quoted for truth.. even General practitioners don't earn that much..

But once they become specialist, their salaries will soar..

But not easy being a specialist doctor.. Long hours, lots of patients, can't out-source.. have to have stable and sharp hand eye co-ordination (if doing surgery), have to constantly under-go training and upgrading of skills and knowledge for the rest of their lives, & etc.. once they stop working, that's it.. no more income..

Same goes for any chosen profession. My profession of choice, engineer, also has multiple specialization pathways to take.. You can become an Ir or PE, and your one signature can be worth hundreds of thousands if not millions, in the right chosen profession..

For instance, in Singapore & even in Malaysia, a PE or qualified person (QP) can only certify buildings as safe for occupation, or even work on the design of the buildings.. Every buildings is mandatory to seek a PE or QP engineer for approval prior to occupation.. Each time, the QP or PE will charge at least $20,000 SGD/RM. to $100,000 SGD/RM for their work, time and expertise. And there is no classification of prices to adhere or follow either.. You are solely at the mercy of how much the PE wants to charge. They can simply say, every building is different and require customized application.. boom.. $100k into the pocket of the PE..

Even the work load can be offloaded or outsourced to their junior engineers.. meanwhile, the QP or PE will focus on other things like buying a new landed house or new car or just relaxing playing golf.. lol. You can imagine, the PE just need 10-20 projects to earn $2 million.. most will handle at least 50-60 projects a year, so the amount they make can be tens of millions easily.. without additional need for support or work..

And the thing is, engineering is a far easier pathway to take than becoming a specialist doctor.. Also, to become a PE is just a matter of time spent working in the field, then applying for your PE certs and examination in-front of a board of engineers.. Pretty straight-forwards with little studying or even extra courses required.. Just working your normal job is sufficient & it only cost a few 1000s at most.. compared this to the hundreds of thousands spent to become a specialist doctor, not to mention, down-time, not making an income whilst you study to become a surgeon.. The engineer on pathway to PE is still working, still getting paid a salary & income. No need to take further degree or courses at all.. 4 year degree is enough.

Also, unlike businessman, Doc, Lawyer, Banker, & other professions that require clientele presentation, engineers don't need to 'flaunt' their wealth by buying a new merc, or a big bungalow.. because these are not good investments to make and is more for appearance sake than actual money making investments.

So most of the time, the Engineer who has become a PE, can keep their money in savings & investments.. Meanwhile, drive an old corolla and live in a smaller house. At the end of the day, they are valued for their signature and it is mandatory by law to seek engineer signature already..


It's all relative really.. Even if you earn big bucks, if you are not saving 70% of that income, you will not retire early at all..

So yeah, get a 4 year degree, work a while, then go and become a specialist.. Do not think that becoming a doctor is the only pathway to riches..

This post has been edited by Liamness: Jan 29 2020, 01:06 PM

Ya la.. i have yet to come across an engineer below middle class lifestyle. Average engineer also can afford a nice house in a good PJ/KL location, car, kids & etc.

Those that end up specialising in their fields sure earn alot more too.

Then there's also those that come out and do their own business become the next taukei. Hehe.