Prospective Acupuncture Student’s Apprehension

Hello,

I’ve been researching going to acupuncture school, and after reading some blog posts over at pocatech, I’m thoroughly disenchanted.

However, it was some posts over there that led me here, so it’s not all bad!  

Basically, I would be taking out loans.  Lots of them. 

In one of your earlier posts on this forum you state:

Coming out of school with high student loan debt and then pursuing a dead-end career path because you don’t have any more money to spend on the one path that could pull you out of debt is terrible planning.                                                       

Forgive me if this is a completely pointless question, and I may be misunderstanding your statement… But are you saying if you need to take on more debt, on top of the student loan debt, to start “that one correct career path that could pull you out of debt”, that that is terrible planning?  

If I go to acu school, I most definitely will not be graduating with a chunk of money set aside to start a new practice.  More debt will be my only recourse.

I have not read your book yet, but I am going to be ordering it this week.  Forgive me if this is addressed in your book.

Basically, I guess I’m seeking reassurance that if I go to acupuncture school, on student loans, and then open a practice a loans, I won’t necessarily end up lying in a pool of vomit in a gutter somewhere, because thats whats the pocatech people seem to think would happen to me.

I know nothing is there are no guarantees in life, but after reading a lot of discouraging information about going to acupuncture school, making this happen seems darn near impossible.

Thanks in advance to any who may be able to respond,

Lao Zi

Thank you so much for your question. You represent exactly the type of person I wrote my book for and have been working at trying to reach. The point I am trying to make is that private practice represents – by far – the most important means for anyone entering this profession to build a career. Please see my Forum topic on page two of this Forum “What Every AOM Student Should Be Taught About Earning a Living”. Just hit the “Next” tab at the left hand bottom of the first page. I teach that those who enter AOM school and build-up debt should be taught that they will also need to be ready to invest some money in building their private practice AND then be taught just how to do so. I agree with the POCATech people that the current state of things is bad and that AOM schooling has gotten too expensive especially since there are almost no jobs for graduates to be hired into. However, I also believe that even with the unnecessarily bloated costs of AOM schooling most graduates could still make a nice career if they are taught the right advice about how to build a practice. That is exactly what my Making Acupuncture Pay efforts are about. I am not just trying to sell books, I am honestly devoting this stage of my career to helping people make a solid career out of their training and believe many could do so if they come-out of school properly prepared for the challenge.

Please read the What Every AOM Student Should Be Taught post and replies and then write back with any further questions or input.

Matthew Bauer