having side hustle while in dental school

[Boronew]

Hello!

I'm curious if it's possible to maintain a part-time job for about four hours a week (not even a proper part-time job, haha) while attending dental school. I've heard many daunting stories about how intense the workload can be during the D1 and D2 years, with exams and studying being particularly demanding.

Thank you!

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[Ryxndek]

No. Unless you’re not trying to specialize and okay with Bs/ Cs.

It would be really difficult to try and hold a job in dental school. This semester I’m doing 50-60 hours of school (studying, lab work, class time) a week. And I’m already tired. I don’t recommend it.

If this job is completely flexible and you can push things to the weekend, they it might be alright. But during the week it’s pretty busy.

 

[Boronew]

No. Unless you’re not trying to specialize and okay with Bs/ Cs.

It would be really difficult to try and hold a job in dental school. This semester I’m doing 50-60 hours of school (studying, lab work, class time) a week. And I’m already tired. I don’t recommend it.

If this job is completely flexible and you can push things to the weekend, they it might be alright. But during the week it’s pretty busy.

Thank you for your answer! The job is very flexible. I can only work on Saturdays, but I strongly agree with you.

 

[smiletiger98]

Hello!

I'm curious if it's possible to maintain a part-time job for about four hours a week (not even a proper part-time job, haha) while attending dental school. I've heard many daunting stories about how intense the workload can be during the D1 and D2 years, with exams and studying being particularly demanding.

Thank you!

We've had a couple people try to manage part times in school. It depends on the student but just for insight those same students are not in our class anymore because they struggled managing time and performed poorly in class. School is going to be your job. So I would say do not test those waters. It might be feasible once you enter clinic your D3 and D4 years, but after the grind of the first two years you will want to enjoy those study-free nights and weekends to make up for the lack of free time you had before.

 

[Thehighwind87]

No waste of time.

 

[Saddleshoes]

Everybody is different on this one...

I had a couple of classmates that had full time 2nd/3rd shift jobs in D1 year. One guy got to repeat D1 and one guy did just fine.

ME... There was no way I could spare the time in D1!!!!
However by D3 I had a 12 hour a week gig going that was keeping me in gas, groceries & a few goodies.

 

[axiumgod]

You definitely could. Whether it’s worth it is another question. And the answer is no.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Dental School is a lot tougher than you think. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if some students make money side hustling with their Tiktok, YouTube, or other accounts griping about dental school, playing music or ... modeling.

Of course, you should think about your club and extracurricular leadership activities.

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

or ... modeling.

A friend told me about a girl at UPenn who “danced” her way through dental school.

Big Hoss

 

[charlestweed]

If you need extra cash, just find a roommate (or roommates) to share an apartment with. And get a pair of earplugs to block out the noise when you sleep and study.

When I was in college, I worked for Disneyland as a seasonal worker. They called me to work during the long summer break, Christmas break, Spring break, and other major holidays like Independent Day, Labor Day etc. There was no internet back then. But now there are jobs that allow you to make your own schedule like Uber, Door Dash, Amazon delivery etc.

 

[Bigjt1420]

What's the point? Only being able to work Saturdays for what, a couple hundred bucks max? When I was in dental school, every DAY was $350, not including interest. So by working a Saturday and making $350, you pay for 1 single day of dental school. Not worth it.

Don't forget you'll be busy pretty much every second from Sunday - Friday. So you really don't want to have any time to recover?

 

[Pablo Sanchez]

People in my class had side hustles. Some people ran their own tutoring and dental school prep companies. A lot of people did online tutoring. Some people assisted on the weekends.

I tutored online and worked a retail job during breaks in addition to holding a small job with the school. It all adds up. You could argue that the money you make from doing a side hustle is pocket change compared to what you’ll make as a dentist, and that’s true. But for me, I’m glad I did it. Every little bit helps when you’re trying to avoid 8% interest on student loans. The reason I was able to pay off my student loans in a year is because I valued every penny. Work ethic carries with you. If you’re not willing to work a little harder now, you’re not going to want to work a little harder later either.

 

[charlestweed]

.... because I valued every penny. Work ethic carries with you. If you’re not willing to work a little harder now, you’re not going to want to work a little harder later either.

Amen!

 

[spaceburger]

I worked 12-15 hrs a week during D1. I did well but do not recommend.

 

[LegendaryPanda]

Doable but depends on you and your program.

D1 I was actually a blog writer putting in 2-4 hours a week for a few articles. This quickly became unsustainable since I was trying to specialize and was aiming for A’s. I stopped after like 2 months of this and never went back.

I also have a few friends that do part time freelance work such as photography and dog walking. Have this one friend that will dog walk a few hours a week, no matter how big the upcoming exam is. He used it as a stress reliever. That said, they aren’t students who decided to specialize and they weren’t the highest rank either (bottom 25% maybe).

Despite how doable it is, my recommendation is don’t do it. It becomes an obligation and could potentially put you in a bad spot.

 

[Molar Whisperer]

In DS, there are a lot of behind the scenes (after school) work. We had to do our own lab work pouring up models, wax/mock ups, etc. We didn't have 3D printing, CAD/CAM, internet work so it maybe different now. We usually have 2-3 tests everyday and finals every 3 weeks for the shorter classes in D1, D2, early D3. We had a mechanical engineer that said DS was super easy but he didn't have a part-time job. He went to Endo after graduation. We also had a lab tech that would just breeze thru lab work and he didn't have an official part-time job (maybe side lab work).

We had a guy who flips homes and cars to pay for his school (he didn't take out any loans). He graduated with us but didn't specialize. There was a story of an upperclassman who was an assistant mgr at a fast food joint. He missed a lot of school and they gave him numerous chances to catch up before they finally let him go. His story was set as an example for us.

 

[Molar Whisperer]

A friend told me about a girl at UPenn who “danced” her way through dental school.

Big Hoss

Had a friend from a different DS that had a male classmate similar to the 1987 movie Summer School. He got in tight with a female instr and probably received a lot of favors...