Is it impossible? Working full time...

[patricke]

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I'm finishing my undergrad at night, work full time during the day. I'd hate to leave the job for dental school - it's a six figure income that can really help pay for school. Is it impossible to do both?

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

Considering that dental school is during the day, and your job is during the day... I'm going to say yes, it's impossible to do both... additionally, you're talking about professional school, NOT undergrad, while we can do UG work while holding down a job, most people don't have time beyond studying to work... So, my answer is no, you can't do both. Save up as much as you can, and remember you'll be making decent money when you're done with school

 

[mauberley]

I'm finishing my undergrad at night, work full time during the day. I'd hate to leave the job for dental school - it's a six figure income that can really help pay for school. Is it impossible to do both?

I assume your full-time job is a first-shift/standard business hours job? You wouldn't be able to do both without downgrading and time-shifting your job responsibilities, and that's not taking into account having the needed attention to focus on your schooling.

Many, if not all, of us worked while completing our prereqs and are probably looking forward to not having the job as a distraction from our studies, so I doubt you'll find a lot of encouragement to do both full-time work and dental school.

 

[patricke]

I assume your full-time job is a first-shift/standard business hours job? You wouldn't be able to do both without downgrading and time-shifting your job responsibilities, and that's not taking into account having the needed attention to focus on your schooling.

Many, if not all, of us worked while completing our prereqs and are probably looking forward to not having the job as a distraction from our studies, so I doubt you'll find a lot of encouragement to do both full-time work and dental school.

I certainly understand it's not ideal. My concern is the debt I'll be taking on at my age (starting late 30's). I work in client services and can potentially switch to cover global clients (second shift) - don't know...
It's not a stressful job - plenty of free time to study.

 

[patricke]

Considering that dental school is during the day, and your job is during the day... I'm going to say yes, it's impossible to do both... additionally, you're talking about professional school, NOT undergrad, while we can do UG work while holding down a job, most people don't have time beyond studying to work... So, my answer is no, you can't do both. Save up as much as you can, and remember you'll be making decent money when you're done with school

What's the typical time during the day needed for class? 9AM to 3PM ?

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

I think you should ask the dental students. I am pre-med, but I know med schools don't really give you time to work. Studying is primary, and I've been told that while you may be in classes 4-8hrs per day, you're studying at least that many hours on top of it...

 

[patricke]

I think you should ask the dental students. I am pre-med, but I know med schools don't really give you time to work. Studying is primary, and I've been told that while you may be in classes 4-8hrs per day, you're studying at least that many hours on top of it...

I hear you...and, I would say that's a realistic daily load.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

my dentist told me that he worked 10-20 hours a week through dental school and it kept him from doing what he really wanted. my dentist is a good friend to my parents and that's why he told me. he said him working caused him to graduate near the middle of his class.

 

[yankswin2011]

The issue is whether attendance in dental school is mandatory (i.e. I imagine there are labs where you have to by physically present), if not, I think you can totally hack it. I really don't think the classes are that much harder than pre-med classes. They can only pack so much information in one semester, regardless of whether it is a grad or undergrad course. Also, once you get into dental school, the grades aren't as important as in your pre-med classes where you needed a good grade, so you can totally hack it. I mean, since you just have to pass, it's actually easier, ain't it?

I agree with you that because loans having interest rates in that range from 6.5% to 7.9% (which is almost double the typical car loans and mortgages!), it's a lot of money and I tend to find that people on this discussion board are not as fiscally-savvy as they should be -- they tend to live and die by the "you have to focus 100% of dental school" or you won't make it mentally, without realizing that student loan debt is the next mortgage crisis in our country, it's just a bubble waiting to burst, and you are astute enough to recognize it.

Even if you're making decent money after dental school, wouldn't it make more sense that you're actually keeping the money instead of paying off massive student loans with ~7% interest rates???