Investing in a career is likely the best financial decision you will ever make. The potential returns include increased lifetime earnings power, a career helping other people, personal growth and protecting yourself from unemployment.
The next important decision is where to get the training to become a Dental Assistant. There are other schools out there so how do you decide which one is right for you? This is where we shine!
We train more Dental Assistants than anyone in the greater Houston area! How did we earn that honor? Here’s how:
- Houston Dental Assistant School (HDAS) specializes in training Dental Assistants only so we do it more effectively in actual dental clinics like the ones where you will work.
- This is so you can enter the work force well trained and quickly. Our 10 Week program saves you because all training costs are included in the tuition price.
- Students enjoy attending our school and share this experience with their friends. These personal word of mouth recommendations are the best advertising possible.
But does that tell the whole story? Not really, because you should look at Opportunity Cost as well.
Opportunity Costs are hidden costs like the salary you may lose while attending school to be trained for a new career. Our training is on Saturdays only so we minimize this opportunity cost. And, for good reason; some students work in other fields while attending our school and can not afford to quit their current jobs while being trained to become a Dental Assistant.
Still there is another Opportunity Costs for Dental Assistant training that can vary greatly. Some schools require you to attend the school longer and take training not necessary to be a successful Dental Assistant. You must then wait longer before you start earning an income at your new Dental Assisting Career.
To determine the total Opportunity Cost you need to consider both how long you are required to attend school and when you must attend. This is especially important if you have other obligations during the week like child care, work, etc.
Comparing direct costs like tuition, fees, books, and the Texas State Dental Assistant Exam at other schools with our one cost covers all of $3850 is pretty straight forward. The examples below show how to compare the Opportunity Costs:
Example One:
You work full time somewhere and earning $10 per hour, so, your annual earnings are about $20,000 per year. If you attend an 8 month Dental Assistant training program you may have to quit that job and incur the loss of eight months of earnings.
The opportunity cost in this case is your lost wages while attending the eight month program or $13,300 (8 months/12 months X $20,000 = $13,300). This needs to be added to the cost of tuition, fees, etc. to know the total cost of the training.
Example Two:
Another Dental Assisting school requires you to attend 32 hours per week and a total of 300 hours. Students in their morning program typically need 10 weeks to complete training and typically 18 weeks in the evening program. It also requires a 132 hour externship (usually unpaid) at a dental clinic.
If you are working full time earning $20,000 per year the Opportunity Cost to attend in the morning is about 10 weeks of missed work or $4000 in lost earnings. The Opportunity Cost for the evening program is 18 weeks of missed work or $7,200 in lost earnings.
Example Three:
Houston Dental Assistant School offers classes on Saturdays only. You do not have to quit your current job to become trained as a Dental Assistant. You are trained in 10 weeks so you can start your new career sooner. Training is in dental clinics where you train with the actual dental equipment you will use in your new career. So an externship is not needed to familiarize you with the equipment.
Opportunity costs for HDAS = $0 (assuming you don’t work during the day on Saturdays.)
The table below summarizes these three examples:
Why pay $5,000 to $23,000 more than needed?
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