Having a dilemma: Optometry or Psychology?

[Aviator97]

Hey guys. So, I'm having a bit of a dilemma. I am currently a first year Biology major. I'm not sure which career field to go into, but I think I've narrowed it down to either Optometry or Psychology. If I was to go the Optometry route, I would go for the OD, and if I was to go the Psychology route, I would go for the Psy.D. However, my question for those of you in Psychology holding a Psy.D degree: should I do it? I've noticed I have more of an interest in Psychology than I do in Biology. I do like Biology, but I find Psychology to be more interesting. What I want from a career is this:

1.) Something I enjoy doing, which will make it much easier to go to work.
2.) A good lifestyle balance between work and personal life.
3.) Decent pay (somewhere inbetween $70k to $100k annually).

Can those three things be achieved as a Clinical Psychologist holding a Psy.D degree? I know that #1 may be achieved for me since I have an interest in Psychology (I also personally see a Psychologist myself), but what about the other two? I know the answer isn't set in stone, but it would be nice to get an idea for what I can expect if I was to go that route. Thank you!

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[WisNeuro]

Wow, these are very different fields. Really depends on what you want to do specifically in psychology. Also, what kind of debt load do you want to have when you graduate?

 

[deleted343839]

All of the things you mentioned can be had with a career in psychology, but they can also be had (arguably more easily) in a number of other health professions. There is no need to make any long-term decisions during your freshman year. Take courses in areas that interest you but keep your eyes open. If psychology still holds your interest a year from now, volunteer in a psychology faculty member's lab to get more hands-on experience.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Do some research while in undergrad to get a better idea of the different areas in psychology. Interviewing a couple of different psychologists is also a good idea. Actual day to day work is a lot different than what is covered in undergrad class material.

 

[psych844]

It's sometimes dangerous to let your interest in a certain subject be the decider..the importance often is to understand what those people do day-to-day. Ie You might love learning the law, and making arguments/using logic, and then you find out that most lawyers spend most of their day doing tons of paper work, reading, and that few lawyers ever step foot in a court.

 

[smalltownpsych]

Hey guys. So, I'm having a bit of a dilemma. I am currently a first year Biology major. I'm not sure which career field to go into, but I think I've narrowed it down to either Optometry or Psychology. If I was to go the Optometry route, I would go for the OD, and if I was to go the Psychology route, I would go for the Psy.D. However, my question for those of you in Psychology holding a Psy.D degree: should I do it? I've noticed I have more of an interest in Psychology than I do in Biology. I do like Biology, but I find Psychology to be more interesting. What I want from a career is this:

1.) Something I enjoy doing, which will make it much easier to go to work.
2.) A good lifestyle balance between work and personal life.
3.) Decent pay (somewhere inbetween $70k to $100k annually).

Can those three things be achieved as a Clinical Psychologist holding a Psy.D degree? I know that #1 may be achieved for me since I have an interest in Psychology (I also personally see a Psychologist myself), but what about the other two? I know the answer isn't set in stone, but it would be nice to get an idea for what I can expect if I was to go that route. Thank you!

I obtained a PsyD degree and have all three of those; however, I would advise aiming for the PsyD route for two reasons. First, because you would amass a huge amount of debt whereas a university clinical PhD program would be funded so debt tends to be minimal or even none. Second, the process of shooting for the more competitive funded spots will make you a better psychologist in the long run and leave more options for you even if you do end up applying to the better PsyD programs down the road and still have funding options.

 

[Aviator97]

In psychology, I'm looking to do therapy, and diagnosis of mental health issues. I'm going to do some more research on this field and others in healthcare as well. The ideas of interviewing a Psychologist and volunteering sound like a good idea, I'm going to have to look into that. As for debt load, lower would be better of course. My undergrad is very cheap (local state school) and so my only debt will be from graduate school. Would clinical PhD programs allow me to provide therapy as well as provide diagnosis of mental health conditions?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Would clinical PhD programs allow me to provide therapy as well as provide diagnosis of mental health conditions?

Yes, the vast majority of Ph.Ds take clinical positions. These would be clinical and counseling programs, not I/O, Social , etc.

 

[Aviator97]

Yes, the vast majority of Ph.Ds take clinical positions. These would be clinical and counseling programs, not I/O, Social , etc.

Oh okay thanks! So the PhD would be a better route to take than the Psy.D, if possible?

 

[WisNeuro]

Oh okay thanks! So the PhD would be a better route to take than the Psy.D, if possible?

In terms of debt load and clinical experience? Most likely, if you find a good match at a balanced program.

 

[Aviator97]

In terms of debt load and clinical experience? Most likely, if you find a good match at a balanced program.

Oh okay thank you! With a clinical PhD in Psychology, its possible to achieve the three things that I want out of a career, would you say?

 

[Ollie123]

Oh okay thank you! With a clinical PhD in Psychology, its possible to achieve the three things that I want out of a career, would you say?

Generally yes. There may be some tug of war between #2 and #3, but there are plenty of career options for psychologists that offer solid pay and a reasonable work-life balance. Just make sure you set yourself on the right path by going to a strong program and working to set yourself apart, as there are also plenty of career trajectories for psychologists that don't meet those goals.

 

[smalltownpsych]

It's sort of funny that with either path you will be trying to help people see things more clearly.

 

[WisNeuro]

Oh okay thank you! With a clinical PhD in Psychology, its possible to achieve the three things that I want out of a career, would you say?

Yes to your points 2 and 3. Who knows about #1. You won't know if you enjoy any of the work until you actually do some.

 

[PsyDr]

I would highly recommend looking at the personalities and lifestyles of the two professions. They will be your colleagues for life. If you can't stand one group, it's going to be a pain in the ass to socialize, go to conferences, and collaborate with them. Likewise, if one lifestyle looks better then go for it. IME, optometrist tend to have the dirtiest jokes of any medical profession I have met. Love em.

 

[deleted343839]

IME, optometrist tend to have the dirtiest jokes of any medical profession I have met. Love em.

Urologists have the best stories, though.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I would highly recommend looking at the personalities and lifestyles of the two professions. They will be your colleagues for life. If you can't stand one group, it's going to be a pain in the ass to socialize, go to conferences, and collaborate with them. Likewise, if one lifestyle looks better then go for it. IME, optometrist tend to have the dirtiest jokes of any medical profession I have met. Love em.

I've not yet hung out with any optometrists. I now feel a need to change that.

 

[Aviator97]

Thanks everyone! This makes me feel a bit better. Now all thats left is shadowing the two to make my decision. The Optometrists having the dirtiest jokes though, thats a tempting one...

 

[Aviator97]

Sorry to bring this back up, I just had a quick question. What difference does it make to get a B.A. in Psychology vs a B.S.? My school only offers a B.A. in Psychology, so if I was to do that, would I be at a disadvantage for Psy.D or PhD programs?

 

[bburr]

no

 

[smalltownpsych]

Sorry to bring this back up, I just had a quick question. What difference does it make to get a B.A. in Psychology vs a B.S.? My school only offers a B.A. in Psychology, so if I was to do that, would I be at a disadvantage for Psy.D or PhD programs?

The letters of the degree aren't as important as which one provides the most research experience and training. If the BA is for the many students who just want an undergrad degree in psych cause it's interesting and the BS is for people that want to go further and develop solid science skills, aka research, then it's a no-brained which one would be better for a path to becoming a psychologist.

 

[Spydra]

Sorry to bring this back up, I just had a quick question. What difference does it make to get a B.A. in Psychology vs a B.S.? My school only offers a B.A. in Psychology, so if I was to do that, would I be at a disadvantage for Psy.D or PhD programs?

You can get into a PsyD or PhD program with either a BA or BS as long as you can demonstrate your ability to handle and interest in doctoral level work. The differences between the BA and BS are going to depend on the school. For some schools the BS requires several more stats and research classes and a senior thesis. Other schools may keep the classes the same for the BA and the BS and the only difference will be a senior thesis or a required internship. For schools that only have a BA option then to get research experience it likely will be something you seek out on your own by volunteering in a lab.

Regarding your original question....if you do choose psychology you could incorporate your interest in optometry into your research. How exactly you'd do that would depend on what exactly interests you about optometry, but I'm guessing there's plenty of overlap between vision and mental health.