Read about the one and only NEXT Dentist Career Design Conference on March 13th 2021 to help you explore non-traditional or non-clinical careers!

If you’re like many of the dentists I know, you may have wondered what are some alternative careers for dentists. I’ve been searching for this answer for years. It seems to be the elusive question that no one in our industry can answer. Even now if you search this on Google, there is no clear cut answer about what options we have outside of clinical practice. The ADA has a list of different ideas, but even if any of those sound good to you, how do you cross that bridge to actually make it happen?

What holds you back from really jumping into an alternative career?

One of the biggest obstacles I see getting in our way is lack of knowledge. For some reason, we dentists feel that our training was so specific, that we have no other skills. We can’t imagine how we could even do anything else.

Fear also creates a paralysis for people wanting change. If you’re unhappy in your dental career, you might worry that since you mistakenly chose the wrong career the first time around, you can’t trust yourself to make the right decision now. Though not at all true, that thinking makes sense. You have the proof that you didn’t choose wisely the first time, so what’s preventing you from doing that same thing all over again?

What will others think? Will I be seen as a failure or a quitter? Will others think I’m crazy? This concern of how you’ll appear to others is so very real for most dentists. Our lives look great on paper, so it’s hard to imagine how anyone will understand our need to change.

There is a way to work through the challenges holding you back from pursuing an alternative career as a dentist.

Wouldn’t it be great if there were a way to learn what else is out there? Through my work with many dentists, I’m discovering a whole new world of options out there. There are opportunities inside and outside of dentistry. We do have many skills beyond the clinical ones that can land us jobs in other industries or help us become entrepreneurs. It’s partly a matter of discovering what some of our options are.

Let’s address that common fear that we’ve already made a mistake, so we’re afraid we’ll do that again. We can learn more about who we are and what is important to us. It’s not too late! You are not the same person you were when you first chose dentistry. In fact, you were just a kid then. How could you know who you were, what you love, or what it is really like being a dentist? When I was going through my own career change, I thought life was all about getting it right the first time. I thought it was about picking my path and sticking to it. But, through my experiences, I’ve learned to see life as a process. We grow and change over time, and that process itself helps us learn who we are.

Most importantly, dentistry is isolating. If we remain in that isolation, we only increase the shame we feel for what we are experiencing. This is why it’s time to take this community to the next level. The more you can be around others who see opportunities and share their experiences of growth and change, the more courage you will gain. You will start to know that you can do it too.

Basically, that was a really long introduction to tell you that I have created a one-of-a-kind event for dentists. This is going to be a one-day, live virtual conference to help you learn more about alternative careers for dentists!

What can you expect from this event?

You’ll learn some of the ins and outs about creating a side gig, finding a non-traditional dental career, or even making a total career change. This can be a complicated process, so it’s helpful to know the realities of how it works for most of us.

You’ll get to hear from other dentists who have either felt unhappy in clinical dentistry or have loved it but simply wanted more. These dentists have created side gigs, built unconventional dental (or non-dental) businesses, or have landed great jobs using other skills they built as a dentist. These are all things you can do too!

You’ll have the chance to network with these dentists and others (including me,) so you can start to build the confidence to know that you can create exactly what you want out of this life.

…And, you’ll also get practical tips to help you move forward!

How does that sound to you? In case you can’t tell, I’m pretty excited about it!

This is less than 2 weeks away on March 13th! Click HERE for more details and registration.

Have any questions? Comment below or send me a private note HERE!

Oh, and since this LIVE EVENT is online, you can join us from anywhere in the world!