alt Hacker News>One reason why doctor is more popular is the process for becoming one is high effort but low risk.
Disagree completely that becoming a doctor is low risk. The amount of residency spots is capped and is smaller than the number of people graduating from medical school. Every year thousands of MDs are prevented from going to residency and thus prevented from practicing medicine, even though they graduated from medical school.
https://dailyorange.com/2026/03/opinion-amid-u-s-doctor-shor...
>In 2025, 9,541 applicants went unmatched, including 2,409 soon-to-be graduates of United States schools awarding Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees.
Compared to what? Every other high status high paying career has less defined criteria for success. Where else can I sign up for a program to make 500k?
You just have to do well in medical school (an artificial program with stated requirements) and you’ll make it.
Are the career outcomes for those with medical degrees bad? Don’t they have a ton to options? What’s the risk?