Why the Adage: Persuading Someone to Study Medicine Invites Heavens Wrath
The path from studying medicine to generating income is typically long, usually requiring 5 years of undergraduate study, 3 years of standardized residency training, and another 3 years to pass the licensing exam—before one officially becomes an attending physician (the 11-year combined bachelor’s-master’s-doctoral program is similar in duration). In other words, for most people, it’s well past age 30 before they can really start earning. More commonly, after finishing school, they enter the hospital system earning less than ¥2,000 a month, wait over six years to become an attending, and only then see their salary gradually rise.
Still, compared to those who enter the open market—facing the risk of job loss at 35, especially during an economic downturn—being able to rely on stable, solid income for nearly a lifetime is not a bad deal.
