I’m an engineer and love it. Started my own firm 15 years ago.

Mar 30, 2023
8:40:19am

NorthwestCoug All-American

I’ve worked hard and made a lot of sacrifices but I’m now at a point where I have a situation similar to what you’ve described.

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NorthwestCoug

Bio page: NorthwestCoug
Joined: Dec 14, 2001
Last login: Apr 28, 2024
Total posts: 11,208 (97 FO)

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Messages

Author

Time

I wish I had gone to dental school.

OverratedHumor

3/30/23 6:02am

My parent’s neighbor is a dentist. Only works 3 days a week. Plays a lot of golf

JohnnyC

3/30/23 6:11am

Dude be proud of your engineering mind. If I had to go to work every day knowing

Setpoint

3/30/23 6:12am

Gotta have a stronger stomach than me for sure.

Gunga Galunga

3/30/23 6:15am

be happy you could have been a gynecologist or proctologist

BYU Grounds

3/30/23 8:56am

Tough choice?

Stalwartbob

3/30/23 10:22am

Or a urologist

ptcougr

3/30/23 10:38am

There are some problems of over supplied dental markets in Utah…

Billie Ruben

3/30/23 6:12am

Like sticking your fingers in someone's mouth all day

BYULAWGUY

3/30/23 6:36am

Meh.. i know really wealthy dentists in utah county that have started in the

Recipefordisaster

3/30/23 6:55am

Nah I hear medicine is the worse. But I agree dentist have it good

waveslayer

3/30/23 6:14am

Do you wanna live in Utah? Cause dentists get paid crap in Utah.

doctorcoug

3/30/23 6:20am

Texas!

OverratedHumor

3/30/23 6:32am

Not according to the house my cousin that’s a dentist is building.

cougaman

3/30/23 6:37am

I’ve tried to steer my boy to med school. He’s choosing dental. I think he’s

Idacoug

3/30/23 6:26am

I’m 100% with you….

Idacoug

3/30/23 6:29am

Dentistry is good. Its alive and well as a profession. But here are so pros/cons

Recipefordisaster

3/30/23 6:43am

You sound like my brother.

Colorado

3/30/23 6:54am

Is he a dentist;)

Recipefordisaster

3/30/23 6:56am

yes. He has a lot of the issues you mention. He complains a lot about comfort dental too.

Colorado

3/30/23 10:55am

I agree with everything you mentioned

lanejsoccer

3/30/23 7:02am

I’ve had multiple times in my career

Recipefordisaster

3/30/23 7:35am

On #5. My bro is a dentist and is killing his back hunching over looking in

YOHONOMOTO

3/30/23 8:57am

My endodontist uncle had his back extremely messed up. Still can’t sit down in a chair. He’s either standing or lying

mvtoro

3/30/23 9:07am

Tell him to get a rowing machine and do light weight squats

Recipefordisaster

3/30/23 10:38am

I wouldn't like all the memories of looking at the inside of everyone's mouths

donnerstag

3/30/23 6:44am

One reason you don't want to be a dentist:

benny1982

3/30/23 6:48am

This dude just crazy… from the beginning

Recipefordisaster

3/30/23 6:50am

Might I suggest something, having more money doesn’t always equate to more

brazilcoug

3/30/23 6:54am

Your last paragraph is very confusing related to most any profession

Idacoug

3/30/23 7:05am

Are you sure you're weird enough for the profession?

ReiUrso

3/30/23 6:59am

The golden age of dentistry is in the past

Endocoug

3/30/23 7:07am

Same in medicine

Idacoug

3/30/23 7:13am

I long for the days when Dentists were taking out tonsils.

Stalwartbob

3/30/23 10:26am

Was that a thing? Geeze.

Backcountry

3/30/23 11:33am

That was a thing.

Stalwartbob

3/30/23 1:07pm

I thought about it once, but decided there's no way I could be inside people's disgusting mouths all day for the rest

slappy

3/30/23 7:07am

Cleaning rot off teeth isn’t intellectually interesting to me day in and day out

ray ray

3/30/23 7:14am

100% This!

Notbot

3/30/23 9:11am

I couldn’t do it either, but the payoff is more stable if you are risk averse.

Idacoug

3/30/23 9:34am

Id struggle doing the same thing everyday in such a small work space.

Magneto

3/30/23 7:17am

Engineering is way more stable. Engineers rule

RGGeemer

3/30/23 7:20am

Plenty of jobs out there provide flexibility, good pay, and mental stimulation.

dYrtbYkerYder

3/30/23 7:21am

Retired 2 1/2 years ago. Was good for me. Told my two sons to stay away

Pine

3/30/23 7:40am

By the way, retiring was the best thing I ever did. Stress is gone. Free time is

Pine

3/30/23 7:47am

What other options are you referring to or promote?

waveslayer

3/30/23 9:39am

One son is an accountant, one is an electrical engineer. My sons in law are:

Pine

3/30/23 10:19am

There are many ways and options to manage debt load regarding school loans.

fldnstrm

3/30/23 11:36am

You and I sound like kindred spirits. I avoided debt like the pox. Was

Pine

3/30/23 11:55am

How much assets would you recommend for comfortable retirement? I'm assuming

qwerew

3/30/23 9:44am

Hard to pick a specific number. We had a good financial advisor that worked with

Pine

3/30/23 10:34am

That's all great advice. Me and wife have done the same. How much is enough is

qwerew

3/30/23 10:46am

Yes! This market plunge could have been a real cause for concern. Fortunately

Pine

3/30/23 11:26am

Good job with the planning, and long term commitment to the plan. I'm closing in

qwerew

3/30/23 11:32am

Good luck. I have a feeling you will do well and decide correctly.

Pine

3/30/23 11:47am

This pretty much echoes what my dentist father in law says.

RUNBYU1

3/30/23 11:43am

If you're really a "natural engineer," you'd probably hate being a dentist

Travelling Coug

3/30/23 7:46am

Anesthesiologist. Talking to one the other day. Works 2 days a week at dentist

panacablue

3/30/23 7:54am

Anesthesia is a great profession.

Backcountry

3/30/23 9:50am

Anesthesia would make me crazy bored. 99% of the time it would be routine and

Sparkling Delirium

3/30/23 12:07pm

Thats the beauty of it. Chill with just enough excitement to keep you awake.

Backcountry

3/30/23 12:56pm

No offense to dentists, but working in peoples mouths all day doesn’t seem

BlooCoog

3/30/23 7:57am

The repetition would be mind numbing to me.

MogollonMtsCoug

3/30/23 8:01am

I’m a surgeon and sometimes I wish I’d gone into dentistry.

Boring

3/30/23 8:13am

I'm an engineer and I kick myself almost daily for not going to med school

TheCougarBunch

3/30/23 8:26am

dealing with lots of people and expectations and regulation is a major stress

qwerew

3/30/23 9:49am

Engineering is synonymous with poor raises despite good work, and we all find

Mitty

3/30/23 11:20am

I’m an engineer and love it. Started my own firm 15 years ago.

NorthwestCoug

3/30/23 8:40am

That's the key for enjoying what you do as an engineer is gaining more control

Mitty

3/30/23 11:41am

Forensic structural engineering

NorthwestCoug

3/30/23 12:21pm

Sounds very interesting

Mitty

3/30/23 1:48pm

I feel fortunate because I love what I do. And, yes, it’s very interesting.

NorthwestCoug

3/30/23 2:07pm

It’s hard to calculate how valuable it is to actually enjoy the thing that you spend your time doing at work. If you’re

mvtoro

3/30/23 8:53am

This is a great perspective. The hard part is finding what you love.

SouthernCoug

3/30/23 9:17am

I remember hearing that “find a job you love” is over emphasized.

thirdgencoug

3/30/23 9:51am

That’s a good formula for financial success. If he enjoyed running that business all the better. My point is if he

mvtoro

3/30/23 9:59am

People are also hesitant to make a change if they don’t like it. Part of that is valid fear of loss, but part is

mvtoro

3/30/23 9:52am

There is more demand than supply of jobs that people enjoy.

YOHONOMOTO

3/30/23 9:38am

I agree with this, but I think a big problem is we don’t value the idea as much as we should because we value wealth so

mvtoro

3/30/23 9:46am

I hear this all the time from students who want to go into medicine

doktorpfeffer

3/30/23 10:19am

Right. Additionally they need an accurate idea of what it really means to be a doctor. I come from 3 generations of

mvtoro

3/30/23 10:30am

Sometimes massive debt makes you go crazy and kill your wife.

Ham

3/30/23 9:29am

Dentists 2nd only to doctors as the profession with the highest suicide rate

SurfnCoug

3/30/23 9:50am

<< Deleted >>

dYrtbYkerYder

3/30/23 10:09am

Sounds horrible to me.

Cougstreak

3/30/23 10:35am

Who needs a dentist when you can just use ChatGPT?

CougarBreath

3/30/23 10:35am

Oldest brother is a dentist. Specialize in kids so pedodontist. He does make

Blue for Life

3/30/23 10:45am

My best friend and uncle are dentists. They both hate it.

SLC-Durham

3/30/23 11:57am

Right. 3-4 day workweeks for experienced dentists are not uncommon from my exp.

Forzaitalia

3/30/23 12:21pm

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