Ok tell me, what path will net more $$$ than medicine?

[snailbody5]

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Members don't see this ad.

"Don't go into medicine if all you want to do is make money" -every pre-med ad infinitum.

I realized something about myself. All I really care about is if I make money in a reasonably ethical fashion. I don't care what the job entails really. I'm assuming you all are reasonably intelligent people if you scored high on the MCAT as it is largely an intelligence test, so I'm taking you up on your statement. As a post bio-grad what should I do if all I want to do is make bank? ~200k initial investment and ~7 years to be making 200k with great job security and flexibility, sounds pretty good. High paying non-petroleum engineers make 100k mid career. Business majors likely need an MBA to even hit 6 figures once in their career. Law, like business, is a crap-shoot, and even then Stanford Law grads make 200k mid career, and they are hustling practically as much as med school students and residents.

I mean, we aren't as different as you'd think, I ideally do want to help people with my life, but I simply am not passionate about "making them live longer." To me, that's one of the most boring ways you could help people; look around you, people are living in a daze and many are miserable even though they have all their material needs met, what's the point of delaying the inevitable if they never learned how to live. You are blessed if you're incredibly passionate about bio-chem and applied medicine, simply because your love will directly translate into printing money. As far as I see it money is power; if you want to shape the world and your life in a way you see fit, you need to acquire wealth.

 

[deleted577188]

If you're basically telling us that pre-meds are phony in pretending like they don't want to be compensated fairly for their work as a physician, I already know bro.

 

[snailbody5]

If you're basically telling us that pre-meds are phony in pretending like they don't want to be compensated fairly for their work as a physician, I already know bro.

Um, although I suspect it, I'm not accusing anyone of anything. I just hear this statement all the time, and I want to make bank. So I'm curious.

 

[Spinach Dip]

Is this a rant against premed idealism?

Or are you legit asking which careers make more than physicians?

 

[snailbody5]

Is this a rant against premed idealism?

Or are you legit asking which careers make more than physicians?

Ok, I'm a post-bio grad who wants to make money. I put on the breaks because I felt maybe I was heading down the wrong path, frightened I couldn't make it through med school without "passion." So I'm asking you guys, what should I do? I mean it seems most reasonable to carry through to med school since every other path barring law school requires me to redo undergrad for a few years, right? Not to mention their resulting salaries are often worse.

 

[hoihaie]

be CEO, start your own tech company and sell it to google/facebook/apple

 

[deleted577188]

Ok, I'm a post-bio grad who wants to make money. I put on the breaks because I felt maybe I was heading down the wrong path, frightened I couldn't make it through med school without "passion." So I'm asking you guys, what should I do? I mean it seems most reasonable to carry through to med school since every other path barring law school requires me to redo undergrad for a few years, right? Not to mention their resulting salaries are often worse.

If this is your question, start by telling us your stats including EC's, and pretend like you truly care about the work that a physician does. Be altruistic!

 

[wangers5270]

Learn how to count cards and take a trip to Vegas! Become well versed in investing / stock market. Vary the casinos you visit so you don't get blacklisted. Repeat until you are a multi-millionaire!

 

[AlteredScale]

As far as I see it money is power; if you want to shape the world and your life in a way you see fit, you need to acquire wealth.

Go into business if money is this important. IMO the money is good in medicine but not for the amount of time that you devote to the profession.

 

[efle]

If you're working with what intelligence and hard work can get you (no luck involved) there is nothing that beats the best paying medical specialties. Business and law CAN make more for a minority but not with anywhere near the levels of certainty

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

When people tell you not to go into medicine for money, they are not telling you that you won't make good money.

They are telling you that the time and emotional energy required of the training process and career is near unsustainable if money is your main motivation.

For a great example of this phenomenon playing out in real life, read some of the posts by @circulus vitios

 

[URMD]

Yeh, med is still good money, and they enjoy job security like no other profession imo. But its hard to make it though the training without actually caring about what you do. Thats what people say when they mean don't go into it for the money.

Buuutt if you say you don't really care about what you do, then fine.

 

[LizzyM]

Business.

When I look at the biographies of the people who are donating money to educational institutions including private high school (so not biased by the specialties of specific college majors), most of them are in business. You can go into business from any major. You'll be making money while your peers are in med school and about the time they would begin a fellowship (about 7 years after college graduation), you find a top notch MBA. The Economist (a British news magazine) recently reported that grads from top executive MBA programs make an additional $100K in their first year or two which offsets the cost of tuition and from there it is all gravy.

Take an accounting course and a business management course (I took both plus a course in economics even though I wasn't even a business minor) and prosper.

 

[skougess]

Entrepreneurship. Honestly I've made close to $50/hr with unskilled labor by working for myself instead of as an employee. Take any job you want and think of a reasonable, fair pay for it. Now multiply that number by 2.5x and you have a starting point for what you can charge as a business. There's a whole pile of **** that goes with starting and running even a simple business, but if you want to make bank, that is the way to do it. If it weren't for medicine, I would absolutely work for myself the rest of my life.

 

[resiroth]

If you're working with what intelligence andhard work can get you (no luck iinvolved) there is nothing that beats the best paying medical specialties. Business and law CAN make more for a minority but not with anywhere near the levels of certainty

I'd say someone that can get into the more competitive specialties is also intelligent enough to do investment banking or business and make a heck of a lot more money. It's less of a "sure thing" but if you want 7 figures you have to take risks, whether that's opening up your own practice and risking all your savings or whether it's quitting your job to try and build a company from the ground up.

 

[Surgeon's Cuffs]

I-banking seems to be the go to, but starting out in it is just as bad as starting residency in terms of the hours, stress. And instead of being ~26, you're fresh out of undergrad. But eventually you make boatloads of money, assuming you're good at it.

 

[Goro]

Politics.
Acting.
Writing
Pro sports
Fine art
Fashion design
Sales
Management
Finance
Banking
Mutual fund mgt
Venture capital
Tech

Oh, you mean you don't to work as hard as a doctor? Sorry, if you want to make bank like on my list above, you have a better odds going into Medicine.

If you want big bucks, you have to earn it. OR, be really, really talented and/or lucky. Either that, or marry into the Romney or Koch families.

"Don't go into medicine if all you want to do is make money" -every pre-med ad infinitum.

I realized something about myself. All I really care about is if I make money in a reasonably ethical fashion. I don't care what the job entails really. I'm assuming you all are reasonably intelligent people if you scored high on the MCAT as it is largely an intelligence test, so I'm taking you up on your statement. As a post bio-grad what should I do if all I want to do is make bank? ~200k initial investment and ~7 years to be making 200k with great job security and flexibility, sounds pretty good. High paying non-petroleum engineers make 100k mid career. Business majors likely need an MBA to even hit 6 figures once in their career. Law, like business, is a crap-shoot, and even then Stanford Law grads make 200k mid career, and they are hustling practically as much as med school students and residents.

I mean, we aren't as different as you'd think, I ideally do want to help people with my life, but I simply am not passionate about "making them live longer." To me, that's one of the most boring ways you could help people; look around you, people are living in a daze and many are miserable even though they have all their material needs met, what's the point of delaying the inevitable if they never learned how to live. You are blessed if you're incredibly passionate about bio-chem and applied medicine, simply because your love will directly translate into printing money. As far as I see it money is power; if you want to shape the world and your life in a way you see fit, you need to acquire wealth.

 

[skougess]

Politics.
Acting.
Writing
Pro sports
Fine art
Fashion design
Sales
Management
Finance
Banking
Mutual fund mgt
Venture capital
Tech

Oh, you mean you don't to work as hard as a doctor? Sorry, if you want to make bank like on my list above, you have a better odds going into Medicine.

If you want big bucks, you have to earn it. OR, be really, really talented and/or lucky. Either that, or marry into the Romney or Koch families.

QFT. There is no easy road, but you know what field you definitely WONT make bank it? One you hate/don't put the work in.

 

[Spinach Dip]

Writing

😏

Unless you are writing the next Transformers sequel, this is not the path to untold riches.

Of course, the richest (luckiest) authors make millions, but that's like telling someone to go into programming because Bill Gates is a billionaire.

 

[dbeast]

Dear future medical professionals, how can I make more money than you in a completely different field?

You're asking the wrong group of people, bud. Try a MBA message board or something.

 

[medguy24]

Politics.
Acting.
Writing
Pro sports
Fine art
Fashion design
Sales
Management
Finance
Banking
Mutual fund mgt
Venture capital
Tech

Oh, you mean you don't to work as hard as a doctor? Sorry, if you want to make bank like on my list above, you have a better odds going into Medicine.

If you want big bucks, you have to earn it. OR, be really, really talented and/or lucky. Either that, or marry into the Romney or Koch families.

The problem with all these specialties is that the chances of you making bank in them are very low. Sure the top make tons of money but the vast majority don't-many don't even have jobs.
As a doctor your essentially promised a high salary and that you'll have a job

 

[ehwhatsupdoc]

If I were you I would consider a high demand field in healthcare that doesn't take as long as medicine, with less debt and ability to make over 100k. Think nursing or PA. With these professions you can save a lot of money, at least 20-40k a year. With those savings I would invest in the stock market. Learn about trading and invest in leveraged ETFs in couple of sectors that have a strong outlook. For example Biotech and Solar. The key is consistently being able to save over 20k+ per year. That's money that you can take risks with even if it means some years you might lose most of it,but then there will be years you make 500-1000% return. It takes a lot of hw tho and investing yourself has to be something you are passionate about.

 

[medguy24]

Business.

When I look at the biographies of the people who are donating money to educational institutions including private high school (so not biased by the specialties of specific college majors), most of them are in business. You can go into business from any major. You'll be making money while your peers are in med school and about the time they would begin a fellowship (about 7 years after college graduation), you find a top notch MBA. The Economist (a British news magazine) recently reported that grads from top executive MBA programs make an additional $100K in their first year or two which offsets the cost of tuition and from there it is all gravy.

Take an accounting course and a business management course (I took both plus a course in economics even though I wasn't even a business minor) and prosper.

The problem with business is that the chances of you making bank is very low. Sure the top make tons of money but the vast majority don't-many don't even have jobs.
As a doctor your essentially promised a high salary and that you'll have a job

 

[deleted393595]

Learn how to count cards and take a trip to Vegas! Become well versed in investing / stock market. Vary the casinos you visit so you don't get blacklisted. Repeat until you are a multi-millionaire!

Then:

• Write a memoir detailing your exploits
• Sell the movie rights to it
• Profit $$$

 

[ehwhatsupdoc]

If I were you I would consider a high demand field in healthcare that doesn't take as long as medicine, with less debt and ability to make over 100k. Think nursing or PA. With these professions you can save a lot of money, at least 20-40k a year. With those savings I would invest in the stock market. Learn about trading and invest in leveraged ETFs in couple of sectors that have a strong outlook. For example Biotech and Solar. The key is consistently being able to save over 20k+ per year. That's money that you can take risks with even if it means some years you might lose most of it,but then there will be years you make 500-1000% return. It takes a lot of hw tho and investing yourself has to be something you are passionate about.

Buying rental properties is another easy way to make bank. Once you have 10+ houses in an area with high population growth, you should be able to to make good supplemental income.

 

[NickNaylor]

There are many things that will "net you more" than medicine. The great thing about medicine is that the floor is still in the top 5% of American salaries. Thus, if you can manage to graduate, you "have it made," so to speak. Not many fields offer that guarantee.

 

[medicaldestroyer]

@snailbody5 Banking, Finance, Consulting, Venture Capitalism

If you like healthcare you could also look into dentistry. I wish someone had suggested that to me as a premed. This guy hits it on the money.

Before making an investment in higher education, I think people need to really take a hard and honest look at themselves. Figure out what their strengths and weaknesses are, what their likes and dislikes are, etc. Then decide if post-college education is right for them and if so which route to take. For me, having worked prior to going back to medical school, I ruled out law school and business school quickly because the problem with those fields is that you have to have the right skillset to really pull it off to justify the investment. Very few people have what it takes. Most JD's and MBA's struggle and barely make it financially to justify the $100k in loans they took out. Medical school is a good option because if you survive the medical school and residency process you more or less can expect a certain amount of income and job stability. For me, I learned too late into third year medical school that I hated the hours, especially call. The material is not that hard and can be boring but tolerable. Pt care is ok. But it's the hours that I can't simply stand. Thankfully I matched into a specialty that fits me and my personality quite well. After residency, I probably will do 9-5 with little or no call. In retrospect, I would have gone to dental school. Why? 1) it's 9-5 type hours, no nights, no weekends. 2) mostly cash-based and very little insurance. When Obamacare becomes reality, you'll work harder for less pay. Besides, who wants to be told by the govt how much their work is worth? I prefer letting the market dictate how much I can charge. 3) working with your hands. Even though I thought I would do surgery when I first went to medical school, I soon realized that my back could barely survive surgery clerkship, so 5 years of grueling surgery residency was out of the question. Furthermore, I think that most surgeons eventually develop back problems because it's just not natural to be standing or walking for 10 hours a day. In dentistry, you can work with your hands which is what I like but you get to sit down when you do so. 4) you can start practicing after dental school instead of having to do another 3-7 years of residency and fellowship. This last point is very important. We had an categorical medicine intern get fired 2 weeks ago from my program. How much does that suck to spend 4 years in school and 200k in loans and then have your entire medical career end just like that? Often times if you get fired from residency it's due to politics and not performance-related. In dentistry, you just need to survive 4 years of dental school not the 7+ years it takes to become a physician. 5) there's less book material to learn. I like learning about new things but medicine is bit much for me. I like to do other things besides reading about medicine in the 1 hour I have free every day. In dentistry, you don't have to do as much work to keep current. 6) the income in dentistry is quite good. On average, dentists make more than a primary care physician. That's >150k. If you do a residency in orthodontics or endodontics you can make >300k working 3 days a week without nights or weekends. How sweet is that? You have a much better chance of matching into orthodontics or endodontics than derm. As a disclaimer, I should mention that my fiance is a dentist so I have inside knowledge of the other side. After comparing the two, I wish that I would considered dentistry more. However, this decision is highly dependent on the individual and their skills and personality.

 

[medicaldestroyer]

There are many things that will "net you more" than medicine. The great thing about medicine is that the floor is still in the top 5% of American salaries. Thus, if you can manage to graduate, you "have it made," so to speak. Not many fields offer that guarantee.

If you manage to make it through residency you mean. Not everyone does.

 

[gettheleadout]

I've seen this asked before and have never really been satisfied with the responses. Often the answer is stupidly dependent on luck (e.g. entrepreneurship, tech startup).

My answer? If you don't care what you actually do, be a math genius* and do investment management as a CFA, where the top 10% of earners make around $500k and up.

*May be dependent on inherent ability lol

 

[Eppur Si Muove]

The thing is you can make tons of money by basically doing anything. But it doesn't come without huge risks and hard work no matter what you do. Medicine, business, hell even Youtubers now can make good money and land sponsorships and launch careers. But it takes hard work, knowledge, and a little luck. You have to have somehting great to offer others in order to make large amounts of money. So the real question is, if you want to make money, what do you have to share with others that warrants it?

 

[GrapesofRath]

If you want big money become LeBron James dunk a basketball be able to bench the statue of liberty and be able to hit a basketball shot from the 51st row of the stands. Boom just like that upwards of $90 million a year. It's that easy.

 

[Spinach Dip]

If you want big money become LeBron James dunk a basketball be able to bench the statue of liberty and be able to hit a basketball shot from the 51st row of the stands. Boom just like that upwards of $90 million a year. It's that easy.

You could also try winning the Masters, US Open, British Open, and Players Championship within a calendar year. Hitting that would net enough sponsors that you could play like crap for the rest of your career and people would still be throwing money at you and calling you the best ever.

 

[Spinach Dip]

You could also try winning the Masters, US Open, British Open, and Players Championship within a calendar year. Hitting that would net enough sponsors that you could play like crap for the rest of your career and people would still be throwing money at you and calling you the best ever.

Or invest in race horses. Have some promising colt win 5 or 6 races in a row, then, just before the derby, sprains a ligament (wink wink). Then rake in the stud fees for the next 15 years.

 

[resiroth]

@snailbody5 Banking, Finance, Consulting, Venture Capitalism

If you like healthcare you could also look into dentistry. I wish someone had suggested that to me as a premed. This guy hits it on the money.

The median salary for dentists is less than primary care even, and the cost of attendance is higher. https://dentistry.usc.edu/programs/dds/cost-of-attendance/ delightful 🙂. Yes, you can run a practice...which might collapse on you or turn out well. Just like in medicine. At every tier a doctor will be outearning a dentist though. For every dentist making 400k there is a doctor making 600k.

Imo becoming a PA (assuming you go to a cheap school) is a very viable alternative to medical school, especially if you go the surgical route (where making 150k+ is the norm).

I've seen this asked before and have never really been satisfied with the responses. Often the answer is stupidly dependent on luck (e.g. entrepreneurship, tech startup).

My answer? If you don't care what you actually do, be a math genius* and do investment management as a CFA, where the top 10% of earners make around $500k and up.

*May be dependent on inherent ability lol

Unfortunately you left out go to Harvard Yale Princeton Stanford or MIT for undergrad 🙂.

If you want to make truckloads of money and are very smart play poker. No real barriers to entry, but you'll probably be a fish. YMMV.

 

[WingedOx]

@snailbody5 Banking, Finance, Consulting, Venture Capitalism

If you like healthcare you could also look into dentistry. I wish someone had suggested that to me as a premed. This guy hits it on the money.

Compared to medicine, I know a lot more people who burned out and walked away from the trading desk despite making serious cash barely out of college... Those people can give you a more concise "the work isn't worth the money" talk than those burned out in medicine.

/It's why I roll my eyes at the naivety of "well if you go to a top tier school you can always I-bank your way to happiness and success if you decide not to do medicine" arguments in every college selection thread.

 

[gettheleadout]

Unfortunately you left out go to Harvard Yale Princeton Stanford or MIT for undergrad 🙂.

If you want to make truckloads of money and are very smart play poker. No real barriers to entry, but you'll probably be a fish. YMMV.

Yeah but math genius was already in there, if you're at that level you can presumable get into those schools anyway. But regardless, you're right, poker is the answer for turning exceptional intelligence into cash with the fewest additional requirements (e.g. pedigree).

 

[medicaldestroyer]

Compared to medicine, I know a lot more people who burned out and walked away from the trading desk despite making serious cash barely out of college... Those people can give you a more concise "the work isn't worth the money" talk than those burned out in medicine.

/It's why I roll my eyes at the naivety of "well if you go to a top tier school you can always I-bank your way to happiness and success if you decide not to do medicine" arguments in every college selection thread.

I'm not naive. Graduated from a top tier school and have close friends who are still in business and making "serious money." Yes a bunch of people quit but those are the people who wanted something more out of life than money and wealth accumulation.

Did you even read the original post? Snailbody5 claims he is motivated by money and wants to accumulate wealth. He doesn't want to help people in the ways that medicine does. He 100% shouldn't go into medicine and if he really is motivated by money and wants to accumulate wealth he should look at the careers I listed. They are much better ways of accumulating wealth than becoming a doctor.

 

[WingedOx]

I'm not naive. Graduated from a top tier school and have close friends who are still in business and making "serious money." Yes a bunch of people quit but those are the people who wanted something more out of life than money and wealth accumulation.

Did you even read the original post? Snailbody5 claims he is motivated by money and wants to accumulate wealth. He doesn't want to help people in the ways that medicine does. He 100% shouldn't go into medicine and if he really is motivated by money and wants to accumulate wealth he should look at the careers I listed. They are much better ways of accumulating wealth than becoming a doctor.

which is an easy as sh-t thing for him to say when he's 20 year old, still in undergrad, and hasn't worked a real job for day in his life. The reality of said jobs is they come with serious drawbacks that need to be considered as well.

 

[resiroth]

Yeah but math genius was already in there, if you're at that level you can presumable get into those schools anyway. But regardless, you're right, poker is the answer for turning exceptional intelligence into cash with the fewest additional requirements (e.g. pedigree).

Actually you might be surprised. I know someone that finished multivariable calculus at a local college before attending high school, but never graduated or attended college. He's making absurd amounts with poker so you never know.

As colleges grow increasingly "elite" the applicants with rough edges (C in English, B in Art History etc.) but amazing talent in math (state-recognition/national recognition for accomplishments) is passed over in favor of the "good at math but nothing exceptional" student with A's in English/Art History.

Cal tech seems to be fairly meritocratic, but Harvard et al. and to a lesser extent MIT seem to be passing over some potentially amazing applicants in favor of "safe" ones.

which is an easy as sh-t thing for him to say when he's 20 year old, still in undergrad, and hasn't worked a real job for day in his life. The reality of said jobs is they come with serious drawbacks that need to be considered as well.

Absolutely. Even 50 hours a week is an incredibly long time to not feel fulfilled. I realized after having a job and actually working 50 hours that I was probably spending close to 25-30 in undergrad on my studies.

 

[medic86]

The median salary for dentists is less than primary care even, and the cost of attendance is higher. https://dentistry.usc.edu/programs/dds/cost-of-attendance/ delightful 🙂. Yes, you can run a practice...which might collapse on you or turn out well. Just like in medicine. At every tier a doctor will be outearning a dentist though. For every dentist making 400k there is a doctor making 600k.

Imo becoming a PA (assuming you go to a cheap school) is a very viable alternative to medical school, especially if you go the surgical route (where making 150k+ is the norm).

Unfortunately you left out go to Harvard Yale Princeton Stanford or MIT for undergrad 🙂.

If you want to make truckloads of money and are very smart play poker. No real barriers to entry, but you'll probably be a fish. YMMV.

To achieve a baseline level of decent play, all you need is time (to learn), a decent bankroll that can handle the swings (i.e. play the right blinds), and an excellent understanding of probability.

Beyond that, if you truly want to make a lot of money fast in poker, you better have an intuitive ability to read people accurately (assuming you're not only playing online).

I miss playing poker. 🙁

 

[resiroth]

To achieve a baseline level of decent play, all you need is time (to learn), a decent bankroll that can handle the swings (i.e. play the right blinds), and an excellent understanding of probability.

Beyond that, if you truly want to make a lot of money fast in poker, you better have an intuitive ability to read people accurately (assuming you're not only playing online).

I miss playing poker. 🙁

You have to play online to make the big bucks. 3x the speed, + opportunity to play ~8 tables = 24x the earnings.

I think what really differentiates the successful from "I make some money" is that ability to play a ton of tables at once. Imagine you make 5 bucks an hour in live poker. Online poker that's 15 bucks an hour, not bad! But the guy that can play 8-10 tables is making 120-150 dollars an hour, or ~240-300k a year. The fact you can do this in Mexico means you'll have an absurd amount of disposable income. Heck in the US in a lot of areas 240-300k is insane.

Professions that can make a bunch of money from any location seem to include medicine (within the US) and poker (anywhere in the world).

For some unknown reason tech has concentrated in an area so that salaries of 100k really aren't that great (100k in SF is = 55k in Nashville for ex.) despite being one of the few professions where it's not necessary to live in such high cost of living areas!

 

[medic86]

You have to play online to make the big bucks. 3x the speed, + opportunity to play ~8 tables = 24x the earnings.

I think what really differentiates the successful from "I make some money" is that ability to play a ton of tables at once. Imagine you make 5 bucks an hour in live poker. Online poker that's 15 bucks an hour, not bad! But the guy that can play 8-10 tables is making 120-150 dollars an hour, or ~240-300k a year. The fact you can do this in Mexico means you'll have an absurd amount of disposable income. Heck in the US in a lot of areas 240-300k is insane.

Professions that can make a bunch of money from any location seem to include medicine (within the US) and poker (anywhere in the world).

For some unknown reason tech has concentrated in an area so that salaries of 100k really aren't that great (100k in SF is = 55k in Nashville for ex.) despite being one of the few professions where it's not necessary to live in such high cost of living areas!

Yep! Multi-tabling is definitely the way to go! But damn, it's hard. The best I could manage was 4 tables at once. I didn't have the emotional discipline and hours upon hours of playtime to not make mistakes, so going broke was inevitable. 😛

Edit: I didn't blow too much money. 😛

 

[skougess]

I've seen this asked before and have never really been satisfied with the responses. Often the answer is stupidly dependent on luck (e.g. entrepreneurship, tech startup).

My answer? If you don't care what you actually do, be a math genius* and do investment management as a CFA, where the top 10% of earners make around $500k and up.

*May be dependent on inherent ability lol

Certainly many tech startups that have no clear path to revenue are wildly risky and luck dependent. However, as both a former employee and small business owner, I can say that I felt way more at risk and luck-dependent as an employee. The key is to not reinvent the wheel. When your business idea is to start a house cleaning business or a hot dog stand on the corner, it's really not that risky of a proposition and it's really not too difficult to find business. If you are getting the vibe your business idea is risky, it's probably not a very sound one.

Surely medicine is far less risky than anything though.

 

[Goro]

Which is like telling someone to go to medical school to get rich as a doctor?

Either way, one has to work hard.

😏

Unless you are writing the next Transformers sequel, this is not the path to untold riches.

Of course, the richest (luckiest) authors make millions, but that's like telling someone to go into programming because Bill Gates is a billionaire.

 

[Goro]

The chances of one becoming a Harvard neurosurgeon are also quite low; and OP wasn't asking for chances either. I agree with the bold.

A random google search for US MD average salary gave me this: a range of $172K to $245K...Obviously a limited sample size and survey...but you have to start somewhere!
http://www.payscale.com/research/US/People_with_Jobs_as_Physicians_/_Doctors/Salary


The problem with all these specialties is that the chances of you making bank in them are very low. Sure the top make tons of money but the vast majority don't-many don't even have jobs. As a doctor your essentially promised a high salary and that you'll have a job

 

[resiroth]

The chances of one becoming a Harvard neurosurgeon are also quite low; and OP wasn't asking for chances either. I agree with the bold.

A random google search for US MD average salary gave me this: a range of $172K to $245K...Obviously a limited sample size and survey...but you have to start somewhere!
http://www.payscale.com/research/US/People_with_Jobs_as_Physicians_/_Doctors/Salary


The problem with all these specialties is that the chances of you making bank in them are very low. Sure the top make tons of money but the vast majority don't-many don't even have jobs. As a doctor your essentially promised a high salary and that you'll have a job

Funny that people keep talking about business as if it has to be a completely separate thing than medicine. The most financially successful doctors are invariably owning their own equipment and/or running a practice.

That seems like a bunch of work for a pay increase beyond "about as much money as I think I would ever realistically need", but I'll have to see after residency.

 

[Incis0r]

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[Irish Luck]

I realized something about myself. All I really care about is if I make money in a reasonably ethical fashion. I don't care what the job entails really.

Be careful with the assumption that what you feel now is what you’ll feel forever.

While I was in college I thought all I wanted to do was be rich. I delayed medical school because I thought I could be satisfied in any job as long as I made a good living. I started working for a consulting company, eventually being promoted to sales where money is unarguably the strongest motivator.

I ended up hating the job and was incredibly unhappy with where I had taken my life. The feeling of schlepping to a job, putting in a considerable amount of hours, and enduring considerable stress JUST for money is much different than the idea that all you need is high compensation for your work. Realize that regardless of what career you choose, you will be working long, hard hours with a significant amount of stress if you’re pushing for high income.
Also realize that once you get to a certain income, the additional money being made doesn’t give you the same satisfaction. That’s when all the other components of your career start having more of an impact on your level of happiness with your chosen career.

Consider your motivations strongly before abandoning medicine. If you think you could truly be happy in a job where you’re just pushing harder and harder for more income, then by all means give business a shot. Just realize that you may wake up a few years down the road unhappy with that decision.

 

[litotes]

ummm, investment banking? consulting? big tech (microsoft, google etc)?

People I go to college with are making 20k-40k in a summer doing these gigs and making >100k starting out of college. Granted I go to a fairly well known school but I feel that if you have good enough GPA and personal qualities, there's no reason you can't go down this route if you just want money.

 

[LizzyM]

The problem with all these specialties is that the chances of you making bank in them are very low. Sure the top make tons of money but the vast majority don't-many don't even have jobs.
As a doctor your essentially promised a high salary and that you'll have a job

If you are talented enough to get into medicine, you are talented enough to make big money in a business career better suited to your interests/motivation. Sure there are plenty of people barely making it in business but they wouldn't have gotten into med school /residency either.