Eric, thank you for the kind words! I love what you said… you’re right. This is not always a quick process. It takes a lot of time, energy, and undoing old patterns. But it’s so worth it! Others need to hear from more people like you to know they can do it too!

Hi Vey, Glad you found us. I have a Facebook page where you can come and talk about any of this! It’s called Dentist Side Gigs. I hope you’ll join. It’s so nice to connect with like-minded people. Here is a link to the page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/dentistsidegigs

Hi thank you for the article. I feel so relieved to find that there are a lot of people who i can relate with. Every other people whom i told that i want to quit, always said “think about it again, its a waste of time and money if you dont practice” or something like that. But it turns out that my feelings are valid after doing some browsing.. So i started my dental school in 2013, just because i dont know what major should i take, dont have any real passion, and thought i love biology. I was really good in theories though i was suffering from impostor syndrome too. But the grades were fine. In clinical years i realized my hand skills are really bad. Excellent cognitive knowledge just didnt do any good. Cant quit because i have no choice. I just graduated in the end of 2020 thanks to covid as well. Im now pursuing career in other field.. maybe we all should make a group chat? To encourage each other? I am so damn happy to find people like me here

Something else that I’ve learned in my own personal journey… there is no “quick fix” to making a career change such as this (I’d be wary of anyone who offered such a solution!). It is a process filled with self-examination, questioning, and yes, occasional obstacles. But those are not negative things — instead they are integral parts of creating a meaningful and lasting change. So don’t let any self-doubt get in your way — just brush it aside or go around it!

I guarantee that once you truly believe that change IS possible, and can definitely be in YOUR future, you will have made a huge leap forward. From that point, it is just fitting all the pieces together. Just keep focused and don’t give up! I have confidence you can do it. Wishing all the best to you.

Hi Ali, You are far from alone! The best thing that post did for me was show me that dentists everywhere experience these same thoughts and feelings. You’re right– most dentists don’t understand when we express our doubts. I’d love to have a chat with you about any of this. Shoot me a message here, or let me know if you want me to send you an email. I actually have a virtual career design conference coming up that might highly interest you. Here is a link to my contact page. https://www.lolabeescareercoaching.com/contact-me/

HI Laura! I’m glad you found us. We are having our next conference in March, and I’d love to have you join. In the meantime, you might be interested in a new Facebook group I have created. It’s a private community of more dentists who feel the same way we all feel. Here is a link to it, if you’d like to join. That way you can connect with like-minded dentists before March arrives. https://www.facebook.com/groups/dentistsidegigs

Israel, I’m glad to see you are making moves to learn about yourself. It is tough being the sole income earner, but you can do this. FYI… I am creating a 1-day conference to help people learn about other options, so stay tuned. It will happen in November. If you want me to let you know when I have more information, send me a message, or you can follow the blog. I will be sharing info about it very soon!