Turned 26. Which also means it's been 4 years since I finished undergrad. Buddy just finished dental school over that 4 years. Starting salary 180k. 9-5. I picked the wrong career.

Who cares what a dentist makes vs consulting? Everyone knows consulting isn't a long term career for the vast majority of consultants, so discussing Principal salaries seems irrelevant because most people don't make it that far up the shaky ladder. Meanwhile, a dentist has (hopefully) a life long career/dream where they have flexibility which consulting just doesn't offer (let's keep it real here). Everyone makes different choices and that's ok. And anyway, if u wanted to make some serious cash then consulting was not the way to go. I'm sure my IB friends would laugh at this thread.

And tbh, I just don't see how consulting makes people's lives better--that's just not its mission. My partner is a transplant surgeon and worked 80 hours/wk as a resident and let me tell you--it has been a reality check in trading work stories. His career can make $1MM+ but he says he would do it even if they paid him in oranges. We are both in lucrative jobs but one actually saves lives (talk about bettering people's lives!), not companies' bottom lines. I don't regret my decisions btw, just saying that not everything is an excel task of figuring out the ROI on ur dream vs. other people's dreams. That seems like something people who are not fulfilled or truly happy do...

DDOP, I agree with having your personal life in order to be fulfilled and happy. yes money and doing an ROI comparison of jobs is practical, but I said dreams not jobs, and unfortunately a lot of people don't pursue their real dreams or know what their dream is and that's probably why I venture to say they aren't happy at work. Very cliche, I know, but I stand by it. I always make sure I have a fulfilling personal life but consulting takes the majority of our time & takes us physically away from those we care about. That is hard to quantify in excel, and not everything is a formula, that's all. Which is why consulting is a stepping stone for me personally and not my life's purpose. Everyone has to make their own decisions and dollars and cents is just one factor to consider.

He has 200k in dental debt.

Sit down OP. You get paid thousands to move shapes around in Microsoft PowerPoint and pretend that you are a subject matter expert in Digital, whatever that is

You could not pay me enough to scrape plaque or drill teeth.

On the flip side, half of my family (and a lot of America) is 50 working 50+ hours a week making 50k a year. Be happy where you are.

Trust me, he'll have it paid off in no time. He's already found a practice he's going to purchase from a retiring dentist who's taking in millions per year. By 30, this guy will be a multimillionaire

Dentists are weird AF

This is by far the most depressing post I've seen on here

ATK1, tell that to all the 'high performing' associates at ATK who probably drank that koolaid just up until they got laid off recently.

I think our professions involve a lot of real risk climbing up the ladder. We aren't immune to market changes. We face constant political battles. We often suffer from poor family lives or poor mental health. Lots of uncertainty before you get to that 500-700k salary

I mean... MBA management consultant pays that to new hires all in. 5 years later you can be a principal making 500-700k. Not dreadful money

Makes me question my own life too

Life is not a f##%##% race. People make different decisions, based on the information we have at hand. You made your decision, enjoy life, it's a Sunday. Go out with your family / Frnds have some fun rather than thinking about some dentist friend who is making bank. Trust me you are in a better place than most people.

My buddy was just selected for NASA's 2017 astronaut candidate program out of 18,300 applicants... there is always someone more successful... except if you are him...

Be happy! You're doing great

This post kills me because it's so... unintelligent

I know consulting isn't that exciting but (1) be grateful (2) would you really want to stare into open smelly mouths all day for the rest of your life (3) I don't think the curve of his salary potential is steeper than yours

Preach OP. I am disappoint.

I'm not talking about the short term, think 20-30 years ahead. Just a hunch that ex-consultants have better money making opportunities from my narrow-minded biased perspective.

And I am 30, so..

D2, I think what my friend really loves about the profession is the professional autonomy. Provided the Senior dentist is out relaxing, or for when he is able to buy out the practice, he won't really have to answer to anyone. He also does a lot of pro bono work already, so giving someone a smile (patients with missing teeth), gives him a ton of self satisfaction

Buying a practice means you have to pay for it... Which means he won't be taking home millions a year. And if you think buying a million dollar business is low risk then you are mistaken... Regardless of what type of business it is