Careers, task by task

Don't ask about the job. Ask about the tasks.

There's no risk score here, because no honest one exists. Instead, 14 routesbroken into the actual work, with what's verified about AI in each task, and a plain "insufficient evidence" where there's nothing solid.

Physician specialties (MD, DO)

Family medicineCollege, four years of medical school, then a residency of 3 or more years$244,180
PediatricsCollege, four years of medical school, then a residency of 3 or more years$210,040
PsychiatryCollege, four years of medical school, then a residency of 3 or more years$281,870
RadiologyCollege, four years of medical school, then a residency of 3 or more years$420,860
PathologyCollege, four years of medical school, then a residency of 3 or more years$312,400
DermatologyCollege, four years of medical school, then a residency of 3 or more years
SurgeryCollege, four years of medical school, then a residency of 3 or more years$414,010
AnesthesiologyCollege, four years of medical school, then a residency of 3 or more years$391,490

Other routes to the same mission

Three selected, the most we compare at once.

Side by side

Not ranked. Which one is better depends on what you want from your work.

	Dermatology	Family medicine	Surgery
Training	College, four years of medical school, then a residency of 3 or more years	College, four years of medical school, then a residency of 3 or more years	College, four years of medical school, then a residency of 3 or more years
Education cost	Median four-year cost of attendance $286,454 public, $390,848 private, in-state, Class of 2025 (AAMC). Your school can differ a lot.	Median four-year cost of attendance $286,454 public, $390,848 private, in-state, Class of 2025 (AAMC). Your school can differ a lot.	Median four-year cost of attendance $286,454 public, $390,848 private, in-state, Class of 2025 (AAMC). Your school can differ a lot.
Today's median pay	Not verified yet	$244,180	$414,010
Projected job growth, 2025 to 2035	Not verified yet	3%	4%
Patient contact	Direct	Direct, over years	Direct, with intense moments
The work, and AI today	Evaluating suspicious skin lesionsNarrow use or authorization Biopsies, excisions and proceduresInsufficient evidence Managing complex and chronic skin diseaseInsufficient evidence Talking through risk and appearanceInsufficient evidence	Taking histories and examining patientsInsufficient evidence Writing notes and chartingIn real use today Screening for diabetic eye diseaseNarrow use or authorization Renewing prescriptionsNarrow use or authorization Drafting replies to patient messagesIn real use today Managing several chronic conditions over yearsInsufficient evidence Building trust across a lifetime of careInsufficient evidence	Operating on soft tissueResearch only Bone procedures that follow a set planNarrow use or authorization Deciding whether and how to operateInsufficient evidence Handling complicationsInsufficient evidence Talking with patients and familiesInsufficient evidence
Skills that transfer	Visual diagnosis, Procedural skill, Practice ownership, Communication	Clinical reasoning, Communication, Population health, Care coordination	Anatomy, Team leadership under pressure, Robotics literacy, Decision-making
What nobody has measured	Performance across skin tones in real use. BLS pay and growth for dermatologists, which we have not verified.	Whether AI triage reduces visits or uncovers more need. How panel sizes and pay change as routine contact automates.	When autonomy might reach living patients, and how safely. BLS has no separate line for general surgeons, so this pay figure is "surgeons, all other".

Pay and growth are May 2025 medians and 2025 to 2035 projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a snapshot and not a forecast. Open a route to see the source behind each task.

Test your debt against these

Sources last checked November 6, 2026

Next review by February 6, 2027.

What changed, and how we decide

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