💰 HEALTH IS WEALTH · LIFE TRAJECTORY TIME MACHINE

A Career Worth Getting Out of Bed For

How long does it really take to break even when you borrow to become a doctor, lawyer, or specialist — versus learning a trade and earning right out of high school? Move the sliders. See the real numbers. Find the path that fits.

Hosted by

Dr. Rob Gillio

Helping you weigh debt, earnings, and the years you actually want to work.

1 Pick a Career Path

2 Adjust the Real Numbers

Education Costs & Debt

Tuition / year while studying $0

Most apprenticeships are $0 — you earn while you learn.

Living costs / year while in school $0

Housing, food, books — borrowed if not covered.

% of education costs borrowed 0%

Student loan interest rate 7.0%

Federal Grad PLUS is ~8.9% (2025-26); undergrad Direct ~6.5%.

Income While Training

Earnings during training $0

Apprentices earn ~$38–52K. Residents earn ~$68K.

Career Earnings

Starting salary (year 1) $0

Mid-career salary (year 10+) $0

Loan Repayment

Repayment term 10 yr

3 Compare Two Paths

Compare Path A to:

Use the sliders on the left to tweak Path A. The comparison path uses its preset real-world values so you can see exactly where lines cross.

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Path A

Cumulative Net Worth Over Time

Annual Income vs. Loan Payments Take-home Loan payment

Year-by-Year Snapshot (Path A)

Age	Year	Status	Earnings	Loan Bal.	Cumulative Net

Data sources: BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (May 2024), AAMC Medical School Graduate Survey 2025, NACE Class of 2025 Starting Salary Report, NALP 2024 Salary Distribution, Education Data Initiative (Sept 2025), AAMC Tuition & Student Fees Reports, ServiceTitan/Payscale 2025 Trade Salary Data, Construction Coverage 2025 Electrician Analysis.

Built for the Force for Health Academy — Life Trajectory Time Machine: Career Edition. Use this tool to help students, mentees, and parents make informed career decisions based on real numbers, not assumptions. Salaries grow at 3% per year by default; loans amortize at the rate you set. Living expenses during work are not subtracted from take-home (since they're the same across paths) — what you see is income available for loans, saving, and lifestyle.