Why is there such a negative perception about being a Doctor?

[circulus vitios]

Now you're starting with the "easy" thing too? No one said it was easy. The entire point was that it isn't easy - by either path. And no, becoming a doctor is not easy. No matter how many times you say it, it won't be true.

The irony of you balking at the tutoring example is that it's a true story from a close friend. I worked for him for a while. He billed around $100/hr and kept half. He keeps around 40 tutors.

What are your friends academic credentials? Prestigious degree?

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[thesauce]

What are your friends academic credentials? Prestigious degree?

Math major from a mid-tier state school

 

[psychgirrrl]

One time someone got really upset when I told them I am going to medical school and told me that she would never join any profession where she could die on the job.

Mostly people get upset about why I would want to spend so much time in school...I usually say "what else am I supposed to do?" and they can't answer that question.

 

[IslandStyle808]

So your premise is that a person who is trying to make $200k goes into a profession where they are very unlikely to make that much and then ends up surprised when they don't? I wasn't going to make the point that these people are idiots, but you've made it anyway.

If you want to make $200k and are willing to put in 80+ hour weeks for 7+ years, there are any number of ways you can do it, but you don't do it by going to work for someone in a job/profession where the odds are against you being able to do it.

If I said that you could make $200k in education, you would quote me the low salaries of public school teachers. If someone wanted to make $200k in education, they would start their own tutoring service and spend time recruiting good people, advertising, expanding, and generally building up the business. They wouldn't go work for the local school district and wonder why they aren't making $200k.

What you are saying is true but what about the situations where business don't work out? In the end, the person in education will have to go back to a job that pays around 60k while the person who has an MD will go back to the job where he or she is netting at least 100k. Also, if an MD/DO were to work for a pharmaceutical company there is a good chance the physician will make more than the person who starts a business via education route.

 

[Frazier]

Why is this a bad reason?

Because it stems from being narrow minded...as was alluded to earlier, it is an undeniable truth that nothing beats an astronaut.

 

[Frazier]

Thinking now about the topic, really only two people were outwardly (and blatantly) negative about my chosen path.

One was a biology master's student. While making small talk, she asked what I'd be doing next year. After telling her, "medical school", she replied "I would never do that. Medicine is soul crushing."

The other was my SO's half-uncle? (Something like that haha.) Anyway, I never met the guy before and she hadn't seen him in maybe 5 years. At dinner he asked me what I do. I told him I was heading to medical school. He then pontificated for everyone at the table for a good 5 minutes on how medicine is a poor choice, ending with an emphatic rhetorical question to my SO: "why would you want to marry someone that you'll never see?"

His occupation is installing aluminum siding, if I recall correctly.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

The other was my SO's half-uncle? (Something like that haha.) Anyway, I never met the guy before and she hadn't seen him in maybe 5 years. At dinner he asked me what I do. I told him I was heading to medical school. He then pontificated for everyone at the table for a good 5 minutes on how medicine is a poor choice, ending with an emphatic rhetorical question to my SO: "why would you want to marry someone that you'll never see?"

His occupation is installing aluminum siding, if I recall correctly.

I lol'd. There's something both poignant and funny about that passage. Subtle, the timing is.

 

[SteinmetzMD]

Okay for real though, how do you upload a profile picture on to here from an iPad?

 

[Frazier]

I lol'd. There's something both poignant and funny about that passage. Subtle, the timing is.

He really did feel that he was offering some sort of profound, sage-like half-uncle-like wisdom.

I can only imagine his ability to wax poetic if given a sturdy microphone, an ample audience, and a few glasses of champagne.

The perfect storm.

It would be a wedding day speech tirade that we would never forget.

 

[Lollygag]

Thinking now about the topic, really only two people were outwardly (and blatantly) negative about my chosen path.

One was a biology master's student. While making small talk, she asked what I'd be doing next year. After telling her, "medical school", she replied "I would never do that. Medicine is soul crushing."

The other was my SO's half-uncle? (Something like that haha.) Anyway, I never met the guy before and she hadn't seen him in maybe 5 years. At dinner he asked me what I do. I told him I was heading to medical school. He then pontificated for everyone at the table for a good 5 minutes on how medicine is a poor choice, ending with an emphatic rhetorical question to my SO: "why would you want to marry someone that you'll never see?"

His occupation is installing aluminum siding, if I recall correctly.

lol I laughed out loud, thanks for that hahaha

 

[orangeblue]

I'm out of the college world and most people I socilize meet are in the real world.

And contrary to the belief in the college world (what you have posted here), most people and myself have seen the benefits and are actually very encouraging and helpful when I tell them of my future plans.

After working and being part of the real world, you realize that you will WORK hard no matter what job you do...and in the end, it's nice to actually interact with people and their lives problems than help a company get more profitable/etc.

 

[orangeblue]

I'm out of the college world and most people I socialize/meet are in the real world.

And contrary to the belief in the college world (what you have posted here), most people and myself have seen the benefits and are actually very encouraging and helpful when I tell them of my future plans.

After working and being part of the real world, you realize that you will WORK hard no matter what job you do...and in the end, it's nice to actually interact with people and their lives problems than help a corporation get more profits,etc.

 

[Translation]

I'm out of the college world and most people I socilize meet are in the real world.

And contrary to the belief in the college world (what you have posted here), most people and myself have seen the benefits and are actually very encouraging and helpful when I tell them of my future plans.

After working and being part of the real world, you realize that you will WORK hard no matter what job you do...and in the end, it's nice to actually interact with people and their lives problems than help a company get more profitable/etc.

Same here, but the real world i think fails to understand how difficult med school admissions can be, but over all my co-wokers are supportive, as well as my volunteer directors.