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Besides income, doctors are considered a highly respected profession. Work is more stable too. These don't come with many other professiona, even those hot jobs in sunrise industries.
Software coding was once king, now mostly done in India.
I guess my view is somewhere in the middle. I know the free range concept, but that's not me. I wish my parents gave me more guidance. Could have saved me a lot of wasted time and opportunity.
I think it is still a very respected profession, but maybe not as rosy and rewarding for the physicians of today's world. There is a nationwide shortage of doctors and I think this more frequently leads to long hours and burn out. Lots of frustration with the system. There is heavy reliance on mid levels and the docs have to supervise, so that essentially elevates the number of patients and the risk for the physicans. Can be exhausting for them. I think there is still a great deal of satisfaction for them, but maybe less so. The shortage needs to be addressed ASAP. We will all be going to mid levels eventually.
Becoming a doctor is a noble profession. Not too long ago we regarded relieving human misery as highly satisfying and worthy.
But a person needs a certain mental talent and desire to be successful as the road is not without struggle. Kids with abilities in this area should be encouraged. But if their strengths lie elsewhere then pushing them won’t get anywhere useful.
My wife demands that one of our kids become a doctor, regardless of their interest. Or I should say she attempts to nurture their interest in this field.
I think this is primarily due to the conventional thinking that doctors are one of the best professions.
Is that conventional thinking still true on the eve of 2020?
My impression is yes, because of the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$.
And what is more important than$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$?
My impression is yes, because of the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$.
And what is more important than$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$?
Happiness.
Rivertowntalk is spot on regarding the downsides of the profession. The hours are long and the stress high. Every year there are more bureaucratic hoops to jump through in order to stay licensed and maintain hospital privileges. Somewhere between 30-50% of physicians exhibit signs of serious burnout. And physicians have one of the highest suicide rates of any profession. The pay is very good, yes, but remember most physicians don’t start earning it until their mid-30s, and they need it to pay off their hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt and to catch up on a decade of lost retirement savings.
That said, the work can be extremely rewarding, and the job stability is good. But no one should be pushed into becoming a physician. It’s tough enough when you really want to do it. Going into the profession solely because the pay is good is likely to be a big mistake.
In a most surprising turn of events, one of my children is about to finish medical school.
Along the way I was afraid she would more likely end up in jail for killing someone, or the morgue for getting killing. Let's just say she was a "free spirit".
But here she is, doing rotations and finding great joy in helping people to get well. Even the heroin addict who had only one arm (and no legs) remaining on whom she worked well into the night to try and save some semblance of life for him.
Her grades are great, her spirit is extraordinary, and more than likely she will not go into one of the "money" fields like dermatology but rather practice emergency medicine or other less "spectacular" disciplines.
I don't know that she ever set out to be a doctor. After school she had a good job in bio pharma research and even has patents to her name. She did this on her own--making the decision to become a Dr. She seems to not be looking for glory nor recognition...nor money. She wants to help people. That's a pretty admirable calling.
(Don't get me wrong, if a potential employer offered her a position and told her they would pay her student loans, I am sure she wouldn't reject the $$$ out of hand).
Docs are in short supply and it is getting worse. She will have $300-400,000 in loans when finished. The burden of the "business" side of medicine (office costs, insurance, personnel, capital equipment investments, etc.) takes about 40% of a doctors time these days. Still, they seem to find great satisfaction in practicing their craft the other 60% of the time.
OP, your wife is simply wrong. Period. Your wife has no idea what kind of emotional stress this puts kids under. It makes kids bitter and resentful. If he doesn't want to be a doctor he probably won't be a good one, and he is not going to thank her for it later because "she knows what's best for him." Raise a good teach, teach him to make good decisions, share your personal experiences and knowledge, and let him know the value of an education. He will take it from there.
Let me give you a personal story. One night I was dispatched to the residence hall of a well known university that had a well known business program. A student had poured rubbing alcohol on himself and set it on fire. His dad graduated from that business school, his grandfather graduated from that business school and, by God, junior was going to get a business degree from that school. The minor hiccup in that plan was that junior already knew what he wanted to do and what he wanted to major in in college, and it was not what his parents decided for him.
How old is you son? Has anyone -- especially your wife -- asked him what he wants to do for a living?
My wife demands that one of our kids become a doctor, regardless of their interest. Or I should say she attempts to nurture their interest in this field.
I think this is primarily due to the conventional thinking that doctors are one of the best professions.
Is that conventional thinking still true on the eve of 2020?
Yes, of course being a doctor is one of the greatest professions.
But don't be too disappointed if your child doesn't make it. It is tough to even get into medical school.
It's good to guide your kids towards a good profession. Pushing your kids towards a specific career that they may show no interest in is a recipe for disaster.
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