Second thoughts. Would you pull out?

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stoopidmonkeycatdog

stoopidmonkeycatdog

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I'll be going to Texas A&M in task, but I'm starting to think with the way it looks like our country is going right now, maybe Dentistry isn't the right bet.

I could get a job paying around 80k right now, should I pull out of next falls class and start working immediately?
 
stoopidmonkeycatdog said:
@Advance do you ever feel any uncertainty or regrets? Or you're still in full go?
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I mean, I have a degree in biology so it's either this or selling newspapers on the side of the road.

Lol but in all seriousness. Don't let that thread bother you. If you want to be a dentist A&M will set you up for a successful career with minimal debt. I don't feel regret at all but then again, I've wanted to be a dentist for a very long time.
 
I always said I dont have a dirty mind, I have a sexy imagination in situation like this 😉
 
Advance said:
I mean, I have a degree in biology so it's either this or selling newspapers on the side of the road.

Lol but in all seriousness. Don't let that thread bother you. If you want to be a dentist A&M will set you up for a successful career with minimal debt. I don't feel regret at all but then again, I've wanted to be a dentist for a very long time.
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That's like my dream job
 
Advance said:
I mean, I have a degree in biology so it's either this or selling newspapers on the side of the road.

Lol but in all seriousness. Don't let that thread bother you. If you want to be a dentist A&M will set you up for a successful career with minimal debt. I don't feel regret at all but then again, I've wanted to be a dentist for a very long time.
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Which thread are you referring to?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
Jimbo3712 said:
Which thread are you referring to?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
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"Dental school will almost surely wreck your finances" thread. I'm not sure if @stoopidmonkeycatdog is concerned about finances or just the general state of the profession but it seems that thread has been steering people away from dentistry.I assume that's why these "should I decline my acceptance" threads keep poping up.
 
Advance said:
"Dental school will almost surely wreck your finances" thread. I'm not sure if @stoopidmonkeycatdog is concerned about finances or just the general state of the profession but it seems that thread has been steering people away from dentistry.I assume that's why these "should I decline my acceptance" threads keep poping up.
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MaizeGoBlue said:
The personal finance thread, which is a great read for every pre dent imo. However, A&M tuition really isn't crazy. That's more of warning against private school tuition.
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I did read that thread but thats not necessarily what has me feeling this way. The sent from A&M is definitely manageable so I'm not overly concerned about it, my concern is the market for dentistry as a whole around the time we'll be graduating. I may be overly negative but I feel like we're headed for some decently troubling times economically, so I am concerned we'll see a drop in patients coming in for normal work, and instead it will all be emergency cases that actually NEED to be seen.

If we are in a bad state economically I also feel as if it would make me really financially driven in my practice Stylez which would be negative for both patients and myself, and If I was going to go into that mindset I though well I may as well start working now!

But I think I'm being overly negative and I really like dentistry as a field so I'll definitely continue forward.
 
Wouldn't even think about it. I would take the 80k in a heartbeat. Why waste another 4 years and get +200k in debt when you can make 80k now with minimal debt.
 
nice_guy1 said:
Wouldn't even think about it. I would take the 80k in a heartbeat. Why waste another 4 years and get +200k in debt when you can make 80k now with minimal debt.
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I guess the downside to that job is it has a very hard ceiling at around 115k and it requires a looott of traveling.
 
nice_guy1 said:
Wouldn't even think about it. I would take the 80k in a heartbeat. Why waste another 4 years and get +200k in debt when you can make 80k now with minimal debt.
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Because those Texas prices are a steal?
 
If you're going into dentistry purely for the money when you have other options financially, you might have a bad time.
If you have family to support, it is a tough thing to undergo. That's a lot of debt to rack up and you are risking your family's livelihood on your dental education which is an investment that bankruptcy won't solve if unable to pay off loans for whatever reason. If you look at it that way, you might have a better return elsewhere - finance/investing, real estate, etc.
Long term if everything works out as expected (a stable career of 30+ years) dentistry will pull out ahead financially. The difference between making ~120k (a number that can change drastically based on your position as a dentist) and 80k a year would take a while to make up for the debt. You're starting out at a huge difference (making money for 4 years vs losing it) and that financial gap takes a lot of time to cover. Either way, you should do something you enjoy. You're gonna do it for a long time. You only get one life to live.

That said, what job would you be doing for 80k a year if you don't mind me asking?
 
Dukieee said:
If you're going into dentistry purely for the money when you have other options financially, you might have a bad time.
If you have family to support, it is a tough thing to undergo. That's a lot of debt to rack up and you are risking your family's livelihood on your dental education which is an investment that bankruptcy won't solve if unable to pay off loans for whatever reason. If you look at it that way, you might have a better return elsewhere - finance/investing, real estate, etc.
Long term if everything works out as expected (a stable career of 30+ years) dentistry will pull out ahead financially. The difference between making ~120k (a number that can change drastically based on your position as a dentist) and 80k a year would take a while to make up for the debt. You're starting out at a huge difference (making money for 4 years vs losing it) and that financial gap takes a lot of time to cover. Either way, you should do something you enjoy. You're gonna do it for a long time. You only get one life to live.

That said, what job would you be doing for 80k a year if you don't mind me asking?
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It is a pretty small field so I would prefer not to give too much information out about it but it's in the pharmaceutical industry, progression goes from 60-70 -> 80-90 -> 105-120. But with the right background you can jump right into the second tier.
 
stoopidmonkeycatdog said:
It is a pretty small field so I would prefer not to give too much information out about it but it's in the pharmaceutical industry, progression goes from 60-70 -> 80-90 -> 105-120. But with the right background you can jump right into the second tier.
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If you want financial independence/early retirement, don't go to dental school. If you want lots of fun $, then go to dental school. Of course the fun $ only comes after paying down your debt which for TX is quite manageable.
 
Feeling the same way recently. Personally, I already got accepted and am 99% committed to going, but it does worry me. TX is starting to get scary to open a practice. Lots of people coming from out of state opening practices (mostly California) and 3 schools already pumping out 345+ dentists a year (don't forget about the international students!) not to mention the new school opening in El Paso, which will be accepting their first round of students the year we graduate. I don't want to open a rural practice. I don't think I could get myself to live rural. I'm a city boy from Dallas. I realize us in-state TX kids have it pretty good when it comes to tuition, but I don't care what anybody says...220k is a LOT of money. I've never gotten close to dealing with that type of debt.

Personally, I'm not doing dentistry for purely financial reasons. If I wanted just to make money I would join my dad's business and could make 100k a year right now with no ceiling and eventually take over the business. I don't because I want to join a profession that interests me and makes me think. However, I also don't really like the idea of opening a practice and going bankrupt.

Also, this is going to get (slightly) political but I genuinely believe Trump is going to cause either a war or a financial collapse worse than 2008. He's going to create huge bubbles through deregulation and they're going to pop hard when reality sinks in. I'm completely serious. It's going to squeeze the **** out of the middle class, where most dentists make their money. Also, if he makes America a hostile place for immigrants (not illegals. Literally less people want to move here or it becomes much harder to do so) we will be pumping out dentists more and more with less people to treat. Lastly, 10-20 years ago I would say dentistry was recession proof, but competition is just too high for that to be true today/when we graduate. Sure, dentists will always be needed, but not 2 on every corner. In my home back in Dallas, I could literally walk (all within a mile) to EIGHT different dental offices. Absolutely unsustainable with even a slightly slumping economy, let alone the ****storm that I personally think is coming.
 
I think you should go to dental school. Especially since it is Texas. If you are disciplined for a couple years out of school you will make great progress.
 
aggietxdent said:
Feeling the same way recently. Personally, I already got accepted and am 99% committed to going, but it does worry me. TX is starting to get scary to open a practice. Lots of people coming from out of state opening practices (mostly California) and 3 schools already pumping out 345+ dentists a year (don't forget about the international students!) not to mention the new school opening in El Paso, which will be accepting their first round of students the year we graduate. I don't want to open a rural practice. I don't think I could get myself to live rural. I'm a city boy from Dallas. I realize us in-state TX kids have it pretty good when it comes to tuition, but I don't care what anybody says...220k is a LOT of money. I've never gotten close to dealing with that type of debt.

Personally, I'm not doing dentistry for purely financial reasons. If I wanted just to make money I would join my dad's business and could make 100k a year right now with no ceiling and eventually take over the business. I don't because I want to join a profession that interests me and makes me think. However, I also don't really like the idea of opening a practice and going bankrupt.

Also, this is going to get (slightly) political but I genuinely believe Trump is going to cause either a war or a financial collapse worse than 2008. He's going to create huge bubbles through deregulation and they're going to pop hard when reality sinks in. I'm completely serious. It's going to squeeze the **** out of the middle class, where most dentists make their money. Also, if he makes America a hostile place for immigrants (not illegals. Literally less people want to move here or it becomes much harder to do so) we will be pumping out dentists more and more with less people to treat. Lastly, 10-20 years ago I would say dentistry was recession proof, but competition is just too high for that to be true today/when we graduate. Sure, dentists will always be needed, but not 2 on every corner. In my home back in Dallas, I could literally walk (all within a mile) to EIGHT different dental offices. Absolutely unsustainable with even a slightly slumping economy, let alone the ****storm that I personally think is coming.
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Nah I respectfully disagree. I think his plan focuses more on capitalism and competition. Hopefully this puts more money INTO the middle class' pockets. And with less regulations on businesses more people are able to embrace entrepreneurship and hire people. And the prices will stay down due to competition. However, thats just what he has said. He can be a totally different person. But I do think what he has SAID will be good for dental. Also, ADA trends show that Latinos are the least likely to get dental check ups. I think the real problems are, like you were saying, the amount of schools and graduates
 
SDN is full of non-ambitious pre-dents scared of debt. Gotta spend money to make money, why sell yourself short for 80k a year? Go ahead and leave the profession if you want. Keep comparing yourself to the 1000s of associates not giving it 100% for their career instead of the "non representative" business minded dental professionals
 
Alpha Centauri said:
SDN is full of non-ambitious pre-dents scared of debt. Gotta spend money to make money, why sell yourself short for 80k a year? Go ahead and leave the profession if you want. Keep comparing yourself to the 1000s of associates not giving it 100% for their career instead of the "non representative" business minded dental professionals
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Lmaoooo you started dental school yet?
 
Alpha Centauri said:
SDN is full of non-ambitious pre-dents scared of debt. Gotta spend money to make money, why sell yourself short for 80k a year? Go ahead and leave the profession if you want. Keep comparing yourself to the 1000s of associates not giving it 100% for their career instead of the "non representative" business minded dental professionals
Click to expand...
I don't think it has anything to do with ambition. Becoming a dentist is pretty ambitious in itself IMO. school is expensive and tution is rising while salarys are constantly falling. With more and more schools opening up I think it's fair to be nervous about the future of dentistry especially when you're about to sign your name on a very large student loan.
 
Advance said:
I don't think it has anything to do with ambition. Becoming a dentist is pretty ambitious in itself IMO. school is expensive and tution is rising while salarys are constantly falling. With more and more schools opening up I think it's fair to be nervous about the future of dentistry especially when you're about to sign your name on a very large student loan.
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There's a difference between being nervous vs being depressed and pessimistic about a career with limitless potential

smurfeyD said:
Lmaoooo you started dental school yet?
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Lmaoooo nahhhh fam
 
Alpha Centauri said:
There's a difference between being nervous vs being depressed and pessimistic about a career with limitless potential


Lmaoooo nahhhh fam
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You have to admit if these trends continue dentistry won't have "limitless potential". Which is why I understand people's hesitation.
 
smurfeyD said:
Also, ADA trends show that Latinos are the least likely to get dental check ups.
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Just for the record, I wasn't really talking about only Latinos. He just banned 7 countries from entering the U.S., already threatened military action against Mexico (seriously), Iran, China, yelled at Australia, and is generally xenophobic. This is week 2!! I don't really want to hijack this thread to talk about this so please reply if you wish but this will be my last message on the topic. The main point is that we are living in such an unpredictable time that literally everything can change in a few weeks.

Think about the 2008 recession. Overnight, the housing market bubble popped and we had less money in the pockets of Americans including dentists, and dentists were seeing less patients and making less (double whammy). We are still feeling the effects of that as some dentists are still practicing when they would otherwise be retired. If you don't think that can happen again and be even worse...history disagrees.

To end on a positive note, the dental "specialty" of dental anesthesiologist is generally new as well as the concept of GPs placing implants/doing ortho. Doors are always opening and closing. Things charge SO FAST in both directions that us sitting here and speculating is as effective as betting on the stock market.

GENERALLY, dentists have done relatively well in the past, but as all invest brokers will tell you, "past profit is not indicative of future earnings".
 
aggietxdent said:
Just for the record, I wasn't really talking about only Latinos. He just banned 7 countries from entering the U.S., already threatened military action against Mexico (seriously), Iran, China, yelled at Australia, and is generally xenophobic. This is week 2!! I don't really want to hijack this thread to talk about this so please reply if you wish but this will be my last message on the topic. The main point is that we are living in such an unpredictable time that literally everything can change in a few weeks.

Think about the 2008 recession. Overnight, the housing market bubble popped and we had less money in the pockets of Americans including dentists, and dentists were seeing less patients and making less (double whammy). We are still feeling the effects of that as some dentists are still practicing when they would otherwise be retired. If you don't think that can happen again and be even worse...history disagrees.

To end on a positive note, the dental "specialty" of dental anesthesiologist is generally new as well as the concept of GPs placing implants/doing ortho. Doors are always opening and closing. Things charge SO FAST in both directions that us sitting here and speculating is as effective as betting on the stock market.

GENERALLY, dentists have done relatively well in the past, but as all invest brokers will tell you, "past profit is not indicative of future earnings".
Click to expand...
It's very difficult to make projections on what the state of the economy will look like in the future. To give you an example, if this was the 1970s, the runaway inflation and the rising oil prices suggested that economic outlook was bleak and that the middle class was going to be squeezed. However, that prediction turned out completely wrong. The U.S. has always gone through booms and busts. It's been that way for 200+ years and to suggest that we are going into a permanent bust with all that history to prove otherwise is an incorrect assumption to make imo. The great depression looked like a permanent bust but we rebounded after 15 years. Boom in 1920s, bust in 1930s, boom following ww2, bust in 1970s, boom in 80s and 90s, bust in 2008. My point is that this has been the cycle for centuries and yes, there is likely to be another major bust sometime in the future, but dentistry for most is a 30+ year career and you're looking at the short picture and discounting the fact that the economy has historically always rebounded from these busts. If these trends were so easy to predict then everyone would be a stock investor. I'm not saying that people weren't screwed in 2008, but centuries of market trends should quell concerns that these downturns aren't permanent and they should be replaced by economic booms in our lifetimes.
 
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