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Clayton Vaughn

Professor Cassel

English 1201

26 Apr 2020

How Entrepreneurship and Surgeonship Can Be Beneficial

As a sixteen year old in high school, I think about my future multiple times a day. It

conveys stress, mostly because the real world is approaching rapidly, and there is no escaping

reality. But there is some light and hope, for a rewarding career and ultimately a fulfilling life. I

think about what career would fit me the best, and I have completed dozens of tests to see what

job would best suit me. In the end of it all, I believe choosing to be a surgeon or entrepreneur

would make me the most happy. As I have conducted research for both of these profound fields

of career and study, I discovered that both fields can be quite lucrative, but require extensive

hours as well as extra education. As a surgeon, there would be less free time for me to enjoy with

my family and friends, but the salaries could help mask that issue. In contrast, entrepreneurs

make their own hours, and in many cases even work from home. This means that I would be

freed of set hours, and a set wage. In addition, I would have a chance to travel more, and invest

my money to maximize profits. But to be successful in any field, you must put loads of time and

effort into your profession. This information leads me into a dilemma in which part of me wants

to become a surgeon, and the other wants me to create something and watch it grow financially

as an entrepreneur. As I decide, I will use these main factors: salaries, free time and happiness,

and lastly, extent of education and risks. Entrepreneurship and Surgeonship can be beneficial in
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many different ways. Surgeonship comes with an impressive salary and a very notable title.

Similarly, entrepreneurship comes with a potential for high salaries, while having flexible hours

and limitless opportunities.

Entrepreneurs take on a special task when they create a business. Luckily for them, this

task can be extremely rewarding, in terms of both money and happiness. When operated

correctly, entrepreneurs can make upwards of 300,000 dollars per year. When considering the

national average salary is only 33,110 dollars, this is a major step up from the average citizen in

the United States (Lange). One of the biggest opportunities with entrepreneurship is the ability to

control your own business, which allows you to control the money flow. You can choose to either

invest that money into the company to help it grow faster, or keep some of it, creating your

salary. This idea is called “wage-control”, and basically is just that, you are able to control your

own wage instead of having superior management decide your pay wages. When we talk about

average salaries for entrepreneurs, it can fluctuate year by year. For example, if a drought hit a

large farm one year, the salary would be next to nothing. In contrast, a grocery store would make

much more than average when a natural disaster is closing into an area. A survey run by the

American Express OPEN stated that over half of entrepreneurs surveyed were paying themselves

a full-time salary, and making around $68,000 per year (DeMers). This survey is very useful for

showing how much the average entrepreneur actually makes. As DeMers states, “rather than

being capped at whatever value your company determines that you offer, you’ll create your own

value by owning a business with no upper limit on profitability” (1). This shows us that

entrepreneurs have no limit of expansion and opportunity to strike it rich. But keep in mind that

most companies are very small, and some are also “not for profit” companies. As the business
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then continues to grow, the entrepreneur is able to invest the money back into the company for

new machinery or to hire more employees, increasing the monthly yields (the maximum amount

of product or service produced per month). It is very nice to be able to control your income, but

business could decrease, resulting in low income and a possibility of business failure. This is

why many people enjoy being surgeons, and getting a fixed income without all the risk.

Becoming a surgeon is no easy task, but many trudge through the extensive years of

schooling and training for high salaries. As a surgeon, you will be making a lot of money, all of

the time. It does not matter how the economy is doing, or if there is a crisis, they are needed

daily for operations. According to the American College of Surgeons, the average salary of a

surgeon is 265,920 dollars. This is significantly higher than the average American, who makes an

inferior 33,110 dollars (Josephson). One huge advantage of becoming a surgeon is that they are

always in demand, and hospitals and offices are always looking for surgeons. This is because the

hospitals are then able to market to other hospitals that they have a surgeon who can help

someone. This creates a steady demand for surgeons, and means that they are almost always
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employed within days of college graduation. As this graph from MD Edge shows us, there will

be a shortage of almost 35,000 surgeons by 2025. Another advantage of being linked to a

company, or hospital in this case, is free investing and retirement plans. These both can help

maximize money and use it so that everyone is making the most money (Josephson). All in all,

surgeons make a great deal of money, but with long hours and crazy schedules, they cannot enjoy

as much free time and freedom as an entrepreneur.

When considering careers, one of the biggest factors is free time and flexibility. As an

entrepreneur, you have ultimate flexibility and a good amount of free time. This can be life

changing, and reduces stress levels for many entrepreneurs. Family time is extremely important

to most people, and with free time, they are able to take time off, and spend it with their families,

creating lasting bonds. With enough free time, you could start taking vacations more and travel

to new places, which is a very cool experience for many people. Another huge advantage of

being an entrepreneur, and your own boss, is that you control everything. You control your wages

as previously mentioned, and you also control your interests and business plan. As Taylor states,

“the reason many people start pondering the advantages and disadvantages of being an

entrepreneur is that they work somewhere where they feel stifled; They dislike having to do

things in the established way” (9). Taylor has a very valid point here, as many people get

frustrated with their employer, and are not able to control business to their liking. In addition to

having more freedom, you can choose what kind of business you want to operate. With this

freedom, one could choose to run a business that interests them, so that the entrepreneur would

love their job and put a lot of effort into it. In addition, they are the employers, and can choose

who they want to hire. This helps with keeping the work environment safe and comfortable
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(Taylor). Another important value that entrepreneurship teaches is friendship and strong bonds.

As an entrepreneur, marketing and also purchasing services and products from other people and

businesses is essential. This will help the entrepreneur become social and develop lasting bonds

with new people. In addition, if business is rough one year, one of your contacts could help

financially support you, because they want to see you succeed as well as themselves (Taylor).

There are so many new and creative opportunities for entrepreneurs, but surgeons have one of

the most diverse jobs in America. Not to mention, surgeons also have opportunities to operate on

patients on a daily basis.

The word “surgeon” is a very broad word, and many people do not realize how many

types of surgeons even exist. When going through college, a surgeon would most likely study

general surgeonship. These classes will build the base knowledge of terminology and maybe dig

into different types of surgeons, but very briefly. After completing these general classes, the

surgeon is then able to choose what specialty to study. According to the American College of

Surgeons, there are 14 surgeon specialties. With this amount of opportunity, surgeons have plenty

of options to specialize in, meaning that they could choose which specialty interests them the

most. With all of this opportunity, there is great demand for all types of surgeons, meaning that

you will easily find a very high paying job. The occupation of a surgeon does limit you to

stressful and strenuous hours that you cannot decide (Mahoney). It can also be very tough to find

time for families and friends. This being said, one must be able to work diligently without a lot

of free time to explore other interests. Also as a surgeon, you do have the opportunity to be hired

at multiple locations. Especially when you choose a needed, yet rare, specialty. A specialty such

as vascular surgeon. A vascular surgeon performs surgeries on arteries and blood vessels. This
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type of surgeon requires a great understanding of the body's vascular system and also more

precise, and extremely dangerous surgeries. In most cases, surgeons choose to become a general

or pediatric surgeon. These specialties are quite common, meaning that they are usually hired by

one hospital instead of multiple (Mahoney). As mentioned earlier, surgeons earn one of the

highest salaries in America, but they do need extensive years of education and training, unlike

entrepreneurs.

Education is essential to becoming successful in every single career path, unfortunately

education is extremely expensive nowadays. In contrast, entrepreneurs are lucky. This is because

they are not required to complete post graduate classes. This can save tens of thousands of

dollars per year, and will help get a jump start on business and a plan (Lange). When researching

for colleges to attend, I have found that most schools even have an entrepreneurial degree,

usually offered through the School of Business. This degree will prepare a future business

operator, and utilize new technology to simulate real world issues. According to the U.S. News

Rankings, the five best undergraduate programs for entrepreneurs are: Massachusetts Institute of

Technology, Indiana University, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, and

University of California-Berkeley. All of these schools are renowned for their top-tier

admissions, only accepting the very best applicants. As an entrepreneurial student, you first must

pass all general education classes (English, mathematics, etc.). You are then able to apply for the

business school, and upon admission, you can specialize in entrepreneurial studies. It is

recommended to also focus on financial literacy, and study business law and accounting. These

courses will help you not only be smart with your money and how you invest it, but also will

help you understand what is legal and what is illegal in business (Taylor). Once a future
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entrepreneur has graduated, he or she needs to focus on building their business. The first step is

to build a plan for your business. This is similar to writing an essay, you must lay down a

foundation and guidelines before you start. When creating a business plan, there are multiple

factors to ponder and include. One important factor that is often overlooked is money. As a

young adult coming out of college, money will be tight. In addition, you could be pressed with

hefty college loans to repay. In this situation, the entrepreneur must go to the bank and ask to

take out a loan. During the visit to the bank, you will be evaluated on your payment history,

college degree, grades received, and most importantly, the business plan. The evaluator will then

study all of the information given, and make a decision. When you receive the money from the

loan, you can then invest that into your business and start building from there (Lange).

Nonetheless, becoming an entrepreneur is not all too difficult, but building a lucrative and

successful company is extremely difficult and will bring lots of stress. Becoming a surgeon is

quite different, as there is much more required education, but considerably less stress in the long

term.

Becoming a surgeon is considered one of the hardest career paths to follow. This is for

many reasons, such as the length of education, the cost of education, the toughness of courses,

and extra training beyond college. Surgeons unfortunately must complete extensive years of

college and training, which adds up to a lot of money overall. When looking for colleges to

attend, I have found some of the best schools for surgeons in America. According to the U.S.

News Rankings, the top five colleges for surgeons are: Johns Hopkins University, University of

California-San Francisco, Harvard University, and Duke University. Similarly to the best

colleges for entrepreneurs, you must have very high standardized test scores and grade point
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averages to be admitted into these schools. Once admitted, the student must complete all general

education courses and maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average. As an undergraduate student,

you would be studying pre-med, which is also extremely rigorous and requires many tough

classes. Also, graduate students sometimes show real life operations and procedures to help the

undergraduates learn first hand (Mahoney). After receiving a bachelor's degree in pre-medicine,

he or she can then apply to the schools graduate medical program and study surgery. Students

then work towards a masters degree and then a doctorate degree (PHD) in general surgery. Later,

the student has the opportunity to pick a specialty type of surgery, such as an oral surgeon. In

addition to picking a specialty, the student also is required to serve a two year residency program

within their new specialty. This is where students will start to perform real surgeries on people

who need help. During the residency, students will acquire real hands on training from certified

surgeons, and also start to be recruited from other hospitals. As previously mentioned, surgeons

are always in demand, and needed everyday in order to save lives. With all of this education and

training, the cost will overwhelm most people. According to SmartAsset, the average price to

become a surgeon will run from 250,000 to over 500,000 dollars. This price includes everything,

undergraduate degree, masters degree, doctorate degree, licensing and exam costs, and after

college residency and training. This price also depends greatly on what type of institution you

attend. A private school may provide you with a more specialized education, but it will

ultimately cost a large amount of money. In addition, these costs can be brought down by earning

scholarships, or participating in the armed forces after or before college. But when you have

completed all education and have begun work at a hospital, you still need to study. A surgeon

must stay up to date with regulations and new technology that has impacted the surgical world.
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Also, all surgeons must be ABS certified. ABS is the American Board of Surgeons, and they

create an exam yearly for all surgeons to take part in. This exam makes sure that all of America’s

surgeons are able to perform surgery correctly and safely. If the examinee is to fail the exam,

then the certification will be revoked until the exam is passed. All in all, surgeons are required to

partake in over 10 years of after high school education, take rigorous courses, perform real

surgeries, and pass yearly exams before even becoming an employed surgeon (Mahoney). This

also comes with huge price tags and takes many years to complete, but there are still people

willing to put in their effort for the high salaries and the name of being a surgeon. In contrast,

some people think that becoming an entrepreneur or a surgeon is not worth it.

Being an entrepreneur is rough, and it will reveal new problems that will be very hard to

deal with. Some people believe that the problems are not worth it, between people quitting,

endless meetings and phone calls, or other problems that may jeopardize profits. Becoming an

entrepreneur is very hard in the long term. It is much easier to be hired by an employer, and work

nine to five, while making a set yearly wage. In addition, the stress levels of entrepreneurs are

extremely high all of the time, because they want their business to strive and stay running. This

can make the entrepreneur lose free time and sleep, which is the opposite of what being an

entrepreneur should be. As DeMers states, “even so, it is true that the majority of businesses do

fail, even if they barely constitute a majority” (2). This is a scary statistic, as it is telling us that

over half of business startups are failures. Lastly, if your business fails, then you are stranded,

with possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, and looking for a normal job. Nobody

wants to deal with that stress, but the few that are up for the challenge of entrepreneurship, are

the few that succeed. To become an entrepreneur, one must have the right mindset and be able to
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deal with constant stress (Lange). On the other hand, many people do not think becoming a

surgeon is worth the years of education and training.

The process of becoming a surgeon is one of the longest and most financially denting

processes in America. Most people do not want to spend upwards of 500,000 on education, and

spend over ten years learning their career skills. As Jospeson states, “surgeons earn some of the

highest salaries in the country. However, the costs associated with becoming a surgeon are high,

and student debt may eat into surgeons’ high salaries for years” (7). It is an absurd amount of

time and money for someone to invest, and loans will take very long to pay off. In addition,

surgeons are always working, leaving very little time for family and needed vacations.

Furthermore, surgeons have one of the most stressful occupations, because their job is to save

lives, and one mistake could be fatal. When given the choice, most Americans would rather have

a more moderate job, instead of surgeonship. But the few who choose to endure the rigorous

classes and training are the few who will earn the prestigious title of “surgeon”, and make an

extremely rewarding salary.

Entrepreneurship and Surgeonship can be beneficial in many different ways. Surgeonship

comes with an impressive salary and very notable title. Similarly, entrepreneurship comes with a

potential for high salaries, while having flexible hours and limitless opportunities. Throughout

the research that I have completed, I have found so much new information about surgeons and

entrepreneurs. Both careers are very stressful, but can yield great salaries, and provide happiness.
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This graph from ToughNickel shows us how surgeons and entrepreneurs (CEO’s) are both in the

top three highest paid jobs in America as of 2011. As a surgeon, the pathway to employment is

very tough, with over ten years of education and training, and loans amounting to at least

250,000. As previously mentioned, surgeons make an average of 265,920 dollars per year, which

is a great amount of money, and could make up for the stress and crazy hours of being a surgeon.

Entrepreneurs do not have to complete as much education as a surgeon, but it is extremely risky

and stressful to create a business from scratch. From taking out large loans, to hiring new

employees, this job will use every ounce of energy and patience from an entrepreneur. As I

conclude, I look back on my findings, and I can clearly say that I still am in a dilemma in

choosing which occupation suits me more, as both have obvious advantages and disadvantages. I

urge you to invest some time into discovering how amazing these two careers really are, and

maybe you too will desire to become a surgeon or an entrepreneur.

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Works Cited

DeMers, Jayson. “Will Entrepreneurship Make You Rich? A Realistic Perspective.”

Entrepreneur, 8 May 2017, www.entrepreneur.com/article/293512. Accessed 28

Feb 2020.

Josephson, Amelia. “The Average Salary of a Surgeon.” SmartAsset, SmartAsset, 23 July

2019, smartasset.com/career/the-average-salary-of-a-surgeon. Accessed 29 Feb

2020.

Lange, Tina. “The Benefits of Entrepreneurship.” Florida Today, BrevardCounty, 1 Apr.

2016, www.floridatoday.com/story/money/business/2016/04/03/benefits-

entrepreneurship/82581466/. Accessed 28 Feb 2020.

Mahoney, Stephen T. “Survey of the US Surgeon Workforce: Practice Characteristics, Job

Satisfaction, and Reasons for Leaving Surgery.” Journal of the American College

of Surgeons, Nov 3, 2020. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.x.

Accessed 27 Feb 2020.

Taylor, Ben. “Advantages and Disadvantages of Being an Entrepreneur.”

HomeWorkingClub.com, 19 Feb. 2020, www.homeworkingclub.com/advantages-

and-disadvantages-of-being-an-entrepreneur/. Accessed 29 Feb 2020.

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Inglish, Patty. Top 10 Highest Paid Jobs in the U.S. by Avg. Salary. 2012. Tough Nickel.

https://toughnickel.com/business/Highest-Paying-Jobs-in-the-US. Accessed 4

April 2020.

Franki, Richard. Projected Shortfall Range of Surgeon Specialties. 2016. MDEdge.

https://www.mdedge.com/surgery/article/109347/practice-management/health-

care-system-could-be-short-33000-surgeons-2025. Accessed 5 April 2020.