Opinions on the optometry field - any success stories?

[undecisiveone1]

Hello!
I'm a third-year undergraduate student who's been a lurker on this forum for quite awhile. With graduation a year away, I've been compelled to finally post this thread. Although I've always considered being an optometrist since high school, I've only recently established that I actually want to become one last year. I know as a fact I want to go into the health field and I've always been fascinated by the eye. I've been so motivated and excited to work towards this goal, only to be discouraged every time I read the job outlook on these forums. Of course money isn't everything and it's always better to pursue one's passion. However money is essential for stability in the future and stability is one of the reasons people pay and take out loans to go to school. My question is if the job outlook for optometry that bad? If I search it up in Google, plenty of sites claim it as a prospering and growing job, yet these forums say otherwise. I would love to pursue optometry, but it scares me if it means being financially unstable and/or unemployed in the long run, with emphasis on "the long run." How difficult is it for those who have recently graduated from optometry school?

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[mathcod]

You are correct that you should always do your research when making important decisions. While this forum tends to show a lot of pessimism, many other colleagues and other forums tend to share a similar outlook in that we are facing an over-saturation problem with our field. Unfortunately, many new schools are opening when there is no demand for it in the job market. I believe the # of schools in the US increased +25% in just 4 years which is shocking, and you can certainly google for popular press articles in optometry related publications because this topic is debated and studied.

Our field (like many other fields) may be in a bubble that may collapse with too much competition.

As far as stories go, I am a 2013 grad from California and I felt it was incredibly challenging to find a job in the Bay or major southern California city. I found more opportunities in the Central Valley but of course this is more rural. I know that many of my Californian classmates and those from 2014 graduates have found work, but sometimes you just need the right connections because I have never seen those opportunities advertised and I have been looking at job websites and classifieds despite working.

I am happy with my career and I know I do a great job, and I come home from work relatively stress-free and my pay sounds commensurate with my effort and output, but I found myself living geographically elsewhere from what I initially desired, and while I don't really care that much (in fact I like it since I'm not bilingual and hate doing foreign language exams), I know that geography is a big issue for others.

But I honestly feel REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY lucky (like lottery lucky) to actually have landed my current job because I know not everyone is happy with where they work, and mine has been 99.95% very satisfying.

 

[undecisiveone1]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. Although the field is saturated, I decided I will still go for optometry because it's what I really want to do. I hope I'll get lucky as you

 

[Snakedoctor1]

Don't get all of your information from this website. The same old complainers will always be here. Look into the profession and ask the ODs you shadow what they think. The issues you read about here are real, but the conclusions vary for everyone. If you like Optometry, you can find a way to minimize school debt and pay it off quickly. Every career has pros and cons. Dentists and MDs complain about their jobs too. gasp.