Feeling like a tremendous loser bc of my career path

[Anonymous]

Almost nobody in any profession, doctor, lawyer, tech, finance, makes over 1M

I work at a top 5 tech company and it’s super competitive just to get to a position that pays 500k, most of us grunts are making half that. There are a very small number making 7 figures here, you have to be maybe 2 levels removed from the CEO to make that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know this is going to generate a lot of eye rolls. But I had no idea when choosing a career path how dramatic the differences in income would become by middle age or how much I handicapped myself early on from more lucrative career choices. I am not starving. I make $230K/year as a primary care doctor. But my classmates who made different choices are now earning triple my income; friends who are law partners making $1-4M/year; and they consider that chump change next to the tech and finance people who pull as much or more. I just had no idea how disparate things would become.

Money doesn't make you a winner or loser. If you think that way, you've already lost.

[Anonymous]

at least you're not a starving artist like me making $90K

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have similar feelings. I’m 48, my best friend from college and I graduated with similar grades. I went into the federal government and he went into marketing, similar salaries to start. We’ve both risen toward the top of our fields, I make just over $200k and he’s in the millions. I know this is incredibly naive but I never thought about my trajectory when I was 22 and how limited my choices would be later compared to going into business field. I’m very envious of people who chose a more lucrative path.

You realize you can leave federal service, right? If you're north of $200, you're either an SES, at CISA with cyberpay, a medical professional, or at a regulator. Any of which has lucrative exit options into the private sector.

I left the government a year ago and now make seven figures. Which is rare, I admit, but I've changed career paths about four times to find my way here. Sitting around and waiting for it to happen to me wasn't going to cut it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know this is going to generate a lot of eye rolls. But I had no idea when choosing a career path how dramatic the differences in income would become by middle age or how much I handicapped myself early on from more lucrative career choices. I am not starving. I make $230K/year as a primary care doctor. But my classmates who made different choices are now earning triple my income; friends who are law partners making $1-4M/year; and they consider that chump change next to the tech and finance people who pull as much or more. I just had no idea how disparate things would become.

Go look at your pediatrics friends. I promise you, even the sub specialists are making a whole lot less than you are and they had to go to fellowship to get their jobs.

OP. I also did a 2-year fellowship, and a graduate degree in public health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know this is going to generate a lot of eye rolls. But I had no idea when choosing a career path how dramatic the differences in income would become by middle age or how much I handicapped myself early on from more lucrative career choices. I am not starving. I make $230K/year as a primary care doctor. But my classmates who made different choices are now earning triple my income; friends who are law partners making $1-4M/year; and they consider that chump change next to the tech and finance people who pull as much or more. I just had no idea how disparate things would become.

Great humble brag Doc!
Pssst...its still 4 inches..

Sorry to hear. I’m a woman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:at least you're not a starving artist like me making $90K

It least you’re not a journalist making half of that

[Anonymous]

Op, if you’re truly feeling like a “tremendous loser” then you need to look into cbt, stat. If not out of concern for your own mental well being, if you’re going around believing that being a highly educated person making 200k makes one a tremendous loser I question whether you’re able to help accurately assess your patients situations (not to mention identify signs of depression.) I mean this kindly: physician, heal thyself!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have similar feelings. I’m 48, my best friend from college and I graduated with similar grades. I went into the federal government and he went into marketing, similar salaries to start. We’ve both risen toward the top of our fields, I make just over $200k and he’s in the millions. I know this is incredibly naive but I never thought about my trajectory when I was 22 and how limited my choices would be later compared to going into business field. I’m very envious of people who chose a more lucrative path.

You realize you can leave federal service, right? If you're north of $200, you're either an SES, at CISA with cyberpay, a medical professional, or at a regulator. Any of which has lucrative exit options into the private sector.

I left the government a year ago and now make seven figures. Which is rare, I admit, but I've changed career paths about four times to find my way here. Sitting around and waiting for it to happen to me wasn't going to cut it.

Attorney?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're a good, caring doctor who gives time to patients, you are helping people in a very personal way that those other professions are not... while still making an unbelievably high salary that would be the envy of most.

Agree. Unlike the vast majority of us earning something comparable, you are actually doing important work.

Thanks. Meaningful work truly is why I pursued it and I am grateful every day for what I get to see, do teach, change and help with. It’s definitely a non-material benefit that will keep me working much longer than some other people. Still, it would be nice to have less financial anxiety re: retirement and future health costs.

we make less than you do and we are all set for retirement.

[Anonymous]

You are focusing on the outliers who achieved great success in their fields while most in these very fields earn a lot less.

Tech? It pays less than what you do unless you are a founder of a successful startup, investor or a super talented engineer in a niche field with patents to your name, or a government contractor with lots of employees (e.g. business owner).

Finance? only pays in revenue generating tracks, and that goes for privately owned companies, there are many more "support" and BAU roles in Finance that pay about the same as what you earn or less.

Law? If you are a law associate or in-house lawyer you aren't making 7 figures. Most with law degrees never make it to partner level or even break into the Big Law.

Maybe if you specialized in medicine you would have made more, maybe you still can? If not, you could try to grow your career by focusing on leadership and administration in the hospital system setting. One of my friends got into that and works more standard hours and gets more pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have similar feelings. I’m 48, my best friend from college and I graduated with similar grades. I went into the federal government and he went into marketing, similar salaries to start. We’ve both risen toward the top of our fields, I make just over $200k and he’s in the millions. I know this is incredibly naive but I never thought about my trajectory when I was 22 and how limited my choices would be later compared to going into business field. I’m very envious of people who chose a more lucrative path.

You realize you can leave federal service, right? If you're north of $200, you're either an SES, at CISA with cyberpay, a medical professional, or at a regulator. Any of which has lucrative exit options into the private sector.

I left the government a year ago and now make seven figures. Which is rare, I admit, but I've changed career paths about four times to find my way here. Sitting around and waiting for it to happen to me wasn't going to cut it.

I’m an SES and I could probably make a bit more in consulting but I also hear about rounds of layoffs lately so that seems risky. It’s fine, I could be doing worse and should stop comparing myself to the wrong people

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know this is going to generate a lot of eye rolls. But I had no idea when choosing a career path how dramatic the differences in income would become by middle age or how much I handicapped myself early on from more lucrative career choices. I am not starving. I make $230K/year as a primary care doctor. But my classmates who made different choices are now earning triple my income; friends who are law partners making $1-4M/year; and they consider that chump change next to the tech and finance people who pull as much or more. I just had no idea how disparate things would become.

Great humble brag Doc!
Pssst...its still 4 inches..

Sorry to hear. I’m a woman.

Psst....its still a humble brag.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have similar feelings. I’m 48, my best friend from college and I graduated with similar grades. I went into the federal government and he went into marketing, similar salaries to start. We’ve both risen toward the top of our fields, I make just over $200k and he’s in the millions. I know this is incredibly naive but I never thought about my trajectory when I was 22 and how limited my choices would be later compared to going into business field. I’m very envious of people who chose a more lucrative path.

You realize you can leave federal service, right? If you're north of $200, you're either an SES, at CISA with cyberpay, a medical professional, or at a regulator. Any of which has lucrative exit options into the private sector.

I left the government a year ago and now make seven figures. Which is rare, I admit, but I've changed career paths about four times to find my way here. Sitting around and waiting for it to happen to me wasn't going to cut it.

I’m an SES and I could probably make a bit more in consulting but I also hear about rounds of layoffs lately so that seems risky. It’s fine, I could be doing worse and should stop comparing myself to the wrong people

PP who left government here.

There are plenty of incremental increases available, for sure, and there are some (but far fewer) very substantial increases available. The transition from gov to the private sector isn't always an easy one, and plenty of people won't be able to land a materially better job. And, to your point, there are risks and timing to consider. But your options are specific to you, and you should never fall for the trap of assuming that your current state and trajectory are the only ones available to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have similar feelings. I’m 48, my best friend from college and I graduated with similar grades. I went into the federal government and he went into marketing, similar salaries to start. We’ve both risen toward the top of our fields, I make just over $200k and he’s in the millions. I know this is incredibly naive but I never thought about my trajectory when I was 22 and how limited my choices would be later compared to going into business field. I’m very envious of people who chose a more lucrative path.

Your friends likely started a company to make this much in marketing. Why would you compare someone trying to achieve wealth doing entrepreneurial things and someone working a job for wages.