Do your non medical school friends ever show jealously or feel inferior around you?

[Pre Med MF]

Two part question, what percentage of your friends have you lost ever since you entered your first year?

Second question is in the title.

I ask because right now I have a lot of doubtful “friends” that don’t believe I’m intellectual capable enough desciplined to finish medical school. When I say doubtful I mean that they think i’m “All talk” and will drop out. Their self insecurities are showing through by their body language when saying stuff like that.

Has anyone been through or can relate duing your transition between premed to med

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[Gorne]

Two part question, what percentage of your friends have you lost ever since you entered your first year?

Second question is in the title.

I ask because right now I have a lot of doubtful “friends” that don’t believe I’m intellectual capable enough desciplined to finish medical school. When I say doubtful I mean that they think i’m “All talk” and will drop out. Their self insecurities are showing through by their body language when saying stuff like that.

Has anyone been through or can relate duing your transition between premed to med

What school do you go to? If you go to an American MD school, chances are you’ve been hustling like a madman for the past 4-5 years so why would they think you were all talk?

 

[Oso]

37.4 %


My friends are not jealous. It’s more like, “you still have that many years left??”. Theyve been making monies meanwhile I will be paying off my debt for a long while.


Sounds like you need new friends.

 

[Pre Med MF]

37.4 %


My friends are not jealous. It’s more like, “you still have that many years left??”. Theyve been making monies meanwhile I will be paying off my debt for a long while.


Sounds like you need new friends.

Yup I already do. I love being in an environment full of ambitious individuals like myself, thus all my current friends are aspiring MDs, PAs, NPs etc.

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

My friends from high school/college have 2 main thoughts about my going to med school:

1) They cant believe anyone would ever let me hold a scalpel

2) They can't believe Im dumping 10 years and a quarter-million dollars into career training when I could've just gone and worked for a bank or a consulting firm right out of college.

Edit: they were jealous of me once, when I was able to answer a medically related trivia question at bar trivia night.

 

[Basil246]

Two part question, what percentage of your friends have you lost ever since you entered your first year?

Second question is in the title.

I ask because right now I have a lot of doubtful “friends” that don’t believe I’m intellectual capable enough desciplined to finish medical school. When I say doubtful I mean that they think i’m “All talk” and will drop out. Their self insecurities are showing through by their body language when saying stuff like that.

Has anyone been through or can relate duing your transition between premed to med

My former best friend/roommate(also pre-med) told me I’d never get into med school and similar things. Sometimes people just suck. Leave them behind and be successful

 

[Lnsean]

Two part question, what percentage of your friends have you lost ever since you entered your first year?

Second question is in the title.

I ask because right now I have a lot of doubtful “friends” that don’t believe I’m intellectual capable enough desciplined to finish medical school. When I say doubtful I mean that they think i’m “All talk” and will drop out. Their self insecurities are showing through by their body language when saying stuff like that.

Has anyone been through or can relate duing your transition between premed to med

Med school isn't what it used to be...yes getting into med school is competitive but if you look at the numbers...like 40% of applicants get in somewhere. That's not really impressive or competitive to me honestly. I am speaking as a soon to be M2.

 

[Basil246]

Med school isn't what it used to be...yes getting into med school is competitive but if you look at the numbers...like 40% of applicants get in somewhere. That's not really impressive or competitive to me honestly. I am speaking as a soon to be M2.

That’s 40% after a ton of self-selection.

 

[Lnsean]

That’s 40% after a ton of self-selection.

That can be said of any application process

 

[DrMcCoyDO]

Only friends I lost over the course of med school are friends I lost for reasons other than me being in med school. Most of my friends back home like to brag about me when we’re hanging out or give me crap about being a med student (now doctor) who used to do crazy/stupid things with them back in the day.

 

[Oso]

who used to do crazy/stupid things with them back in the day.

What kinda things

 

[ciestar]

Nope theyre not jealous or feel inferior

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

You bet they do. I never fail to remind them about how many more intellectual inches I have.


/s
Lol no they aren’t jealous. They are making 100k while I study all day racking up debt. However it does sound like you need new friends OP if they are trying to tell you that you will drop out.

 

[raiderette]

My high school friends feel sorry for me because they think I will never have time to get married and have babies. My college friends are at so many different stages in their lives, it is hard to be jealous. We are just trying to support one another's choices.

 

[Raney Schauer]

Well this is interesting. I've never seen this particular brand of humblebrag before. "Ohmygod you're a med student now you're so much better than us we can't be your friend anymore we just don't rate to be in your august presence thank you so much for granting us an audience your majesty!"

 

[rg2o3]

Most of my friends are still in the same town, making 40-50k, spending their nights and weekends and the same hole in the wall bars we went to while growing up.

 

[ndafife]

Nobody is jealous that i live loan check to loan check, cant make plans more than 1 month in advance because I wont know my schedule for that rotation, and that I spend almost all of my free time studying

 

[Girlygirl2020]

I've lost a lot of friends over jealousy, and it totally sucks. I think it's worse for girls too. I have a ton of friends who give me back handed compliments or straight up say rude things to me. I've distanced myself from them, but it sucks knowing that jealous can take over friendships.

 

[studentdocftw]

Nope. Most of my friends feel bad for me, because while they travel the world and have income, I'm studying for yet another test. I convince myself it'll all be worth it when I'm 35 and financially secure, but then I'll be 35 with kids. You never realize how quickly your 20s disappear and by the time you generate real income, self indulgence is replaced with familial responsibilities, as long as you plan to have a family anyways.

 

[MD-2022]

LOL actually they feel superior and pick up the bar tab; most have progressed to 120-150k/year in tech and finance. With this stock market, even their stock bonus is a solid 25-50k extra per year.

 

[Goro]

Two part question, what percentage of your friends have you lost ever since you entered your first year?

Second question is in the title.

I ask because right now I have a lot of doubtful “friends” that don’t believe I’m intellectual capable enough desciplined to finish medical school. When I say doubtful I mean that they think i’m “All talk” and will drop out. Their self insecurities are showing through by their body language when saying stuff like that.

Has anyone been through or can relate duing your transition between premed to med

F 'em

 

[IMreshopeful]

I don’t know if the financial jealous argument holds much water.

Most of my friends who went into finance and such are definitely doing well, making 150k ish per year, hustling during the week with most weekends off, living in big metros, travelling a lot on vacation on company dime, and going to every social event they can with friends and family. They have nothing to be jealous of haha. I’m turning 30 and have about two more years of training left before I go out into the world and get a real job.

I also have friends/former classmates/ etc who are in crap jobs making 50k per year who have no professional degree to help boost them up and haven’t left their hometown. So it depends on your perspective on all of this.

I think as premeds (for me, almost 10 years ago) we tended to hang out around other high powered academically successful folks who have done well in their lives after graduating, and we forget that the majority of people do just okay or not so okay. So our view of how we see others or others see us is skewed. That finance guy is probably always to some degree in fear of losing his job if he doesn’t make the company tons of cash. The guy in engineering probably is worried about his company being insolvent and losing a contract any day. We usually don’t worry as much about job security - if we do good hard work then we don’t have to go crazy. The ceiling on income is also lower for many of these jobs, whereas for many folks in medicine it can be insanely high depending on the field.

A little off topic but the point is - who cares what people think about you. Who cares what you think about them. Do what’s good for you and what you got. You’ll make plenty of friends - the ones you make as an adult outside of college and school tend to last longer anyway because it’s built on a commonality beyond “we’re in the same field/we lived in XYZ dorm/we were in ABC class”.

 

[BluegrassBuckeye]

LOL actually they feel superior and pick up the bar tab; most have progressed to 120-150k/year in tech and finance. With this stock market, even their stock bonus is a solid 25-50k extra per year.

I've found this to be my experience as well. Most of my friends are making 6 figures in various business and engineering fields, but even one of my best friends who is a middle school teacher takes pity on me and usually buys me a round or two every time we go out. I always feel bad and try and play it off like "oh loan money is just monopoly money. Let me get this round" but they almost always refuse because they know how much debt I'm in.

 

[Gurby]

I also have friends/former classmates/ etc who are in crap jobs making 50k per year who have no professional degree to help boost them up and haven’t left their hometown. So it depends on your perspective on all of this.

I think as premeds (for me, almost 10 years ago) we tended to hang out around other high powered academically successful folks who have done well in their lives after graduating, and we forget that the majority of people do just okay or not so okay. So our view of how we see others or others see us is skewed.

Went to a party at my hometown a while back, most everyone else there was doing manual labor, truck driving, working in a factory, etc. Somebody asked what I was up to and I said I'm in med school - "well **** you too" was the response 😳 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[raiderette]

Went to a party at my hometown a while back, most everyone else there was doing manual labor, truck driving, working in a factory, etc. Somebody asked what I was up to and I said I'm in med school - "well **** you too" was the response 😳 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That is my hometown.

 

[Gurby]

That is my hometown.

 

[atomi]

Two part question, what percentage of your friends have you lost ever since you entered your first year?

Second question is in the title.

I ask because right now I have a lot of doubtful “friends” that don’t believe I’m intellectual capable enough desciplined to finish medical school. When I say doubtful I mean that they think i’m “All talk” and will drop out. Their self insecurities are showing through by their body language when saying stuff like that.

Has anyone been through or can relate duing your transition between premed to med

The reality is, and you can't see this due to lack of perspective in your late teens and early 20s, is that your "friends" are temporary. At that age, you've left the nest, but nobody is married yet so social circles and extracurricular activities are one of, if not the most, important aspects of your life. However, once college is over, everyone will gradually go their own way. Some will have a more rapid transition, but soon everyone will partner up with a s.o. and start full-time work and your new "friends" will come from work or activities with your s.o. So the answer to your question is, you will lose your current friends regardless of whether you go to med school or not. Yeah, you may have a group text, meet up for a reunion once a year or so, but you won't be hanging out with them every weekend anymore. Med school is kinda weird in that it delays the normal transition to adulthood. You'll meet new friends there like college all over again, but you'll lose them too.

The other reality is that many of your buddies from college who majored in econ or engineering and went into consulting will be making 6 figures and own a house by the time you graduate med school and finally start earning a meager resident paycheck. So no, they are not going to feel jealous of you.

 

[flyboy3]

I also have friends/former classmates/ etc who are in crap jobs making 50k per year who have no professional degree to help boost them up and haven’t left their hometown. So it depends on your perspective on all of this.

I'm a couple generations removed from farmers on both sides of my family. I grew up with kids who were like me, rural, poor and without motivation or inspiration to even go to college. I made a series of bright choices that got me to where I am now, but a majority of the friends I still keep have blue collar jobs burning their candles at both ends. They can't fathom what I do or will be doing, or the steps it takes to get there, and I don't expect them to. Nor do I often bring up my undergrad studies, med school or anything. Are they jealous? I don't know, nor do I want to know. They are my friends, not objects in my life that I measure myself against.

 

[IMreshopeful]

Went to a party at my hometown a while back, most everyone else there was doing manual labor, truck driving, working in a factory, etc. Somebody asked what I was up to and I said I'm in med school - "well **** you too" was the response 😳 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Haha my hometown wasn’t quite that rough and tough (three of my high school classmates now have medical degrees...some 9 years after I got mine!) but damn. That’s real

 

[IMreshopeful]

I'm a couple generations removed from farmers on both sides of my family. I grew up with kids who were like me, rural, poor and without motivation or inspiration to even go to college. I made a series of bright choices that got me to where I am now, but a majority of the friends I still keep have blue collar jobs burning their candles at both ends. They can't fathom what I do or will be doing, or the steps it takes to get there, and I don't expect them to. Nor do I often bring up my undergrad studies, med school or anything. Are they jealous? I don't know, nor do I want to know. They are my friends, not objects in my life that I measure myself against.

Bang on. Keep your friends as friends and not as a comparison to yourself. We’re all different. If your job is a deciding factor in people keeping in touch with you or keeping friendships alive, those friendships aren’t worth it.

 

[TheIllusionist]

I was lucky and grew up in a well off town. My friends from high school and college are all pretty much in law, dentistry, medicine, finance, consulting, tech, or engineering.

Like others said, the finance, consulting, engineering, and tech people all are making 150k-200k in their mid 20s (especially with bonus) and some superstars even up to double that already (one of my friends at a hedgefund made a ton in bonus). They aren't jealous at all. Some of my law school friends are graduating and looking at 180k jobs. I have a dental school friend graduating who has a lot of debt but only has to do a year long residency type thing and then will be making good money. People in these circles actually view me as a bit more noble (this isn't the only reason why) for doing medicine in lieu of the other options because they realize that it is the least financially sensible choice.

Frankly, I do regret picking medicine (for reasons outside of just money too of course). But I am too far in, so I'm making the best of what I have.

 

[atomi]

People in these circles actually view me as a bit more noble (this isn't the only reason why) for doing medicine in lieu of the other options because they realize that it is the least financially sensible choice.

That's not fair as it's really a blanket statement. There is such a wide variety of practice types and locations across specialties such that yes, some doctors will never make more than these guys making 150-200k in other non-medical fields, but there a plenty of other opportunities in medicine to earn 500k-1M through their work alone, with >1M for those willing to take on some more ownership risks in private practice. The opportunities to earn that much in any of these other fields you mentioned are few and far between with very undefined pathways to do it. If you want to do it in medicine, there is a very clear and defined pathway.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

I was lucky and grew up in a well off town. My friends from high school and college are all pretty much in law, dentistry, medicine, finance, consulting, tech, or engineering.

Like others said, the finance, consulting, engineering, and tech people all are making 150k-200k in their mid 20s (especially with bonus) and some superstars even up to double that already (one of my friends at a hedgefund made a ton in bonus). They aren't jealous at all. Some of my law school friends are graduating and looking at 180k jobs. I have a dental school friend graduating who has a lot of debt but only has to do a year long residency type thing and then will be making good money. People in these circles actually view me as a bit more noble (this isn't the only reason why) for doing medicine in lieu of the other options because they realize that it is the least financially sensible choice.

Frankly, I do regret picking medicine (for reasons outside of just money too of course). But I am too far in, so I'm making the best of what I have.

I don't know about you, but I would be absolutely miserable in most of those fields. Plus you're alluding to top earners in finance, engineering, tech, law etc... it's not the norm for people to be at -- especially in their 20s -- $150-200k. They might get there after a decade or two but rarely start there. In medicine that's on the very low end to start (and our job security is fantastic).

 

[TheIllusionist]

If you calculate opportunity cost in terms of debt, lost wages, and hours put in, medicine is in fact not all that financially sensible. Maximum wealth is accumulated by the wise investor. 150k-200k is just the beginning for these kids. The tracks in finance are not as risky as many people act like they are. People get fired by make enough lateral moves.

Regardless, making money requires risk-taking, starting capital, and good understanding of market conditions. You can do that reasonably with any half decent day job to keep you afloat and give you some cash to play with. You just start earlier with the other fields.

 

[Lnsean]

LOL actually they feel superior and pick up the bar tab; most have progressed to 120-150k/year in tech and finance. With this stock market, even their stock bonus is a solid 25-50k extra per year.

Right? Medicine isn't the oasis it once was. Some of my friends are hitting 250k+ in infosec and financial tech.

 

[gyngyn]

Two part question, what percentage of your friends have you lost ever since you entered your first year?

Second question is in the title.

I ask because right now I have a lot of doubtful “friends” that don’t believe I’m intellectual capable enough desciplined to finish medical school. When I say doubtful I mean that they think i’m “All talk” and will drop out. Their self insecurities are showing through by their body language when saying stuff like that.

Has anyone been through or can relate duing your transition between premed to med

1. It is normal to lose touch with friends. It is the rare friend that traverses decades (without regard to profession).
2. No. I think you mean "envy."

 

[IMreshopeful]

If you calculate opportunity cost in terms of debt, lost wages, and hours put in, medicine is in fact not all that financially sensible. Maximum wealth is accumulated by the wise investor. 150k-200k is just the beginning for these kids. The tracks in finance are not as risky as many people act like they are. People get fired by make enough lateral moves.

Regardless, making money requires risk-taking, starting capital, and good understanding of market conditions. You can do that reasonably with any half decent day job to keep you afloat and give you some cash to play with. You just start earlier with the other fields.

Not that risky? You haven’t really seen how people do without privilege have you?

You make it sound easy. Maybe for you this would have worked. Not everyone is a stock junkie and has some golden ticket. Also bold on “starting capital” - not everyone has mommy or daddy to pay for their first failed startup. Yes people are successful often in these fields. There’s a ton of luck and chance as well.

I would be miserable in finance, law, business, or any of the other fields discussed. Sounds like you were forced into the medical field or just made a bad decision when your passion was elsewhere.

As for lost wages...most starting salary I’m coming out with for my field is prob in 450k range, with higher earning potential + investment early on. Money is not an issue at this point... live conservatively for a few years and you can pay off debt in a rapid amount of time. Also consider that money is not the only thing in life to factor in happiness - why do you think the super wealthy are often so depressed? It clearly doesn’t equate to happiness. You have to like what you do or like your life outside of work to some extent

 

[IMreshopeful]

I don't know about you, but I would be absolutely miserable in most of those fields. Plus you're alluding to top earners in finance, engineering, tech, law etc... it's not the norm for people to be at -- especially in their 20s -- $150-200k. They might get there after a decade or two but rarely start there. In medicine that's on the very low end to start (and our job security is fantastic).

Yeah. The anecdote is always “some of” my friends. Or “I know people who”. Or “my [academically successful, well connected, independently wealthy family friends are] doing well in”. The vast majority of college graduates are NOT doing that well. Engineering, law, tech, etc do not start at such a high bar for most people. This is the result of type A personalities self selecting for medical school - they compare themselves to the few who have done as well or better, not the vast, vast majority who are not as well off

 

[TheIllusionist]

Not that risky? You haven’t really seen how people do without privilege have you?

You make it sound easy. Maybe for you this would have worked. Not everyone is a stock junkie and has some golden ticket. Also bold on “starting capital” - not everyone has mommy or daddy to pay for their first failed startup. Yes people are successful often in these fields. There’s a ton of luck and chance as well.

I would be miserable in finance, law, business, or any of the other fields discussed. Sounds like you were forced into the medical field or just made a bad decision when your passion was elsewhere.

As for lost wages...most starting salary I’m coming out with for my field is prob in 450k range, with higher earning potential + investment early on. Money is not an issue at this point... live conservatively for a few years and you can pay off debt in a rapid amount of time. Also consider that money is not the only thing in life to factor in happiness - why do you think the super wealthy are often so depressed? It clearly doesn’t equate to happiness. You have to like what you do or like your life outside of work to some extent

Your entire money does not equal happiness comment is a strawman. I never brought that up or endorsed the viewpoint you are trying to contend. You don't need a ton of starting capital form mommy and daddy to make money. Something on the order of a few tens of thousands is enough. It is quite possible to save that consistently year after year in most decent jobs post-grad. I also stated earlier that money isn't the only reason I regret medicine. I don't want to go into other specifics here.

It is good to know that you know you would be miserable in those other fields and chose medicine. It is good that you will make 450k. I am happy for you. It's nice your interests lined up with such a lucrative field.

Frankly, I'm a pretty open person, when it comes to academic and professional interests, and I am not like that. There are several fields I would be happy in. Medicine is a decent but not ideal fit for me. It looked like the latter early on which is why I picked it. Currently, I am looking into atypical niches that would be a good fit for me in medicine.

And yes sure, I may be talking about a specific talent level of people, who happened to have grown up in a socioeconomically well off area. It is my personal experience. I was talking about MY friends. I understand that other peoples' experiences will be different, especially those coming from less well off backgrounds. For many people, medicine is the most stable way to break into the upper middle to lower upper class.

 

[IMreshopeful]

Your entire money does not equal happiness comment is a strawman. I never brought that up or endorsed the viewpoint you are trying to contend. You don't need a ton of starting capital form mommy and daddy to make money. Something on the order of a few tens of thousands is enough. It is quite possible to save that consistently year after year in most decent jobs post-grad. I also stated earlier that money isn't the only reason I regret medicine. I don't want to go into other specifics here.

It is good to know that you know you would be miserable in those other fields and chose medicine. Frankly, I'm a pretty open person, and I am not like that. There are several fields I would be happy in. Medicine is a decent but not ideal fit for me. It looked like the latter early on which is why I picked it.

The initial point of your argument is that other fields are much better financially - which is what you brought up, not me. So I addressed that issue. I mentioned that the earning potential can be very high for medicine compared to many of these fields, and that purely amount earned =\= happiness. No need to get Internet warrior with the “strawman” term. And I don’t know your life history so based on what I was going off, your gripe with medicine at least in part seemed to be about money. I’m sure you have other issues. Good luck in dealing with them and hopefully you find some happiness in whatever you do.

 

[TheIllusionist]

The initial point of your argument is that other fields are much better financially - which is what you brought up, not me. So I addressed that issue. I mentioned that the earning potential can be very high for medicine compared to many of these fields, and that purely amount earned =\= happiness. No need to get Internet warrior with the “strawman” term. And I don’t know your life history so based on what I was going off, your gripe with medicine at least in part seemed to be about money. I’m sure you have other issues. Good luck in dealing with them and hopefully you find some happiness in whatever you do.

The "internet warrior" comment is unnecessary. I addressed a logical fallacy. Regardless, for the types of people I am talking about, medicine is the least financially sensible choice. If you go to top schools and can get jobs at top firms, which honestly isn't too hard because top firms recruit sometimes almost exclusively at top schools, you can enter far more financially lucrative paths. In a discussion purely about money making ability, when it comes to kids that grew up upper middle class to wealthy and attend highly ranked schools, medicine is in fact not financially sensible relative to many other options. I am talking about a niche situation.

 

[IMreshopeful]

The "internet warrior" comment is unnecessary. I addressed a logical fallacy you brought up. Regardless, for the types of people I am talking about, medicine is the least financially sensible choice. If you go to top schools and can get jobs at top firms, which honestly isn't too hard because top firms recruit sometimes almost exclusively at top schools, you can enter far more financially lucrative paths. In a discussion purely about money making ability, when it comes to kids that grew up upper middle class to wealthy and attend highly ranked schools, medicine is in fact not financially sensible relative to many other options. I am talking about a niche situation.

I went to not a top state school on a scholarship. I grew up solidly middle class. So maybe being outside of this “niche” makes it hard for me to connect with the situation you’re describing because I know far, far more people NOT in that situation. Privilege is a hell of a thing

 

[TheIllusionist]

I went to not a top state school on a scholarship. I grew up solidly middle class. So maybe being outside of this “niche” makes it hard for me to connect with the situation you’re describing because I know far, far more people NOT in that situation. Privilege is a hell of a thing

That's fair. Good points.

 

[BurntFlower]

Wow, it seems like most people here have friends who are making six figure salaries. My friends are, at most, making 40-50k. And I certainly didn't have that kind of salary when I was working during my gap years.

As for the thread question, I know of only one friend who is jealous about me going to medical school and that is because she directly told me so.

 

[MissGamerMD]

I wouldn't say friends are jealous, per se, but I do come from a smaller and relatively lower-income city and people love to talk about me starting med school. For most of them, they're excited for me but are baffled by the fact that I'm willing to go 250k more into debt and take 6-11 more years to get to a stable career. Most of my friends are making well under 100k, with the average at about 40-50k and a lot of them are content with this.
The only friend I "lost" was because her fiancé found out I got in and said, in front of her, "Wow, I wish Jane would do something like that, she's still paying off her [insert a type of arts degree]". I mean we were both less than impressed with that comment but she's increased her distance since that.

 

[ShyGuy0082]

Ah kids these days. You 20 something always think that “all my friends” make 6 figures after college. I’ll tell you: you are all delusional. I work in IT for almost 30 years. I’ve hired hundreds of graduates. People fresh out of college don’t get paid $100k+. There are few regions in the US where you might get $100k fresh out of college in cities like San Francisco if you get to work for a start up but $100k in SF doesn’t get you far.

$100k/year puts you as a top 15% of earners. $200k makes you a top 5%. So keep your anecdotes to yourself.

 

[Scrubs101]

What is there to be jealous about? I’m a medical student. There’s like 0 perks to this position at this point.

I get a lot of “oh that sucks” “so how much longer?” “Yeah that sounds like a lot of work” “man im so happy im done with school forever”.

But to answer your question OP, no my friends dont suck. Thats why theyre my friends. Sorry about your situation, sounds like youre doing the right thing moving on to new friends.

 

[atomi]

Ah kids these days. You 20 something always think that “all my friends” make 6 figures after college. I’ll tell you: you are all delusional. I work in IT for almost 30 years. I’ve hired hundreds of graduates. People fresh out of college don’t get paid $100k+. There are few regions in the US where you might get $100k fresh out of college in cities like San Francisco if you get to work for a start up but $100k in SF doesn’t get you far.

$100k/year puts you as a top 15% of earners. $200k makes you a top 5%. So keep your anecdotes to yourself.

Fresh out of college, sure. $80k is a reasonable starting salary for tech. Silicon valley, $100k+. But that's starting (for a 22 year old!) and just salary and doesn't include things like bonuses and retirement matching (which are worth an enormous amount with 40-50 years to grow and earn compounding interest). 8 years later, it is totally reasonable for a 29-30 year old to be earning $150k. In fact, you should expect that. I was in a salary stagnant field/company where engineers were maxing out around $100k even after 20 years of experience. They didn't attract the best talent.

 

[Terry Toma]

What is there to be jealous about? I’m a medical student. There’s like 0 perks to this position at this point.

I get a lot of “oh that sucks” “so how much longer?” “Yeah that sounds like a lot of work” “man im so happy im done with school forever”.

But to answer your question OP, no my friends dont suck. Thats why theyre my friends. Sorry about your situation, sounds like youre doing the right thing moving on to new friends.

Yep. "Better you than me" seems to be the consensus among my non-medical friends.

 

[ShyGuy0082]

Fresh out of college, sure. $80k is a reasonable starting salary for tech. Silicon valley, $100k+. But that's starting (for a 22 year old!) and just salary and doesn't include things like bonuses and retirement matching (which are worth an enormous amount with 40-50 years to grow and earn compounding interest). 8 years later, it is totally reasonable for a 29-30 year old to be earning $150k. In fact, you should expect that. I was in a salary stagnant field/company where engineers were maxing out around $100k even after 20 years of experience. They didn't attract the best talent.

I never paid fresh out of college 80k/year. Average would be 50k. 8 years later sure, you can get 120-130k. 150 would be extremely rare unless you go into management. But then 8 years later you as a doctor will make a lot more than that.