- Joined
- Apr 13, 2020
- Messages
- 493
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- 620
I've been a dentist for 22 years. From my observations, I see myself in the top 55% of dentists in terms of wealth accumulation and income (I have about 9 months of emergency funds). I'm sure there are plenty that make bank...a famous dentist in Seattle with his learning institute has a lot of toys the rich and famous would be jealous of. Back in the early 90's, there were generic stories of how toxic many lucrative careers can be. Unfortunately, those toxic stories are getting more widespread and deeper. I've encounter a few instances where dentists had other careers and I would listen to their stories. Despite some dentists bad mouthing each other, dentistry is less toxic than many other professions.
In the US, it is required to have informed consent prior to any invasive procedure(s). I wished I had informed consent prior to Dental School. What other career options would I have other than Dental? My physician father always instilled in me on being a doctor because you won't starve (We are first generation immigrants). After seeing the stress and the long hours he had to work with, being a medical doctor wasn't for me. Around that time a childhood friend went to a fairly young orthodontist who traveled to my hometown every Tuesdays and Thursdays. Being naive, I thought he only worked those days and assumed he had a nice lifestyle. So I was blindly set on being an orthodontist and see no other options.
If I were to go back to my HS and college days, I would like to shadow more industries than be blind to just dental. I grew up in a poor, out of the way small town and it was hard to shadow more industries. I was caught off guard by the nightmares and BS of private practice after Dental School while I was in the USAF. Instead of avoiding private practice as the result, I wished to find mentors to help advise on managing those BS. There are too many days where I wish I wasn't a dentist (don't we all). I'm intrigued on how CPAs are mostly comfortable financially at my age. I wished I had some early insights on passive income. I really wished I could have shadow some of them and to see if I can manage their BS and nightmares. Everyone's road to life is different. I felt so deprived of my upbringing in a small undesirable town. I did mention in other posts that undesirable locations have less dentists and maybe have better practice opportunities. My childhood dentist as well as my dad wanted me to come home and practice there. I'm Asian American and I rather make less money than live there. My kids and family are thriving at our location now. Nobody calls us "Ch__ks go back to where you came from." My brother was ashamed of being Asian and it negatively impacted his self worth. So my background may be different, but hopefully this post may provide some insights.
In the US, it is required to have informed consent prior to any invasive procedure(s). I wished I had informed consent prior to Dental School. What other career options would I have other than Dental? My physician father always instilled in me on being a doctor because you won't starve (We are first generation immigrants). After seeing the stress and the long hours he had to work with, being a medical doctor wasn't for me. Around that time a childhood friend went to a fairly young orthodontist who traveled to my hometown every Tuesdays and Thursdays. Being naive, I thought he only worked those days and assumed he had a nice lifestyle. So I was blindly set on being an orthodontist and see no other options.
If I were to go back to my HS and college days, I would like to shadow more industries than be blind to just dental. I grew up in a poor, out of the way small town and it was hard to shadow more industries. I was caught off guard by the nightmares and BS of private practice after Dental School while I was in the USAF. Instead of avoiding private practice as the result, I wished to find mentors to help advise on managing those BS. There are too many days where I wish I wasn't a dentist (don't we all). I'm intrigued on how CPAs are mostly comfortable financially at my age. I wished I had some early insights on passive income. I really wished I could have shadow some of them and to see if I can manage their BS and nightmares. Everyone's road to life is different. I felt so deprived of my upbringing in a small undesirable town. I did mention in other posts that undesirable locations have less dentists and maybe have better practice opportunities. My childhood dentist as well as my dad wanted me to come home and practice there. I'm Asian American and I rather make less money than live there. My kids and family are thriving at our location now. Nobody calls us "Ch__ks go back to where you came from." My brother was ashamed of being Asian and it negatively impacted his self worth. So my background may be different, but hopefully this post may provide some insights.