The grass is always greener. Most Canadian software engineers are getting paid much less for the same work as across the border. Currently there are layoffs, hiring freezes and pay increase freezes. Canadian software engineers make less than doctors. FAANG salaries are a thing but you have to be willing to move to the US in order to attempt to achieve that.
Yes, if you consider non NYC/SV salaries physicians come out ahead in the vast majority of cases, we earn more or less the same no matter where we live.
I’m happy with my compensation but I’m also happy with my job/not optimizing solely for it. My point is that if I was I would have chosen a different career.
I also left Canada to make less in the US as a physician because I wanted more work/life balance and not to be working in a system constantly on the brink of collapse. The hospital I trained at was on “life or limb critical capacity” so often I had to set up an e-mail filter to send it to my junk.
Speaking of hiring freezes, from 2010-2020 the only jobs for radiologists were in small towns or undesirable locations, it’s better now for rads. Most surgeons and proceduralists (cardiology being a horrible one) still can’t find jobs in major metros without 2+ fellowships and at least one somewhere prestigious. It’s still hard with that.
As in all things, it really depends what you want in life. But if you have the aptitude to reach the highest levels of physician income and have mobility you’re probably skilled enough to have done the same in other professions (e.g. finance, software) with an easier (physically speaking) path and less opportunity cost.
