Was "wasting your 20's" worth it?

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JohnDoeJR

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This is a honest question that I think about late at night sometimes and maybe you guys could help to ease my mind. I'm someone who loves to travel, originally I was an engineering/finance major and I always fantasized of having that dream job that allowed me to just do it all; travel, have a lot of money, eat good food, see the world, maybe share my experiences with a significant other. While I'm sure there is that very job out there somewhere, the chances of me finding it are just not worth the stress and uncertainty that comes with blindly following a dream. After a few terrible internships and talking with people in the prospective fields I was after, I did some soul searching and wound up in pre-dental. I LOVE the field and I am finally content with my career path, except for the four years and maybe more added on to my already extra year of undergrad. While this is all assuming I get into dental school, I am pretty sure I will at least get in somewhere, I have fairly above average stats.

Back to the question (sorry for the manifesto), do any of you feel like you missed out on your twenties? I would love to hear from just about anyone; practicing dentists and current students. When I look around I feel like I'm missing out sometimes, I'm not really sure on what but it's just this gut feeling. I did pay for friends and joined a fraternity my sophomore year but even then I spend 90% of my time studying or doing homework.
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One of the generalists that I met was making $400,000 a year and traveling every month around the world.

The orthodontist I work under has sailed across the Atlantic, spent months out at sea, traveled throughout the Middle East and Central America. She practiced all over the USA helping improve the smiles of patients with cleft lip palates.

Dentistry is what you make of it. My patients come from all over the world and I get to experience their part of the world when they sit in my chair. It's an enormously rewarding career. Your 20s will come and go. The rest of your life is ahead of you.
 
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So you think studying in dental school is a waste of your 20s? Interesting..
 
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Don't go into dentistry then. You'll be misetable if you think obtaining a doctorate is "wasted time."
 
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JohnDoeJR said:
This is a honest question that I think about late at night sometimes and maybe you guys could help to ease my mind. I'm someone who loves to travel, originally I was an engineering/finance major and I always fantasized of having that dream job that allowed me to just do it all; travel, have a lot of money, eat good food, see the world, maybe share my experiences with a significant other. While I'm sure there is that very job out there somewhere, the chances of me finding it are just not worth the stress and uncertainty that comes with blindly following a dream. After a few terrible internships and talking with people in the prospective fields I was after, I did some soul searching and wound up in pre-dental. I LOVE the field and I am finally content with my career path, except for the four years and maybe more added on to my already extra year of undergrad. While this is all assuming I get into dental school, I am pretty sure I will at least get in somewhere, I have fairly above average stats.

Back to the question (sorry for the manifesto), do any of you feel like you missed out on your twenties? I would love to hear from just about anyone; practicing dentists and current students. When I look around I feel like I'm missing out sometimes, I'm not really sure on what but it's just this gut feeling. I did pay for friends and joined a fraternity my sophomore year but even then I spend 90% of my time studying or doing homework.
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I'm a current student I think I'm missing out on my 20s, cause I have other stuff I want to do. But depends on what you want in life. If ur graduating before 30, I don't think it is that much of a waste.
 
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JohnDoeJR said:
Back to the question (sorry for the manifesto), do any of you feel like you missed out on your twenties?
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Nope- I'm very happy to have the chance to enter one of the best professions in the world.

I am enjoying my 20s while studying to be a dentist. They are not mutually exclusive.

Just be mindful about the debt. Too much debt, and your financial future is destroyed.
 
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Looking at my co-workers that are in their 20s... I really don't feel like I'm missing that much.
Most of them are in school at age 24-28 because they wanted to "experience life" and wait to go to college. The only difference between them and me is that by the time they're done with their bachelors, I'll have a DDS.
Also, those that aren't in school and are single party ALOT. I don't like partying at all so I don't feel like I'm missing much here either.
 
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20s are the time to invest in your future. Its one decade compared to the next 3-4.
 
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I still enjoy my weekends and travel (1-2 big trips a year, not international though). Dental school is pretty much a 9-5 job, with a few bad weeks every once in awhile. IMO the people who say medical/dental/whatever school is a waste of their 20s really aren't doing it right. Do what makes you happy.
 
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Hustle and gain in your 20's
Build in your 30's
Chill in your 40's
 
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It's called delayed gratification.
 
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Unless you're well off in your 20s and can afford to travel and do all the 'fun stuff', everyone is going to need to work. You as a dental student are paving the path for an easier future rather than busting your ass in the future in some dead end job.

Think of it like this: would you rather do your homework now and have fun later? Or have fun now, cram for a test, and hope you don't have to take remedial math again?
 
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kholley25 said:
It's called delayed gratification.
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DING! DING! DING! We have a winner!

Also I have noticed that the people that seem to have the "most fun" in their 20's tend to have very mundane lives in the 30-to-60 age range. Then they retire, move to Florida to live out an empty life style as they wait to die.

My goal was/is to have a better and more meaningful life with each decade that passes. So far dentistry has helped me reach that goal.
 
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Nah, you aren't wasting your 20s. You have more than enough financial aid to support a cushy life in dental school.
You should be more concerned about wasting away your 30s to pay back all your debt.
 
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Assuming you're a traditional student, dental school is only 40% of your 20's. So even if you do think you're wasting those years, you still have over half of your 20's to live it up :hardy:
 
if traveling and experiencing the world is important to you, then you always have the option to delay dental school by a year and do those things
 
I think what you mean to ask is are we enjoying our twenties. Wasting implies that we aren't doing anything with these years and will be behind the 8 ball. I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. The only way I would be missing out on something is if I were dead. As long as I'm breathing, there will be time to play. Right now I need to get my career started.
 
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Since when is an investment considered a "waste" ?
 
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Not really sure how going to dental school would be considered wasting your 20s. I don't see the point in traveling in my 20s when I have to try and cut costs as much as possible.
 
I don't know about you, but college is fun.
 
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lol if you truly LOVED this field, I wouldnt describe it as "wasting 20's." I LOVE the field so I am INVESTING my 20's
 
Like previous posters have highlighted, it really isn't "wasting your 20's" as much as it's "investing in your future during your 20's"! And dental school isn't a dark, fun-less pit--you'll meet a lot of amazing individuals that won't only be your colleagues, but also lifelong friends. Once you start dental school and figure out how to best manage your time, you will find plenty of chances to enjoy your 20's with your classmates. During school breaks/externship opportunities/etc. you could even find yourself traveling the world a little, too! :)
 
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As someone who took 6 years off between undergrad and dental school to work and do 4 years in the Marine Corps, these first two years of dental school have been the two most rewarding and enjoyable years of my life. You still have a life in dental school. Yes, there is plenty of studying, but realize how lucky you are to be gaining such a valuable skill that people respect, and that you will use to help people. By the way, we still have fun on the weekends in dental school.
 
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.
 
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Thanks for the replies everyone! I just spent all of my Saturday helping at a free dental clinic, it was probably exactly what I needed. It's heartwarming having someone thank you for helping them with something they can't alleviate on their own. Sorry for the click bate title, I really didn't mean it as a waste and you guys made a great point on emphasizing the fact that what else would I be doing? I've experienced first hand sitting in a cubicle all day and I have no plans on going into anything that involves that lifestyle, it was honestly painful to wake up and know I had to take it in the you know what from some you know what that hated his job just as much as I did. If being a dentist is even 10% of the satisfaction I felt at the clinic, I'm excited. I'll find a way to fit some fun in my years at dental school.
 
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You guys have no idea how happy I am for this post! Sometimes, all I do is study for days and wonder.... is it really worth it?
 
I feel like I have wasted my time. I completed a graduate degree and took a couple years off after. Looking back, undergrad, grad school, and time off was such a waste despite all the crap I felt at the time about how I was "growing as a person". I look at countries like India and ones in Europe where students go straight from high school into med/dental school and wish I did that instead.
 
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sumin5924 said:
When an investment busts and doesn't pay off....
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I strongly believe that you learn from every failure or bust so you can do better the next time around. Stocks? Maybe do more research before you put all your $$ into one basket. Relationship? You learn more about what you want and where you draw the line for any future interests. Career? You can take a step back to reflect on the process of applying for a job/school, and reach out to those that can help you improve your chances the next time around.

It's perfectly normal to feel doubts about whether it will be worth it, because we all have high and low points! To say that the time and energy investments into your career path are a 'waste,' however, is a short-sighted way of thinking, in my opinion. You can always make the best of your situation. If you do not agree, to each their own!

I am glad the OP had a good moment that really confirmed dentistry is right for him. I remember my first moment and I always shared that during my interviews. Good luck on your journey! :)
 
I spent a lot of time screwing off and going down a lot of random paths in life. I willturn 30 right when I start dental school. I feel like Ive missed out on a lot of money lol
 
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ncide said:
One of the generalists that I met was making $400,000k a year and traveling every month around the world.

The orthodontist I work under has sailed across the Atlantic, spent months out at sea, traveled throughout the Middle East and Central America. She practiced all over the USA helping improve the smiles of patients with cleft lip palates.

Dentistry is what you make of it. My patients come from all over the world and I get to experience their part of the world when they sit in my chair. It's an enormously rewarding career. Your 20s will come and go. The rest of your life is ahead of you.
Click to expand...

Very impressive prospects indeed.
 
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If Im still SDN in 6-10 I will reaurrect this thread and be like "ITS SOOO SATURATED, DONT DO IT I SHOULA LISTENED!!!"
 
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ClosetNerd828 said:
I spent a lot of time screwing off and going down a lot of random paths in life. I willturn 30 right when I start dental school. I feel like Ive missed out on a lot of money lol
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Yeah, see this is my position. Not necessarily about the money, but...

To me this discussion is like people wondering if ordering the New York Strip was a waste when they could have gotten the Filet Mignon, and then us all arguing the relative benefits of either one. What we should be pointing out is that, although some people do manage to find the filet mignon of life, the vast majority of people are being force-fed the McRib by life.

I've spent four years puttering around with my bachelor's degree, eating the McRib. That was the waste. Give me dental school.
 
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akog said:
Yeah, see this is my position. Not necessarily about the money, but...

To me this discussion is like people wondering if ordering the New York Strip was a waste when they could have gotten the Filet Mignon, and then us all arguing the relative benefits of either one. What we should be pointing out is that, although some people do manage to find the filet mignon of life, the vast majority of people are being force-fed the McRib by life.

I've spent four years puttering around with my bachelor's degree, eating the McRib. That was the waste. Give me dental school.
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So is the McRib back or nah?
 
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ClosetNerd828 said:
So is the McRib back or nah?
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Me, next year when I visit McDonald's in my student scrubs:
GIF-happy-James-Franco-like-likes-so-good-wink-GIF.gif
 
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No, brah, you're not missing out on your 20's. It is a hard and time consuming path, but if you want to revel in the weekend and get so wooly that you rationalize setting the trash can on fire for the satisfaction of pissing it out, you can. The opportunity is still present, even in dental school. The stress that D-school can induce may even be gasoline thrown on your proverbial trash can fire. I've seen my fellow future-doctors do some mind-numbingly stupid stuff. It's largely due to the fact that they're in their 20's and they're still alive, only now they have lots of stress that they don't know how to adapt to yet. However, once the thrill of taking alginate molds of your privates gets old, you start doing more productive things, like seeing how far you can drive in a weekend with your lab buddies. I use the term "productive" loosely in that example, but the truth is that things like that suddenly become so much more valuable. Getting out and making a weekend feel like a weekend is like cold water from the garden hose on a hot day, or the cold claminess of alginate on a steamy undercarriage. They become things you'll never forget, and in that way you'll live your twenties up and have an experience unlike anything those dweebs backpacking through Amsterdam ever had. I mean, hooray for weed and prostitutes and all that, but think about how much more you could get out of being a financially stable 30-ish yr old in Amsterdam. If you're into that. Or buy alginate and put your tatonka in it. Either way, you will not have missed out on your 20's. They have a sneaky way of finding you where you are. I say this as a salty and wizened post-20's person. Worst case scenario you have a way of financing your midlife crisis. Cheers.
 
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You're going to waste so much alginate just trying to do things you're supposed to do with it, just you wait. Respond to me in 1 year after you've started school and tell me if you think it really happened. I'm just some dude on the Internet, and I have no interest in offering evidence on this forum. Congrats on UConn.
 
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Have you considered taking some time off between graduation and dental school? Just speaking from a personal perspective as someone who went through a lot of the same thought processes, I think that taking some and not going right in after 4 years of undergrad really helped me to figure out what I truly wanted from my life. As a younger undergrad I was more interested in having fun than I was in a professional career, but now that I am older I realize that I want something more tangible from myself. A lot of people talk about the slog of dental school, and I am sure it is, but really anything you do is going to be a slog. I know friends in the tech field who are making $100K , grinding 60-80 hour work weeks. On social media they have that dream lifestyle of travel, food, etc etc; but they work for it. Everybody has to pay their dues but in four years when you are working a job you are actually passionate about, it won't seem so bad. And I guarantee if you manage your time, prioritize, you will have plenty of time for fun in dental school.
 
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If you have this thought, then you are not passionately driven to do this in the current moment. If you feel you need to get something out of your system-do it. All life experiences are good experiences and you don't want to have regrets when you are older.

It's ok, see what else is out there. If you don't like the other options and begin to feel that you can live no other way then the life of a dentist, then you'll know you are approaching the right field and you're doing it for the right reasons.
 
ill let you know when i graduate. so far...ehhhhhhh, i probably could've picked a more meaningful career to be honest. i'm content, but i have the feeling of wanting more..if that makes sense?
 
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