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Is it worth it going to college to become a doctor?

Hello, my name is Paulette, I am 12 years old, I live in Yuma, AZ. I like to hangout with friends/family, I like to do stem and science, but I would also like to become a doctor.

Q1: Is it worth it to go to college for 10-14 years?

Q2: What’s it like if it’s your first time working as a doctor?

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Michael’s Answer

Dear, Paulette

Becoming a doctor takes a lot of work, but in the end, it’s worth it. Ever since I was born, my mother told me that would become a doctor. It felt like I had no choice. Now that I’ve been an orthopedic surgeon for 40 years, I can tell you that all the hard work and all the years I put in for worth it. I love what I do.
Thank you comment icon Thank you so much for the advice. Paulette
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Paul’s Answer

Like Dr Dvorkin, I am also an orthopaedic surgeon, but I am older than he is and am retired. I would like to suggest several things to you. First, whether you want to be a doctor or something else, it is definitely worth your while to go to college. A college education gives you access to a wide variety of careers which are not available to people with only a high school education. If you want to be a doctor you will need to go to college for 4 years, medical school for 4 years, and do a residency to learn your specialty for 4 years or more, and perhaps even do a fellowship for a year or two after that. It is expensive, and you will probably have to borrow money to pay for it all, but you will make all of that back and earn a good living to boot during your career. Practicing medicine or surgery is interesting in and of itself, but the real reward in my view is that there is nothing else you can do in this world that will let you directly help people the way that practicing medicine can. I practiced orthopaedics in one form or another for fifty years, and loved every minute of it. If I had the chance, I would do it again in a heart beat. As Dr Dvorkin pointed out, it is a lot of hard work, but you will get used to it and learn how to manage your time, and if you eventually have children you will be able to teach them many vsaluable things as well.

Paul S. Treuhaft, MD, MA
Thank you comment icon Thank you for the advice, Paul. Paulette
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