Age when you started Opt School
Started by cdea
I'll be 23 in September so 22 in August when I start... 🙂
23 baby!!! im old 🙁
...and so much is explained...ppa93 said:
I was 25 when I started but the mean age of my class was 24.
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
i was 21, but took 2 years off before opto school! finished @ 25. if i went back in time, i wouldn't rush things. it's better to take your time and enjoy the moments. the house parties tend not to be as good when you start working!
21
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I will be turning 30 in 16 days and start at UCBSO in August. I was ready for a career change after 7 years in the Navy. I had always been interested in healthcare (originally was pre-med) and got really interested in the eye during grad school. The more I learned about optometry, the more I liked what the OD profession was about. I am still single without kids, so the timing was easy for me. It's the first completely selfish thing I've done, and so far it feels more "right" than any other career decision I've made.
HucFinn said:
I'll be 30 this coming September. I was a software engineer for about 7 years. I had thought about med school before. But back in my undergrad days, I thought med school was something I couldn't afford and that becoming a doctor when I was 30 would be "too old". Well, I've seen the light, and I feel I've come into my own now that I'm turning 30.
Anyways, I started to think about health care again, but wanted a career that combined technology ('cause I'm still a tech weenie) and providing health care for people. Viola! Optometry. I always was fascinated by the tools they used during the exam. We now have special software to map the cornea and take fundus pictures. Plus with my high Rx, I had such an appreciation for the new high index materials used for lenses now. The 4 year school commitment is not too bad as well. Also, I always wanted to own my own business but wanted to provide a service I was truly passionate about. I could have been a contractor, but I couldn't see myself pouring 40+ hours into software programming.
I started OD school three months shy of 26.
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
vtrain said:
Not to get side tracked...but was school much harder because you didn't finish your 4th year? Where did you go?
PLPrincess said:
No - not really. The biggest hurdle was when clinicals came around in fourth year. My maturity level in dealing with patients was not where it should have been. It was definitely a steep learning curve. Those with previous occupations, especially those dealing with the public, who were also older, seemed to transition easier into the clinical mindset than the younger students.
