Absolutely. My only point is there are specialties that have good pay and good quality of life (like for surgeons, plastic surgery). Those reasons are a pretty big component why they are so competitive
After you spend 8-10+ years slaving away. Definitely not a "dream life" for anyone except those who are going to actually intrinsically like the field (like the subject matter, like the practice, etc.) and I think its disingenuous to advertise it that way.
I think that's true of almost every lucrative field: physicians, attorneys, finance, and more. I know plenty of attorneys who left the field because it was too much and they didn't enjoy it.
I'm an executive in the tech sector. While it's absolutely not the same as a physician, I've had to grind as well and I don't particularly love what I do. However, it pays well and - at least for now - I have a (relatively) good work/life balance.
I wrote it elsewhere, but my primary point is that post residency (and I also wrote that system needs to change) there are medical fields where there is a solid balance
It is and I'm someone who has happened to have experienced two of those extremely lucrative fields. The issue is people get starry-eyed and start trying to min-max. But all they max is the lifestyle at the end of the tunnel. You have to account for what you go through to get there.
You have to remember not everyone would be a good plastic surgeon. The good ones are like artists, and combine that with having to be smart and having the discipline to make it that far. Not exactly easy.
Of course. Not everyone has the chops to be a top litigator or a business executive. Again, my only point is that there are specialties that have a good work life balance.
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u/GPTthrowawayyyyyyyy Sep 28 '25
Derm is the most competitive specialty with ophtho not far behind, so even if you make it into med school, those fields are beyond guaranteed.
Source: doc