OP, I completely sympathize with your point of view. I have experienced similar feelings after realizing how much of my life was spent on call in the hospital.
I think it's a great post, and should be read by anyone contemplating medicine. However, I disagree about the money. It's true that the debt can be formidable, and if you will have a large debt total and will be going into a lower paid specialty, the math may not work out in your favor.
That said, many of us have lost perspective on salaries. The average US income is about 52k. Most Americans would consider an income of 100k to be rich. 200k , unimaginable. If you were a computer programmer AND you founded Facebook or Twitter, you would have more money, but you didn't do that. Neither did 99% of programmers, who work very long hours for a lot less money than you will earn.
They highest " guaranteed " income that I'm aware of is being a physician. I'm not saying it's worth all the misery you went through, but the money is actually pretty good. Investment banking jobs and highly compensated corporate positions do pay more, but those jobs are few and far between, they often work longer hours than doctors, and most who try for those jobs don't get them.
If you are in a highly compensated specialty, as I believe you are, and you're careful with your money, then you can easily achieve a net worth in the low to middle 8 figures in your lifetime. That's rich. You are probably comparing yourself to billionaires. You will not become a billionaire as a physician. If you want that kind of money, become a physician entrerpreneur.
Note: You can either accumulate a high net worth, OR have a lot of toys: Lamborghini, a plane, a big boat, a vacation home. As a physician, you won't be able to have both. Decide which one you want, and proceed from there. If you want both, you need to get lucky or do what the really rich people did: start a successful company, or marry someone who did.
