meeting with someone from your ideal school to figure out what courses you would have to take in order meet the requirements for dental school. Meeting with the school would also allow you to ask questions that you may have and this can help guide you in the right direction. I would imagine that since you were Elementary Ed. you will have to take most if not all of the prerequisites (8 hrs of general bio, 8 hrs general chem, 8 hrs organic chem, 8 hrs physics, possibly more depending on the school). After that just begin shadowing as many dentists as you can. After shadowing for a while you will realize whether it is something that you want to do or not. I would also suggest volunteering as an assistant or something if you are given the opportunity. Anything you can do from here on out that shows your interest in the field of dentistry will be a positive on your application. Assuming your grades are good from undergrad, you do well on your prerequisites (3.5 gpa or better is ideal), and you do well on the DAT (I would say shoot for at least a 19 academic avg), then you should have a pretty good shot at getting accepted. Going from education to dental could take a while depending on how much more schooling you need but if it's what you want to do then I say go for it!

Also, I think it is definitely a valid option. You may graduate with debt from dental school but I would assume with some determination you could pay it off quickly. If making more money is your goal then I might suggest really exploring some other career options but if you really like what dentistry has to offer then I say go for it b/c you probably won't find a career that offers the same lifestyle, independence, salary, ect. as dentistry.