EXIT STRATEGY – The ONLY relevant advice for every budding dentist not interested in Dentistry for the long term.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this blog are the authors own and are derived from the author’s experiences and observations. This blog is the intellectual property of the blog owner and unauthorised reproduction of the blog material is strictly prohibited.

Note to reader: This is the first of our PERSPECTIVE series of blogs. To give you a general idea, the PERSPECTIVE series specifically aims to discuss various issues from a non-dentistry point of view especially for the lot of budding dentists who do not wish to continue with the field in the long-term. These blogs will not be aimed to dissuade people from the field but rather will look to explore the mindset tweaks and practices needed to put yourself in a position to make the best decision for your life and future. If you have any issues or complains with the views expressed in this series, feel free to leave them in the comments below in the form of your own unique PERSPECTIVE!

“Multiplicity of perspectives is essential to making us who we are. Identity is always a two-way street – created from the inside out and the outside in”

-          Esther Perel

(Tribe of Mentors, Short life advice from the best in the world – Tim Ferriss)

Ask a group of people in any other field why they chose to pursue a career in that particular field and I’m sure most of them will tell you that they did so out of interest. On the other hand, ask a group of dentists the reason why they took up dentistry and most of them will tell you that it was because they could not get into MBBS. There lies the root of all the problems in terms of mindset and approach that is plaguing the dental field today especially when it comes to budding dentists. If you are in a field of work that is not of your interest, there are only two ways to go about it...either DEVELOP an interest as you learn your craft or learn your craft till you are obliged to and press the EJECT button once you’re done. SIMPLE.

Simple?

Not exactly. Especially not by the way you see so many budding dentists stuck in the middle ground as they near the end of their internship. The middle ground. The worst place to be stuck in. Not fully interested in the current career option and not fully confident about quitting and pursuing a new one either! The end result? An entire generation of learned professionals with an utter negative mindset and approach towards their career in a field they are not interested in, in the first place! Let me ask you something, when was the last time you ran into a fellow budding dentist who was of the opinion that you should absolutely take up dentistry as a career, that it is the right choice or who was absolutely fulfilled, satisfied and happy with the way their life is? When was the last time you met a fellow budding dentist who didn’t complain?

Let us make this more interesting! Ask yourself this. When was the last time YOU, yes YOU, the reader did not complain about your life and career choice? Or interrupted a conversation that was just brimming with negativity towards the state of the profession today. When was the last time you brought OPTIMISM to the table when discussing dentistry as a career with your friends? If the answer leaves you scratching your head thinking about the last time you felt POSITIVE and CONTENT with your decision to choose dentistry as a career, I have just two options for you...GET IN OR GET OUT!

GET IN OR GET OUT! Stop wasting your time...find the answers! Search for the options...try...get experience...hustle. We live in a world where all of us make career decisions at an age where we barely know ourselves, are barely in tune with our identity and are barely aware of our strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. Mistakes are bound to happen when it comes to decision making. It is totally fine! But once you realise that you’ve made the wrong choice...a choice that is not in tune with the way you imagine your future shaping up...a choice that just doesn’t light up that spark within when you think of it as a line of work for the rest of your life...once you realise that and you choose to stay still, stay stuck and do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about it...it’s all on you! Stop complaining about how bad things are, how the circumstances suck, how it’s not your “time” yet because it all doesn’t matter! Once you’ve realised that dentistry is not of your interest, stop being the passive observer in your life, take control and do something about it! GET IN or GET OUT!

Not sure what apart from Dentistry would hold your interest? GET IN...Seek help, seek mentors, talk to senior dentists, join a locum, learn about where you can place yourself in terms of being a practicing dentist...see where you can develop an interest in terms of the field...clinical, non-clinical, marketing or business...the options are plenty if you broaden your perspective! Seek experience, be actively involved in the decision making process that is YOUR LIFE!

Got an idea of what you can be other than a Dentist?...GET OUT!

Start hustling, get clear about what it is exactly that you would want to do if not be a dentist for the rest of your life...find the answer...apply what you have learned to support yourself till you find the exit...join a part time job...earn some money on the side...work the after hours to get where you want...let go the weekends for a year...find your path...find your passion...take active control of your life.

The worse thing than being a clueless 20-something when it comes to your future career goals is being a passive minded 20-something who accepts the current reality as a permanent state and continues to tread the same path forever without initiating any change.

To all the current budding dentists out there who feel like they might have been better off doing something else, that is the only relevant piece of advice you can get...GET IN OR GET OUT!

As I end this post, I’m leaving you with some tremendous insight by none other than Mr. Gary Vaynerchuk that I feel will help you get your mind rolling!

“You’ve gotta try stuff! The biggest reason you don’t know what you wanna do is you haven’t tasted enough things and the biggest reason you’ve not tasted enough things is you’re worried about finding it too fast! Start with the finish line...too many people are just worried about tomorrow...go backwards from what you want to achieve, financially and in your legacy and then make all your behaviour everyday map to your finish line!”

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