THE WHAT NEXT? DILEMMA AND HOW TO AVOID IT BY ANSWERING 2 BRUTALLY HONEST QUESTIONS

why fear the question when you can train your mind to answer it!

Disclaimer: This article does not list the options available after B.D.S, for that, there is Google! It aims to serve as a mental exercise for those who feel lost in the world of dentistry so that they see the options beyond their own perceived and restricted reality. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and are derived from the author’s experiences and observations. They are in no way disrespectful to dentistry or to the dental community.

It’s that time of the year again! An entire batch of final year B.D.S warriors will enter a whole new realm of dentistry, the internship. Fresh with hope, full of pride and feeling a sense of honour to have accomplished the feat of becoming doctors. 

At the same time, on the other side of the spectrum will be the batch of outgoing interns, the trained dentists, ready to take on the real world. 

Yet, for some reason, there is a marked transition in a student’s frame of mind as he/she progresses from the start to the end of the internship. While some are sharp and focused enough to give a prompt reply on their future plans, there are also a few who have absolutely no idea about what they would like to do with their lives once the internship is over!

I have been a part of the latter group of people. 

Speaking of random statistics, I will assume that so will be the case with approximately 50%-70% of the people around you. The only problem with not knowing is that it draws a lot of negativity. Somehow, not knowing is considered to be a crime in society. We have been so accustomed to knowing the answers about everything that not knowing what to do with your life is considered a disappointing, careless and lazy frame of mind.

But I’m here to tell you that it is absolutely ok to have no idea about what you want to do.

What if I told you that instead of fearing the “what next?” question, you could actually train your mind to answer it? 

What if I told you that you could do that by answering just 2 brutally honest questions? All you need to do is be equally honest with the answers.

Before we get to the questions, let us start with the thought process that you need to adopt in order to figure out your path in life. It involves developing two very important qualities;

1.    Knowing yourself

Knowing yourself through self-discovery should be the aim of every person in his/her 20’s. 

Know your hobbies, your strengths, your weakness, your nature. Ask yourself what excites you? What makes you happy? What makes you angry? What is the kind of life you want for yourself? 

Keep a calm mind that is free from outside influence and journey within. 

Write it all down on a piece of paper without being judgmental. You will be surprised to find out what all lies within you.

When you are done, write down in the most honest way possible, your current reality and before you do anything, just accept it. Good or bad, doesn’t matter. Just accept your current reality. I use the word current here because it will be temporary and you WILL change it, however; you cannot change your reality until you know it inside out!

Most people are unhappy because they fail to accept the reality and expect it to change. It’s like wanting to buy a Mercedes with the budget for a Suzuki. You will be disappointed. Instead, buy the Suzuki, feel content and then work your way up to the Mercedes.

Knowing yourself is the first step to a clear mind that is focused.

2.    Making an “informed decision” instead of a “blind decision”

“Rahul is putting up a clinic! I should too!”

“Tina is going to Australia! I’ll look into that!”

“Akshay is trying for PG, I’ll study too!”

These are all examples of “blind decisions”. 

Believing that if something works out for someone, it will work out for you too. Sadly, that is not how the world works, especially not if you don’t really enjoy what you are doing. 

Society only glorifies the success stories, so keep in mind that if there is a dentist earning a six-figure income, there may even be a dentist who just manages to pay his rent and provide for his family. This is applicable not only to dentistry but to all fields.

The trend of herd-mentality benefits nobody. 

Instead of following somebody’s path and making blind decisions, observe their paths, observe many paths, gather knowledge, know how they got where they are today, what mistakes they feel they did, what choices they made, what worked for them and what didn’t. Gather all this information and compare it to your own scenario and then, carve out your own path. This is how you make an informed decision...a decision made on facts.

Once you adopt these two thought processes, you will have enough clarity and focus to move on and answer the actual questions that will open your mind to the options most suited for you. 

Every question will be followed by a few possible answers and a list of do’s and don’ts which you can alter to suit your own condition and implement accordingly. So, without much further ado, here are the 2 brutally honest questions that you need to answer;

BRUTALLY HONEST QUESTION #1: Are you truly PASSIONATE about Dentistry?

(PASSIONATE = you eat, breathe, live dentistry and would settle in your own clinic if it were socially acceptable)

POSSIBLE ANSWER #1: YES!

Well, then why are you even here? Shouldn’t you be working? Isn’t there a line of patients waiting for you? Go on...you don’t need advice...start working!

Still here?

That means you belong to,

POSSIBLE ANSWER #2: NO!

This is a tricky situation to be in especially after spending 4-5 years of your life studying dentistry.

Don’t worry; there is a way out though!

The onus in this scenario will, however, lie totally on YOU! for you will have to delve deeper within and ask yourself just one thing in particular,

Do I possess any other innate talent, hobby or skill apart from dentistry?

This question is important. 

Donot take NO for an answer here, simply because it is just not possible! Every soul on this planet is born with at least one special ability, the one thing that you are naturally good at. 

It could be anything, from an instrument you play to a dish you cook. From your knowledge about something to your writing skills. It could be something even as mundane as being good at organising things or keeping accounts. 

The point is to identify those areas of your life as your strengths and start working on a long-term goal to monetise (read: generate income from) them.

But how do I earn a living till then? What do I tell society? My parents?

That’s where the do’s and don’ts come into play.

DO’s

• ·         Practice dentistry – Keep in mind that this is a short-term solution to accomplishing your long-term goal of earning from the work you like doing. Join a locum, a trust or a chain. Any place that offers the freedom to work part-time. Devote half of your day to dentistry as a duty and make sure you get paid for it.

• ·         Build on your skills – Devote yourself fully to building your skills and talents in the other half of the day. Set a time frame to accomplish it in 1 year, and then try to do it in 8 months. This is where YOU alone will be responsible for the outcome. Devote yourself fully to the work of your liking.

• ·         Get ready for sacrifice – This by far is the most important of the DO’s. You need to have the right frame of mind and accept the fact that it will take time. Things won’t happen overnight. Be mentally prepared; expect sacrifices, cutting on expenses and leisure time. Always remember that this is a temporary phase and not a trap. You will have to work your way out of it. This ALONE stands between you and your success story.

DONT’s

• ·         Rent a place or invest lakhs in setting up a clinic – If you are sure that dentistry is not your passion, this can only mean regret sooner or later. Don’t fall into the trap of paying rent or investing money and then trying to recover it all out. There are other options that will pay you an almost comfortable income while you monetise your skill sets. Make a choice between a few years of struggle and a life time of regret. A career marred by regret will affect your performance, health, and well-being. Be wise.

• ·         Waste your time preparing for PG – The same logic applies here. Provided that you get through, if you are not passionate, you will regret it. If it is a private college, you will have the added pressure of recovering the amount you invested as fees. The same amount will be much more useful if invested in that one thing you feel interested in doing.

The first question should clarify the following points;

• ·     If not dentistry, what is the work that you enjoy doing and which gives you happiness?

• ·     Instead of regretting this field, it’s better to look at it as a short term solution till you reach your long-term goal. Thinking of it as an adjunct to your alternate career building process will keep you driven.

     We now arrive at the next question which needs the most honest answer and a review of your current (not permanent) reality;

BRUTALLY HONEST QUESTION #2: Are you from a FINANCIALLY SECURE background?

(FINANCIALLY SECURE = You can afford to pay the rent for your clinic out of your own pocket for a minimum of 6 months OR can afford to buy a place for a clinic OR can afford the fees of a private college without it affecting your lifestyle or monthly expenses.)

POSSIBLE ANSWER #1: YES! and I’m also PASSIONATE about dentistry!

No point reading this article. Go out there and follow your passion! Build your career as a dentist!

POSSIBLE ANSWER #2: NO! but I’m PASSIONATE about dentistry!

DO’s

• ·       Dedicate at least 1 year towards working in a trust or a chain part-time and a locum in  the other half of the day. The goal is to gain practice, experience and also some funds.

• ·      SAVE! SAVE! SAVE!...control that urge to splurge! Even if it is as small as Rs5000/- SAVE!!

• ·      Start small and then scale your business.Have patience and let it grow.

• ·     Try as hard as you can to get into a government college with a stipend if you plan on pursuing PG.

• ·    SAVE! SAVE!SAVE!...make fixed deposits, invest in mutual funds etc....you’re getting paid, use wisely! Save enough to at least be able to afford the cost of a setup.

DON’Ts

• ·    Spend on all courses (implants, aesthetics, lasers etc) at once. Build your general practice first, get known in the community and then grow your practice step by step.

• ·     Be in a hurry to expand your practice. Have patience. 

POSSIBLE ANSWER #3: YES! but I’m NOT PASSIONATE about dentistry!

DO’s

• ·         Invest in your talents and skills and make them grow!

The possibilities are endless if you have the capital and make a smart investment!

DON'Ts

• ·         Dump the money in a setup or a PG seat!

POSSIBLE ANSWER #4: NO! and I’m also NOT PASSIONATE about dentistry!

Follow the steps in POSSIBLE ANSWER #2 of BRUTALLY HONEST QUESTION #1

These are the 2 brutally honest questions that I feel should serve as a guide to discovering your own answer to the “WHAT NEXT?” dilemma. 

However; in the end, it all comes down to implementation. 

The first step is the most important even if it turns out to be a misstep. 

Implement the thought processes of knowing yourself and making an “informed” decision. Answer the 2 brutally honest questions and find out for yourself “WHAT LIES NEXT?”.

In a world where career decisions tend to follow a pattern of generalisation, putting your mind to work to carve out your own unique path in life and seeing the options yourself carry the benefit of elevating your state of well-being.

I hope that this article serves to guide you towards your goals and helps you to see the options you really have! 

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