Nurse practitioner, pharmacy ( though I would never go retail-he does very well in administration), accounting, and engineer for Northrop Grumman. All have done very well. Their debt load coming out of school is a fraction of their peer group in dentistry. Many young people don’t factor in the years with no income and debt load. Stress on family life with that debt and time away is significant. Add to that the radical change from single owner small practice to corporate dentistry and it’s definitely not the idealized profession of yesteryear.

I believe you have to take into account your interests and drill deep into where things are going in the job market. Then get good advice from people in the area currently working to make the right decision for you.