I'm starting to feel some doubt whether dentistry is right for me. I had some shadowing hours with the a dentist and really enjoyed it. The only thing is, is that I'm not completely sure whether i can see myself doing this line of work everyday...did any of you guys have this feeling? I know that not every aspect of a job will always be appealing but how much of what i am feeling is normal or how much of it is really my lack of interest for this career? I'm having difficulties telling the difference. Any response will be appreciated.
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REspond: It would really help me
Started by beatnik10884
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beatnik10884 said:
I had the exact same feelings for a while. But after doing some interviews and getting accepted, I feel as good about it as I ever did. You may be in the same boat.
beatnik10884 said:
Those are some really good questions, and ones that only you can ultimately answer. First off, virtually every job, no matter how interesting it may seem, usually breaks down into the mundane and the routine - and as you have mentioned, the trick is whether or not you can do it day and day out. I took routine into the overall consideration of dentistry as a serious career option and decided that I could live/deal with it on a continued basis. If you are having some serious reservations, and it is good that you are addressing such points at this stage in the game rather than when you are handed your degree, then what I would advise you do is next time you are shadowing a dentist ask him/her what their views are and opinions on the matter. How do they cope with the undesirable aspects of dentistry? What are their strategies for dealing with the millstone of routine? What makes them glad about their career choice and what keeps them motivated to return to work? In short, I urge you to openly discuss this next time you are shadowing and have someone that is walking the walk (or drilling the tooth 😀 ) help answer some of these questions.
beatnik10884 said:
Every job is going to have its routine. If you like the sciences, working with your hands and all that goes with dentistry, then why not... I feel that dentistry is actually not so repetitive as even though you might be doing a lot of the same procedures, you're working on different people and this makes every case different. If you like human contact the working as a file clerk in a law firm is not going to suit you. Truthfully, most jobs will have their bad days and their good days, hopefully yours will have more of the good.
