As promised, here is the conclusion to the search for the Coveted Career Trifecta.
Coveted Career Trifecta Contender #3: LAW
Money: Lawyers make lots of money. A friend of mine just graduated from law school and is making $190,000 just starting out. But all this money comes at a cost because they tend to work long hours and weekends. Wait. Don’t physicians do that too? They sure do, except they get paid peanuts.  Score: 8/10.
Power: There’s plenty of power to be had if you climb the ranks of your law firm. Or you could go into politics and run for president! The sky’s the limit if you have the charisma. Score: 9.5/10.
Respect: Many people think lawyers are sleazy, money-hungry, and selfish bastards. I’m sure these same people think physicians own Ferraris and private islands, so who can say whether this conception is true. True or not, it’s what people think. So you probably won’t be getting so much as respect as you are feared. And I’ll take fear in place of respect any day. But that’s just me, of course. Don’t forget that many of our politicians who hold highly esteemed offices are/were lawyers and are highly respected for the most part. Not to mention that lawyers can make so many people’s lives miserable. *cough cough* Malpractice, anyone? Score: 8/10.
Final Coveted Career Trifecta score: 25.5
So there you have it. Being a dentist is best, followed by lawyer, and finally by optometrist if you’re looking for money, power, and respect.
Since there are many other choices that I just can’t go into detail about, here are some honorable mentions for you to consider.
Coveted Career Trifecta Honorable Mentions
1. Pharmacist: Minimal schooling and pretty good pay though you’ll probably end up working at some drugstore pharmacy. Not nearly as much respect as any of the top three contenders, but you do get to call yourself “doctor.”
2. Engineer: Sounds cool, makes good money. Can’t call yourself “doctor” though. Well, unless you get a PhD.
3. Academics: With a PhD you’ll get to call yourself “doctor” and pride yourself in the fact that maybe, just maybe, you’ll discover something that will save the human race. Plus you get to teach and shape young minds. But those same young minds are not going to be giving you any respect and you run the risk of being known as the absent-minded/bastard/incompetent professor. Oh yeah, and the money’s not so great either. Oh, and grad school sucks. I’m beginning to wonder why I even included this as an honorable mention…