Did you ever want to quit because you felt so burnt out in dentistry? Three years into my dental career, I suddenly decided I couldn’t do it anymore. I hated being a dentist. I constantly worried… would my work last? Would it turn out okay? Which patients were going to get mad at me today? Was someone going to sue me? Although I always did my best, I could never guarantee that the results would match the quality of my work. I thought if I could only be MORE perfect, then I’d never have to face those consequences I constantly...
You should always change where you sit. Sounds kind of silly, doesn’t it? I’m sure you’ve heard this advice before. “They” always suggest this as a simple way to change your perspective and see more opportunities. Whether it’s sitting in a class or on a bus, being in the exact same spot every day can limit your point of view. Let’s face it. Change is hard, and staying in your comfort bubble is easier, even when it comes to simple routines. Last weekend I had the chance to do the one thing that always makes me nervous. I attended a...
Can you imagine what it would be like to divorce your career? It’s a strange concept, I know. But what if we looked at our careers the same way we view our human relationships? With marriage, you don’t commit to a lifetime together after seeing a photo of someone, researching them online, and then only talking to their friends about whether they are the right fit. Instead, you date and get to know your potential life partners. You start out casually, only committing to that person once you experience life with them. Then, when you know they’re The One, you...
In December of 2012, one year after having quit dentistry, I wrote this follow-up post to clarify why I compared leaving dentistry to leaving a cult. I’ve added a few updates to the post. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! If you’ve ever wanted to quit dentistry, you probably felt like leaving your career was like leaving a cult. I recently broached this oh-so-controversial topic of whether dentistry is like a cult or not, and luckily for my ego, there wasn’t a huge backlash. Not everyone loved my analogy, but that’s okay. It sparked some interesting discussions in...
Ever wonder if you should become a dentist? If so, knowing the REAL pros and cons of dentistry is crucial. For years, US News and World Report crowned the dentist as the #1 best job. I first wrote this post in 2013, and being a dentist won that designation for years. In 2018, something changed, and they caught onto what some of us already knew. It slipped to #2 and stayed there, but in 2021, being a dentist slipped all the way down to #9! Maybe they’ve started to see the pros AND the cons of dentistry. What changed? Could...
Whether you have a tough day at work or actually hate dentistry, I hope that you don’t regret becoming a dentist for long. The crazy thing about dentistry that many people don’t understand is that we can enter into the field thinking we are going to help people, create solutions, and have nice relationships. But we get here, and we spend much of our time feeling like we are not impacting patients, our solutions don’t always work out, and those nice relationships get overshadowed by the difficult ones. Believe it or not, it’s easy to regret becoming a dentist. Some...
There, I said it. I hate dentistry… sort of. When I was younger, I chose dentistry as my forever career because I loved smiles, and I wanted to work with people. I really liked people. I always considered myself social and friendly, and I was a good student who enjoyed math and science. Dentistry seemed like the perfect fit for me. As a patient, I always loved learning about my teeth, and the day I got my braces off, I loved the result. It seemed impossible that I would get to a point in my career where I would one...
How long do you need to stay stuck in indecision before you decide it’s worth changing? I had a conversation with a friend the other day about the idea of “thinking about it.” She was wanting to make some changes in her life, and when faced with an option, she said she wanted to think about it. The thing is, she’d been thinking about it for years now. She was in a constant state of indecision. Our discussion got me thinking about a time when I was stuck thinking about things in my life. The timeline is impressive– and maybe...
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...
I’ll just cut to the chase here. This doesn’t need any introductions or explanations. I would love for you to join my FREE Dentist Career Change Masterclass! Join me on January 31st at 3:00 PM EST. This is a great way to get 2021 started, and it will not be recorded, so schedule some time to take care of yourself! If you have spent years wondering why you feel unfulfilled but not sure why, there’s no time like the present to consider that you have options. I know… we don’t really think our dental careers can look any different than...
