Side by side
Compare two careers.
Pick a field, then a career, or quick-pick from your shortlist. Coral marks the better number on each row.
Career A
Dental Hygiene
High pay, short school, low stress.
- Start salaryHygienist
- $65k
- Senior-tier salaryLead / Practice Manager
- $95k
- Years to senior tier
- 15 yrs
- Cheapest path cost
- $15k
- School length (cheap)
- 3 yrs
How we calculate it: total education cost ÷ (15% of first-year pay put toward paying it back).
"Dental hygienists earn more than many 4-year-degree jobs, with just 2 to 3 years of school."
Career B
Medicine (Physician)
Diagnose, treat, heal. A long road with a high ceiling.
- Start salaryResident
- $65k
- Senior-tier salarySenior / Partner
- $320k
- Years to senior tier
- 15 yrs
- Cheapest path cost
- $250k
- School length (cheap)
- 11 yrs
How we calculate it: total education cost ÷ (15% of first-year pay put toward paying it back).
"Most doctors don't earn a full salary until their early 30s. Residency pays only $60,000 to $70,000. And the med-school you attend barely affects your earning ceiling: a state-school grad in orthopedics out-earns a Harvard MD in pediatrics for their entire career."
Salary trajectory
How each career's pay unfolds over time
Dots mark career stages. Time along the bottom, salary on the left.
Education required
Routes into each career
Smart-start route
Community college
Years
3
Cost
$15k
In-state public undergrad + in-state public med school
Years
11
Cost
$250k
The smart default for most future physicians. Residency programs and hiring hospitals do NOT care where you went to med school for ~90% of specialties: they care about Step scores, clinical grades, and letters.
Higher-cost / higher-risk alternative
Bachelor's program
Years
4
Cost
$120k
Private university + private med school (full freight)
Years
11
Cost
$500k
Rarely worth $250k of extra debt. A $500k loan at 7% costs ~$3,700/month on a 20-year plan — that's $44k/yr of post-tax income gone on a $230k primary-care salary.
10-year outlook
Where each career is heading
10-yr job growth
AI / automation risk
Low riskHuman judgment, physical presence, or regulation protects this job.
Tailwinds
- • Shortage in most metros
- • Flexible part-time work available
Headwinds
- • Hand/wrist injuries common late-career
- • Pay has plateaued in saturated metros
Real wages
Real wages up ~4% since 2019. One of healthcare's healthier trends.
10-yr job growth
AI / automation risk
Low riskHuman judgment, physical presence, or regulation protects this job.
Tailwinds
- • Aging US population means steady demand
- • Physician shortages in primary care and rural areas
Headwinds
- • Admin burden growing faster than pay
- • Corporate medicine squeezing autonomy
Real wages
Physician real wages fell ~5% from 2019-2024. Nominal raises haven't matched inflation.