<p>How flexible is a dentist's job compared to a job someone can get with a computer science degree. I know that software engineers jobs are super flexible and they can basically work from home whenever they want, and take breaks whenever they want. Is a dentist's job that flexible, or are they more like doctors, working for 12 hours a day.</p>
<p>Thanks for any feedback!</p>
<p>I think for dentists, it kind of depends. If you own your own dental clinic and are successful ( or you manage to become an orthodontist ) you can probably set your schedule pretty comfortably ( like 30-40 hours a week ) . However if you work for a large dental company or under another dentist, you’ll probably be working ATLEAST 40-50 hours a week ( which isn’t bad at all ). I rarely see dentists work more than 50 hours since they are never on call and they rarely deal with ER emergencies. </p>
<p>In the tech/software engineering it also depends. If you work for a huge company like Microsoft or Google, you’ll probably be working a standard and comfortable 40-50 hours a week. However, if you are more ambitious and choose to go to a startup or for an IB company, they can work you to the bone. ( We’re talking potentially 80-100+ hours ) </p>
<p>Honestly, being a dentist is probably one of the most comfortable jobs you can get. The first 3-5 years straight out of dental school can be really rough, but once you get settled and get the ball rolling its kind of smooth sailing from there. Software/Tech jobs should only be done if you truly love technology/coding. It’s an awesome job and can be incredibly exciting to be constantly innovating and thinking critically, something that dentists don’t always have the privilege of experiencing.
You’d probably earn more if you’re a dentist, but if you like technology, tech jobs can be much more exciting.</p>