So, this isn't meant as a "poor me" post, or a husband bashing post, or anything other than a "take a minute and think about this" post.
I'm a full-time small animal veterinarian. My husband works for a large cable company as an installer. We both work our butts off to be good at our jobs.
I was paying bills the other day and realized:
- I spent 4 years in graduate school to be able to do what I do. My husband was on the job trained.
- I graduated with ~$115K in loans (all from grad school). My husband has none.
- I paid for my school. My husband's company paid him to attend school.
- I pay for my health insurance, have my own retirement plan since my clinic does not offer one, and get no money for continuing education, uniforms, dues for professional organizations, etc. My husband gets full medical, dental, vision, retirement plan, weekly paid training sessions, a work vehicle, and paid for uniform shirts.
- I work, on average, about 60-65 hours per week. If there are emergencies, I have a patient in hospital that needs care, or we are busy, it's significantly more than that. My husband works about 50 hours a week.
- I do not get any paid time off for sick days or vacation. He accrues paid time off every week, and is guaranteed sick days.
So, all of this adds up to a significant difference in the bottom line, right?Well, I suppose it does.....the past few months, he's made more than I do.
In essence: with less training, less debt, fewer hours, better pay, and better benefits, it makes more sense for me to go work for a cable company than it does for me to a be a practicing doctor. Kinda makes me stop and think - next time I have a bright eyed young person look up at me and tell me they want to be a vet, too... It's sad.
