Currently in Undergrad: Pursue Accounting or Dentistry

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chuckywil08

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I was wondering if someone could help me out with some career advice

I know its two different careers but I'm sort of torn on which one to pursue

For Accounting:
-I attend a school which has a top 10 Accounting dept. (have a full ride so no issues about undergrad debt)
-I took Accounting 1 and 2 and liked it so far but I havent taken Intermediate Accounting which will tell if I really like Accounting or not
-I like that if I get my CPA, I could possibly get job opportunities in a lot of places
-I'd like to stay close to my parents if possible in the future, I know accountants work a lot of hours but I heard it gets better as you have experience
-A big negative is that I hate the corporate office politics but I heard this is true in engineering office, hospital or a dental office
-I heard accountant have to live in some large cities and can barely scrape by because of the low initial compensation and high cost of living
-Some accountants never get past a certain promotion because of the corporate ladder but in dentistry once you graduate dental school, the sky is the limit (supposedly)


For Dentistry
-I like the hands on work after shadowing a dentist for 20 hours
-I've taken gen bio and gen chem so far and got A's but some dental students told me these courses wont really tell if I like dentistry or not
-the pay is good and increases with experience but I heard that a lot of places are saturated with dentists and GP offices are not hiring
-places that looking for dentists are places that are 2-3 hours from the nearest big city - not exactly sure if I'm looking forward to that
-I have to apply to get into dental school (no easy task)
-A huge concern is the debt that dental students have, its difficult to get into a state school and that many have to attend private schools to become a dentist, but -I dont think I could ever pay off 500k (most likely 600k in the future) and I am not counting on IBR to last in the future
-some dental students are saying that as a dentist you have the opportunity to be your own but with corporate dentistry taking fold and reimbursements declining, solo practitioner offices may be a thing of the past
-in order to make ends meet, some dentists are working more hours to keep their overhead for going insane
-they say dont go into dental school for the money but what if I have a difficult time paying for my loan and keeping my practice alive, wouldnt the government take away everything and put me in a no-win situation



sorry if my post comes off as a "which makes me richer and happier," I just dont want to have some doubt when I do pursue one of these careers. I know its hard to predict the future but any advice would be great.
 
You could put your decision on hold and let maturity catch up with you.
 
One shouldn't pursue dentistry unless they have a passion that tells them that nothing could be as rewarding and exciting. I've also met some people that went into accounting for the comfortable income to support a family. Twenty years later they aren't happy with work a bit, and want to pursue a dream. That isn't easy when you are around age 50 with kids in high school. At least observing this really reinforced in my life the pursuit of dreams while young. This is exactly why I am pursuing dentistry with everything I have. You need to find what you have a passion for. Find something that you would smile about as you drive to work every day and chase it.
 
Doc's right, you havent progressed to the point where you can make a decision.

Try to take harder science courses and see if it fairs well.

Financing your dental education has always been a problem and doesnt seem like it'll go away anytime soon, but there are plenty of scholarships, loan repayment programs, military contracts, etc out there that can make it easier. But there are plenty of dentists out there, including one of many that I shadowed, that went about it with loans and no assistance and they came out fine.
 
thanks for the replies. I wish I was mature sooner given that I am going to be a junior soon and need to decide whether major in accounting or just do biology to fulfill the rest of the dental pre-reqs. One of my classmates mentioned doing accounting and having pre-dent courses on the side but I'm worried the GPA would tank knocking me out of both opportunities in accounting and the opportunity for dental school (I'm assuming dental school applications are still on the rise).

After talking to some people, I'd like to avoid the military as a whole and I've heard that they have far more applicants than they have scholarships. I heard the NHSC scholarship is very competitive but what about the NHSC loan repayment program, is that very hard to come by.

Also asking something that is far into the future here but do you see dentistry headed more towards more corporate chains like Aspen and/or Western Dental (one of the things I liked about dentistry was the autonomy as a solo practitioner). Everyone is also saying move to rural places but if the place has only 10,000 ppl wouldnt the dental office close due to a lack of sufficient patients (this is assuming the ppl in this rural area cant afford dental care).
 
How many science classes have you completed for pre-req purposes?

NHSC is very competitive, do not count on receiving to pay for dental school, because there is always a chance you may not receive it.

Many people will agree, that corporate dentistry has its own patient niche. However, a lot of people like receiving a personal touch from "their" Dentist. Dentistry is very personal, much more than optometry and pharmacy. As such, I don't see private practices closing down anytime soon.
 
How many science classes have you completed for pre-req purposes?

NHSC is very competitive, do not count on receiving to pay for dental school, because there is always a chance you may not receive it.

Many people will agree, that corporate dentistry has its own patient niche. However, a lot of people like receiving a personal touch from "their" Dentist. Dentistry is very personal, much more than optometry and pharmacy. As such, I don't see private practices closing down anytime soon.

yeah I was told I have a better chance with the NHSC loan repayment program.

do you see a lot of dental jobs being more in demand in the Midwest and Mountain West places whereas most of the accounting jobs tend to be in NY, SF, LA, DC, and Austin/Dallas?
 
thanks for the replies. I wish I was mature sooner given that I am going to be a junior soon and need to decide whether major in accounting or just do biology to fulfill the rest of the dental pre-reqs. One of my classmates mentioned doing accounting and having pre-dent courses on the side but I'm worried the GPA would tank knocking me out of both opportunities in accounting and the opportunity for dental school (I'm assuming dental school applications are still on the rise).

After talking to some people, I'd like to avoid the military as a whole and I've heard that they have far more applicants than they have scholarships. I heard the NHSC scholarship is very competitive but what about the NHSC loan repayment program, is that very hard to come by.

Also asking something that is far into the future here but do you see dentistry headed more towards more corporate chains like Aspen and/or Western Dental (one of the things I liked about dentistry was the autonomy as a solo practitioner). Everyone is also saying move to rural places but if the place has only 10,000 ppl wouldnt the dental office close due to a lack of sufficient patients (this is assuming the ppl in this rural area cant afford dental care).

I do not have the stats but it does seem like corporate dentistry is going. But as a poster above stated, it has its own niche. I still think private practice will be prevalent and viable for a long time in dentistry. And i think the career will continue to offer a great amount of autonomy, especially compared to many other careers, in the future.

As for going rural, dentist can do well in a lot of areas, from metro to rural. Look at this Levin Group survey. You will see that owner dentists in medium to larger cities are actually higher compensated than those in small towns.

http://www.levingroup.com/pdf/desurvey/2012 de-lg survey article_final.pdf.pdf
 
I have to agree with a few of the other posters above. Let life catch up a bit, and in time you will be prepared to make a much more informed decision. I am currently pursuing dentistry now, but I have a business education background so I was once in your position. I have never regretted getting my business degree, and had a great career in banking/human resources for several years. I just needed life to run its course before I decided dentistry was the right path for me. I'm 28 now and just starting prereqs - no regrets whatsoever. Accounting is a great profession though if you do decide to go that route. I've worked with several accountants and all seem to love their job. Best of luck to you!
 
Look at this Levin Group survey. You will see that owner dentists in medium to larger cities are actually higher compensated than those in small towns.

http://www.levingroup.com/pdf/desurvey/2012 de-lg survey article_final.pdf.pdf

last year's edition: https://www.levingroup.com/pdf/desurvey/2013/Nov_DE_LGsurvey2.pdf

it appears they aim for this time of year to publish results, so the 2014 survey could be in the works right now.

look at the pros referral rates...brutal
 
last year's edition: https://www.levingroup.com/pdf/desurvey/2013/Nov_DE_LGsurvey2.pdf

it appears they aim for this time of year to publish results, so the 2014 survey could be in the works right now.

look at the pros referral rates...brutal

That's terrible.

With all the shifting ground in specialties, implants, etc.--must be hard for dental students to decide whether to specialize right now. I mean if you're a good salesman you can make it anyhow, but...still
 
That's terrible.

With all the shifting ground in specialties, implants, etc.--must be hard for dental students to decide whether to specialize right now. I mean if you're a good salesman you can make it anyhow, but...still

one thing to keep in mind: it appears a specialist's 'customers' are GDs. and generalists 'sell' to their patients.

the deeper i fall into the rabbit hole, the more i'm convinced any given practitioner can make their specialty viable when operating as said specialist. except pros...the only formally trained pros i know operates as a highly trained GP in PP. even pros faculty in my school either dodge questions referring to their referral wins or paint a less than inspiring picture of how it works in the outside world.

inb4 dr dai phan crushes everything i just typed.
 
one thing to keep in mind: it appears a specialist's 'customers' are GDs. and generalists 'sell' to their patients.

I'm pre-dental so this is still pie in the sky for me, but that is one thing that I prefer about GD: the sample size they market to. As a specialist, who knows whether you'll get along with the 7 or so general dentists you might rely on in a given area.
 
I'm pre-dental so this is still pie in the sky for me, but that is one thing that I prefer about GD: the sample size they market to. As a specialist, who knows whether you'll get along with the 7 or so general dentists you might rely on in a given area.

Why do you think dentists are always playing golf?
 
Why do you think dentists are always playing golf?
I can't do golf. Or talk football. And I grew up in south and have been to the Masters several times (which I enjoyed), but somehow neither ended up in my DNA.

I have no idea why some people above said to wait more time and mature more before making a career decision. That's ridiculous. It's great that you're asking these questions and trying to decide on a career.

I agree. I also don't think you really need to wait until you find your uber-passion.

With regards to waiting, sure you'll get more experience if you wait, but you also might make an informed choice now and end up in a good place. By the time you get into your 20s--yeah you've got a lot of growing left to do--but it's also time to be building potential pathways. And with regards to passion, a lot of us will love things we aren't good at and are good at things we don't love. Most people will end up compromising somehow.

With regards to the future of dentistry, I've had a lot of the same concerns as you. But the more dentists I talk to, the more I shadow, the more I research---the less I'm worried.

re: tuition...there are state schools, repayment options, and worst case scenario IBR (and you shouldn't be worried about IBR going away b/c it's actually a worse deal for you later on and better for the gov't...and it would take a lot of gaul for congress to discontinue it without honoring the payment plans currently in place.....but I wouldn't plan on using IBR anyway. Just live like an average joe throughout your 30s and pay down as fast as possible)

re: corporate...nothing drastic will happen quickly. corporate has been slowly making inroads and will continue to do so, but it will mostly be in the realm of so-called dental service organizations like Heartland Dental, which, from where I stand shadowing some dentists who have sold their practice to them, it's actually a pretty darn good gig. If you want to have your own practice--there will still be plenty of ways to do it in yours and my lifetime--from what I've seen and what I'm told.

re: practice location...rural areas will always be easier, but there are so many opportunities and ways to practice. I've been shadowing a guy who is taking over a practice in the middle of a big city, just two years out of dental school. And he's not some crazy slick operator--just a normal nice guy. He's not even from this city, either.

My dentist--she lives in one of the most impressive waterfront houses in the most expensive neighborhood in my hometown. Those days are going away, and it's no reason to start saying the sky is falling. Keep a grounded perspective. Demand for DDS continues to grow, unemployment is ridiculously low (unless you're a recent ortho or pros grad, apparently), and the average salary for associates is nothing to shake a stick at. The difficulty in getting a DDS degree will continue to buffer against over saturation, and when states start approving more mid-level providers, it will simply provide more opportunities for DDS's to employ and/or supervise them...just like anesthesiologists and anesthetists, physicians and PA's, etc.

You can work for someone else, work for yourself, have a more entrepreneurial premium practice if that's your talent or a more community/family oriented practice, you can work in hospitals, you can specialize, you find at least SOME job almost anywhere in the country...

Accounting isn't going away either. Definitely not. The future is very bright for any profession that helps people navigate regulation of any kind. But I was shadowing a dentist the other week. He's retiring this month after 40+ years of practice. One of his longtime patients came in the other day, and the two of them put their arms around each other like old friends and walked down to the last operatory on the left. She said "we got in here one last time before you're going to leave us!" That sort of thing may not interest some people, but how you get that with accounting, I don't know.
 
thanks for the replies everyone, I've heard military is not for everybody (just like how dentistry/accounting is not for everybody). Also my state only has private schools and though the WICHE program allows me to apply to nearby public state schools with some priority, admission is not guaranteed since in-state students would get priority. That would mean my only other means of getting admitted to dental school is with the private schools but a lot of ppl are saying that the private schools are not worth it to be a dentist.

Some are saying that "do what you love" but what if I have a difficult time finding a job or a difficult time paying off loans if say dental salaries decline?

Plus what if I have significant other that has an occupation that requires her to be in a certain area of the country, do I run the risk of not being able to find a job in a saturated area/struggle with my practice if there are numerous other dentists there?
 
thanks for the replies everyone, I've heard military is not for everybody (just like how dentistry/accounting is not for everybody). Also my state only has private schools and though the WICHE program allows me to apply to nearby public state schools with some priority, admission is not guaranteed since in-state students would get priority. That would mean my only other means of getting admitted to dental school is with the private schools but a lot of ppl are saying that the private schools are not worth it to be a dentist.

Some are saying that "do what you love" but what if I have a difficult time finding a job or a difficult time paying off loans if say dental salaries decline?

Plus what if I have significant other that has an occupation that requires her to be in a certain area of the country, do I run the risk of not being able to find a job in a saturated area/struggle with my practice if there are numerous other dentists there?

That's easy. Be socially awkward and dont get married.

As for the loans, this is a profession that I am perfectly happy to take out a large loan to participate in. Im no dentist, but it really shouldnt be that hard to find a job or buy a practice from someone retiring.

At least in my state, there still many under-served area and plenty of dentists willing to sell their practice for retirement.
 
I have no idea why some people above said to wait more time and mature more before making a career decision. That's ridiculous. It's great that you're asking these questions and trying to decide on a career.

I was actually in your same shoes at one point (considering accounting and dentistry). I think one major difference between dentistry and accounting is the interaction with other people. As a dentist, you'll be around people a lot more and your relationships will be a key part of your business. As an accountant, you'll spend a lot more time behind a desk with less interaction. That seems obvious and simple, but it's so important to consider when deciding on a lifelong career.

By the way, the main dentist I shadowed actually graduated with a degree in accounting and then went on to get a dental education. His accounting/business knowledge has helped him a TON in his practice. My point: if you're passionate about both, you could always do your undergrad in accounting (while taking dental pre-reqs) and then go on to dental school.

Good luck.

I should clarify my post above that said to let life catch up a bit. This poster is correct...it really is great to be asking these questions now. I guess what I meant is if you are still unsure about your decision, don't stress yourself out about it too much. Eventually you'll find that passion. It's never too early to start asking questions though. I don't regret the path I took one bit (getting a business degree first), but if you decide on your desired career path sooner in life..more power to you. As this poster mentioned, you could always do both degrees. Anyhow, best of luck to you in whatever you choose!
 
So I did more shadowing with dentists to gain a better idea and I really like the hands on work and patient-dentist relationship but all these dentists grew up in the "golden age of dentistry" and had very few loans when I talked to them. The younger dentists seemed to be busy working with two or more associate positions.

If say I do not get into a state school and do not wish to do the NHSC/military route, I am better off NOT going to dentistry since I seem too risk averse to take on half a million debt.

They say do what you love but what if the culture of dentistry changes in the future that with declining reimbursements and accruing interest, its difficult to sleep at night for something you cannot control over.
 
You already sound like you will become an excellent accountant.
 
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