OP I’m not sure you understand what those higher earners are giving up to make that additional money.

None of us want to think we are average, but by definition most of us are, no matter what profession we are in. Focusing on outlier levels of compensation in any field isn't relevant. Rather, consider the average compensation of MDs in your practice area, working your # of hours, with your level of professional and business expenses, with similar credentials - how do you stack up there?

There's little relevance to considering the earnings of pop stars, pro athletes, or equity partners in the largest global law firms, or orthopedic surgeons when you're not any of those and likely could never have been.

You're probably earning to your potential, as most of us are. That reflects our levels of education, our ambition, our drive, and our personal traits, behaviors, and choices which impact upon professional success.

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.

Also, if you feel like a "tremendous loser" after becoming a doctor and making almost a quarter million dollars a year, then you have problems. It also seems like you are waaaaay too focused on money. There are a LOT of doctors who do not make 700 a year, and there are a whole ton of lawyers who are not partners at large firms making millions. go out and meet some people who are not doctors and lawyers. If you surround yourself with high earners like that your perspective gets incredibly messed up and you don't realize how lucky you are.

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..

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.

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.

If you really care about salary, look for a new job. You have more options than just primary care clinical work. Try something new, your MD is valuable.

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.

Well your friend hit the lottery in marketing. Most marketing people never make $200k. It's also a very unstable field, because marketing is one of the first areas culled in a recession.

It’s also incredibly ageist. Most are forced out or into lower paid mommy track type roles by 40.

Anonymous wrote:Also, I think you are being a little unrealistic about how much your peers are actually "pulling in".

Those salaries are peak, and positions are difficult to obtain and keep. Many are forced out early, get fired, or burn out.

Agree. Op saying lawyers are partners…most who go into biglaw never make equity partner. They burn out or get forced out and go into much lower earning paths.

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.

Well your friend hit the lottery in marketing. Most marketing people never make $200k. It's also a very unstable field, because marketing is one of the first areas culled in a recession.

I mean, to me $200k or $800k both sounded like made up salaries. My parents made $40k together in the late 90s. Our house has never been worth more than $100k until the pandemic nudged it over.

Hearing I would make $200k would sound amazing; $800k would feel like I was being greedy and “selling out” in some way. When you are young you can be pretty dumb.

Anonymous wrote:This is a troll because in medicine, more than most fields, the OP could have easily understood the likely earning implications of picking one specialty over another.

Just bc someone understands medicine doesn’t mean they understand finance.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

At 230k a year you shouldn't have major financial anxiety. Sounds like you could use a (good) advisor.

Like many people you are probably not thinking about the late start, years of mid-five figure salary, and crippling student loans most doctors have.

Anonymous wrote:This is a troll because in medicine, more than most fields, the OP could have easily understood the likely earning implications of picking one specialty over another.

It is hard to understand the lifestyle consequences and financial impact on raising kids and retirement planning though. I think that is the point.

To a medical student, this can be hard to understand.

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.

Anonymous wrote:This is a troll because in medicine, more than most fields, the OP could have easily understood the likely earning implications of picking one specialty over another.

I work with med students and international med grads seeking residency in the US -- and this is spot on. Absolutely everyone understands how earning power varies from specialty to specialty. My guess is that if OP isn't a troll, they didn't have the scores to match in any specialty but internal medicine, and couldn't get a fellowship after, and got stuck in primary care and are still bitter about it.