I just got off a coaching call with Lauren, a PA drowning in $200k+ of student loan debt, and something she said hit me hard:
“We’ve always pushed finances to the back burner because we haven’t been in secure places career-wise.”
This broke my heart because I used to think the exact same way. Here’s what I told her (and what I wish someone had told me 12 years ago): Your education trained you to be an exceptional employee, not an entrepreneur. You’re really good at following rules, raising your hand, doing assignments, and following the system. That’s why you excelled in PA school. But now you’re applying that same employee mindset to your finances and life goals. You’re following the American Dream roadmap:
college → degree → six-figure job → house → marriage → kids → save for retirement → retire at 65.
The problem? That roadmap was designed for industrial workers making $50,000 a year over 100 years ago. Our school system hasn’t changed since then.
If you’re making over $100,000, that advice doesn’t apply to you.
I see this with every PA I coach. I have friends from PA school who are 12 years out, still paying student loans, burnt out in clinical medicine, but afraid to leave that $130-150k job. They’re stuck because they never learned to think differently. The question nobody asks is:
“How do I deviate from the American Dream and create my own roadmap?”
You were taught WHAT to think, not HOW to think. If the traditional plan takes 45-50 years, why not do it in 5? I’m not saying quit your job tomorrow. I’m saying start thinking like an entrepreneur in every aspect of your life. Here’s what that looks like: Instead of “I can’t afford it right now,” ask “Can I afford to be poor for the next 10 years?” Instead of following conventional wisdom, ask, “How would someone with $50 million handle this situation?” Instead of waiting for the “perfect time,” ask “What’s the fastest path to my goal?” Lauren and her husband Michael are at a crossroads. She’s making good money as a PA, he was forced to put his career on hold. They’re trying to balance financial growth, professional fulfillment, and personal dreams. I told them:
“Why do you have to choose? Be greedy. Do all of it - just not all at once.” You can have everything you want, just not simultaneously.
When you were in PA school, you said no to parties and dating because you had a higher priority. Same principle applies now. The key is alignment. You and your spouse need to be moving toward the same singular goal. Everything - your finances, beliefs, habits, daily actions - must support that goal. Most people have four different goals with four different efforts. That’s why they take three steps forward and two steps back.
Pick one goal. Build a system around it. Execute relentlessly.
Your PA education gave you the discipline to succeed. Now use that same discipline to build wealth on your own terms. Unconventionally Yours, Sam P.S. If you’re ready to stop thinking like an employee and start building wealth like an entrepreneur, Wealth RX is designed specifically for high-earning medical professionals like you. We’ll help you create your own roadmap in 6 months instead of 6 years.