Just a general word of advice for those slogging it out in residencies, it’s definitely worth it at the end.

The salary ceiling for a specialist/surgeon is higher than that of a GP.

There’s no income/ career progression for a GP, other than working more hours (as a locum) or opening your own clinic (which is increasingly harder these days due to the competition).

That’s the reason why you see many GPs doing aesthetics because that’s the only way they can gamble for a higher salary down the road. Again not guaranteed, many did their COCs only to find that aesthetics is too competitive for them. They have no choice but to go back to being a GP after that.

Even as a non-surgical specialist, your income growth can still be substantial if you are good and have patient volume.

I have seen friends clearing over $700k/year in specialities like Pediatrics, Renal Medicine in the private sector. Definitely possible if you are wiling to work hard and if there’s a huge demand for your services.