Hello all, long post ahead, appreciate anyone who reads it all,
I have recently developed an interest in Optometry (for about 3 months or so) and I was wondering if I can get some more advice on my decision in choosing Optometry.
For the past 3 years of my undergrad career, I was set on trying to get into medical school to become a physician of some sort. However, my doubts started to accumulate, plaguing my every thought, and, thus, I was finally was able to let it go. The workload, time required, and stress as a physician is too much. I have a passion for medicine...but it is not the one and only passion I have in life. I also have passions for my hobbies and I am interested in pursuing other things outside of work.
Even with most of my undergrad years almost gone, I believe I still have flexibility in choosing among the other paths including Optometry, Pharmacy, Dentistry, etc. Of these paths, I chose Optometry for several reasons in no particular order (please correct me if any of these are formed on misguided notions):
1. Interest - In my studies as an undergrad, one of the subjects I found appealing to me were the eyes: the way it's setup, how rod and cone cells can give birth to our amazing ability to perceive, how defects can severely alter our perceptions, etc. It wasn't the only topic that fascinated me but it was pretty high on the list.
2. Regular Hours - As an optometrist, I'll be able to work reasonable hours (given that I am not desperate for money atm) and won't have to be on call. I want time to pursue my other hobbies
3. Decent Pay - What I consider a good pay is around $70k-$100k. I want to have financial security to sustain my hobbies and maybe my family.
4. Helping Others - From what I gather, I might not be able to see as many rare cases as I would if I found a specialty in medical school but I believe I would still get to see patients who need help, even if it's just new glasses.
5. Business Aspect - I don't know how feasible it would be to start a private practice nowadays but I do have a passing interest in business-related activities or even transactions. However, it wouldn't mean the end of the world if I can't own my own private practice eventually.
What wouldn't bother me are the repetitive activities (as long as I have a hobby at the time), the debt that I might have (I've been contemplating medical school), the need to garner respect off my career (I've always attempted to garner respect from my personality), and possibly working conditions at corporate (as long as it's not a craphole).
My issues arise from whether these reasons are strong enough to say I should keep myself from pursuing Dentistry, Physician's Assistant, Pharmacy, etc. I have less interest in Dentistry and even less so for Pharmacy, but the pay is definitely better for Dentistry. The pay difference isn't big enough for me to change to Dentistry but I do have other hesitations.
In this forum, I've heard mixed feelings about being an Optometrist (probably due to different practicing conditions from what I gather). I sense that there really is an oversupply of optometrists, not as extreme as some suggest, but there definitely is an oversupply nonetheless. From word of mouth, I heard several recent graduates of Optometry school had trouble in finding jobs. After reading some threads throughout this forum, I assume this is because they are looking for jobs in California? Would it be reasonable for me to believe that I can find a decent job in at least a medium-sized city (doesn't have to be CA)? Basically, my main concern for my future in Optometry is the location of where I will be able to work and whether I can actually find a job.
Given my interests, concerns, and hesitations, what do you guys think about my choice in Optometry? I know it's what I make out of it but I want to gather as much information (including shadowing more optometrists) as I can before I fully commit. Any insightful thoughts, criticisms, corrections are welcome! Thanks.
-the 3ddy
I have recently developed an interest in Optometry (for about 3 months or so) and I was wondering if I can get some more advice on my decision in choosing Optometry.
For the past 3 years of my undergrad career, I was set on trying to get into medical school to become a physician of some sort. However, my doubts started to accumulate, plaguing my every thought, and, thus, I was finally was able to let it go. The workload, time required, and stress as a physician is too much. I have a passion for medicine...but it is not the one and only passion I have in life. I also have passions for my hobbies and I am interested in pursuing other things outside of work.
Even with most of my undergrad years almost gone, I believe I still have flexibility in choosing among the other paths including Optometry, Pharmacy, Dentistry, etc. Of these paths, I chose Optometry for several reasons in no particular order (please correct me if any of these are formed on misguided notions):
1. Interest - In my studies as an undergrad, one of the subjects I found appealing to me were the eyes: the way it's setup, how rod and cone cells can give birth to our amazing ability to perceive, how defects can severely alter our perceptions, etc. It wasn't the only topic that fascinated me but it was pretty high on the list.
2. Regular Hours - As an optometrist, I'll be able to work reasonable hours (given that I am not desperate for money atm) and won't have to be on call. I want time to pursue my other hobbies
3. Decent Pay - What I consider a good pay is around $70k-$100k. I want to have financial security to sustain my hobbies and maybe my family.
4. Helping Others - From what I gather, I might not be able to see as many rare cases as I would if I found a specialty in medical school but I believe I would still get to see patients who need help, even if it's just new glasses.
5. Business Aspect - I don't know how feasible it would be to start a private practice nowadays but I do have a passing interest in business-related activities or even transactions. However, it wouldn't mean the end of the world if I can't own my own private practice eventually.
What wouldn't bother me are the repetitive activities (as long as I have a hobby at the time), the debt that I might have (I've been contemplating medical school), the need to garner respect off my career (I've always attempted to garner respect from my personality), and possibly working conditions at corporate (as long as it's not a craphole).
My issues arise from whether these reasons are strong enough to say I should keep myself from pursuing Dentistry, Physician's Assistant, Pharmacy, etc. I have less interest in Dentistry and even less so for Pharmacy, but the pay is definitely better for Dentistry. The pay difference isn't big enough for me to change to Dentistry but I do have other hesitations.
In this forum, I've heard mixed feelings about being an Optometrist (probably due to different practicing conditions from what I gather). I sense that there really is an oversupply of optometrists, not as extreme as some suggest, but there definitely is an oversupply nonetheless. From word of mouth, I heard several recent graduates of Optometry school had trouble in finding jobs. After reading some threads throughout this forum, I assume this is because they are looking for jobs in California? Would it be reasonable for me to believe that I can find a decent job in at least a medium-sized city (doesn't have to be CA)? Basically, my main concern for my future in Optometry is the location of where I will be able to work and whether I can actually find a job.
Given my interests, concerns, and hesitations, what do you guys think about my choice in Optometry? I know it's what I make out of it but I want to gather as much information (including shadowing more optometrists) as I can before I fully commit. Any insightful thoughts, criticisms, corrections are welcome! Thanks.
-the 3ddy
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