I can't speak to other places and times, but I just looked up the place where I did my internship and residency in the US. Starting salary today is just over $5

I can't speak to other places and times, but I just looked up the place where I did my internship and residency in the US. Starting salary today is just over $52k, which - while not nothing - is a good salary for a fresh college grad, not an MD. By the end of residency, they are around $60k despite being nearly fully qualified. Taking 24h call roughly every fourth or fifth night. Working typically 50-60 hours a week, without counting call. One of my college friends told me I should apply for a residency near him, just so we would have an opportunity to hang out. I told him I couldn't afford it. He was astonished that we had to pay for our own job interviews. I'm not trying to be all woe-is-me; it's an interesting job, and I like it, and I am well-paid now. But it's a rough road to get here, and you basically don't get to have your twenties.