Is specialization financially worth it in the long run?

[planisphere]

I know this is a very broad, even dumb question, but as still a layman (D1) I would like any kind of feedback if possible.
I was just thinking that we all know salary is usually higher for specialties, but it occurred to me that there are also:

1) accruing interest from four-year tuition
2) extra 2-3 years of tuition (depending on the program; let's exclude OMFS for now...)
3) the salary you could've made as a GP during those 2-3 years.

My math may not be right, but I hope you understand where I am getting at. Do specialties really make that much despite those financial disadvantages?

Thanks in advance

P.S Oh wow I just realized there's a similar thread right next to this...

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[toyotasupra]

If you have rich parents who pay for your dental school tuition then yes it’s worth it! But if you are a poor 1st generation college student with immigrant parents like me - not worth it.

 

[Let me out!]

If you have rich parents who pay for your dental school tuition then yes it’s worth it! But if you are a poor 1st generation college student with immigrant parents like me - not worth it.

This sums up well.

If you're well off, and have the time to spare, sure.

I spent much of my life working to support my family and entered dental school in 30s. I didn't want to start working in 40s. I didn't want to rack up more debt. I would have lost 800k-1.2mil income in those 2-3 years. For me, realistically, I could not do a specialty.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Also why we encourage HPSP or NHSC. Give yourself a chance to specialize without the debt sword hanging over your head.

 

[2TH MVR]

There was a time when the cost of entry to a specialty residency was reasonable. Your future salary more than made up for the lost income and costs to attend the residency. Not speaking for ALL specialties, but it appears that certain specialty income has not kept up with the cost of entry.
I've mentioned this before. I attended a stipend paying ortho residency. By the time I was finished ... my entire educational debt was less than 100K. Specialization made perfect sense for someone in my situation. But if the cost of entry (some orthos are approaching a million dollars) then probably not.