How is Optometry School so competitive, yet have terrible Job prospects?

[GypsyHummus]

Hey everyone

So Im looking at different professional schools and thought that OD seemed pretty interesting and laid back. However, the more research that I do Into it, the more I am turned off by the profession and the more perplexed I get. I have a couple of questions:

How is OD school still a viable option, and why are people still trying to get into OD school? Debt can easily range in the 200-230K range, and ODs don't make a whole lot of money (105K for my area, so Im assuming round 65 take home). Even if you only live on 20K/year, that only gives u 45K to throw at the interest increasing student debt. Short of Marrying a rich person, how can an OD afford this?

Had OD school gotten to the point of Law Schools?

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[generallyspeaking]

Optometry and pharmacy fields have gotten pretty bad over the last 5-8 years. It's an easy job that has the potential to earn a lot, and the material is pretty interesting. Everyone wants a piece of the pie though, and margins are shrinking.

I'm a recent grad, and luckily I'm in a great spot with a great contract with security that compensates handsomely. But if I were a pre-optom today though, I would probably decide to be a clinical lab scientist.

You won't go hungry if you become an optometrist, but the return on investment may not be as high as other careers, and you may not find yourself in location that you'd want to be. But really, you'll likely still be in the top 20% of wage earners, and be above middleclass. For some, that's enough reason.

 

[Xtermination]

Hey everyone

So Im looking at different professional schools and thought that OD seemed pretty interesting and laid back. However, the more research that I do Into it, the more I am turned off by the profession and the more perplexed I get. I have a couple of questions:

How is OD school still a viable option, and why are people still trying to get into OD school? Debt can easily range in the 200-230K range, and ODs don't make a whole lot of money (105K for my area, so Im assuming round 65 take home). Even if you only live on 20K/year, that only gives u 45K to throw at the interest increasing student debt. Short of Marrying a rich person, how can an OD afford this?

Had OD school gotten to the point of Law Schools?

do a search on SDN because similar questions were posted before.

 

[Snakedoctor1]

Hey everyone

So Im looking at different professional schools and thought that OD seemed pretty interesting and laid back. However, the more research that I do Into it, the more I am turned off by the profession and the more perplexed I get. I have a couple of questions:

How is OD school still a viable option, and why are people still trying to get into OD school? Debt can easily range in the 200-230K range, and ODs don't make a whole lot of money (105K for my area, so Im assuming round 65 take home). Even if you only live on 20K/year, that only gives u 45K to throw at the interest increasing student debt. Short of Marrying a rich person, how can an OD afford this?

Had OD school gotten to the point of Law Schools?

Most Optometrists make decent money and pay off their loans just like everyone else. They go to work, and come home at the end of the day. I assume most of them eat three meals a day and take time off to be with their families and go on vacation. Just like generallyspeaking said, the return on investment is not as good as other jobs. In my opinion, the ROI of healthcare jobs in general is not as good as other fields. People are attracted to the regular work schedule, professional atmosphere, and subject matter of Optometry. They like the prospect of higher education, patient interaction, and a stable income. I hate to spoil the ending, but that's what the majority will get. It's really not that perplexing.

 

[GypsyHummus]

Most Optometrists make decent money and pay off their loans just like everyone else. They go to work, and come home at the end of the day. I assume most of them eat three meals a day and take time off to be with their families and go on vacation. Just like generallyspeaking said, the return on investment is not as good as other jobs. In my opinion, the ROI of healthcare jobs in general is not as good as other fields. People are attracted to the regular work schedule, professional atmosphere, and subject matter of Optometry. They like the prospect of higher education, patient interaction, and a stable income. I hate to spoil the ending, but that's what the majority will get. It's really not that perplexing.

I know it's not all about the money, but do ODs usually break the 110k mark?

 

[catsomgcats]

I know it's not all about the money, but do ODs usually break the 110k mark?

Depends on your location. If you are working part time at 2 different clinics in a very saturated city, it would be tough.
If you are willing to go out of the city a bit, it is possible.

 

[GypsyHummus]

Depends on your location. If you are working part time at 2 different clinics in a very saturated city, it would be tough.
If you are willing to go out of the city a bit, it is possible.

I would be willing to work in a rural area, I live in one currently and it's not so bad. I don't understand why everybody gotta live in New York or Cali.

 

[catsomgcats]

I would be willing to work in a rural area, I live in one currently and it's not so bad. I don't understand why everybody gotta live in New York or Cali.

Yea same ! haha

 

[Snakedoctor1]

I know it's not all about the money, but do ODs usually break the 110k mark?

Last time I checked, the average for an OD was 104k or something like that. Most ODs I know (not in big cities) make well above that. OD earnings vary greatly.

 

[GypsyHummus]

Last time I checked, the average for an OD was 104k or something like that. Most ODs I know (not in big cities) make well above that. OD earnings vary greatly.

Can optometrists procure hospital rights?

Also, do you think that ODs will be allowed to do more Laser procedures in the future? I know in Oklahoma and Kentucky ODs can preform minor surgeries. Would this increase salary at all, or is the extra responsibility not worth going down that road?

 

[KHE]

Can optometrists procure hospital rights?

Yes.

Also, do you think that ODs will be allowed to do more Laser procedures in the future? I know in Oklahoma and Kentucky ODs can preform minor surgeries. Would this increase salary at all, or is the extra responsibility not worth going down that road?

In my opinion, it's not worth it. It will not increase salary long term. My understanding, and I could be wrong about this is that 90% of all laser procedures in those states are being done by a very small handful of optometrists.

 

[GypsyHummus]

Yes.



In my opinion, it's not worth it. It will not increase salary long term. My understanding, and I could be wrong about this is that 90% of all laser procedures in those states are being done by a very small handful of optometrists.

what would said hospital rights entail?

and why do you think it is not worth it to preform laser treatments?

 

[chelle111]

Optometry and pharmacy fields have gotten pretty bad over the last 5-8 years. It's an easy job that has the potential to earn a lot, and the material is pretty interesting. Everyone wants a piece of the pie though, and margins are shrinking.

I'm a recent grad, and luckily I'm in a great spot with a great contract with security that compensates handsomely. But if I were a pre-optom today though, I would probably decide to be a clinical lab scientist.

You won't go hungry if you become an optometrist, but the return on investment may not be as high as other careers, and you may not find yourself in location that you'd want to be. But really, you'll likely still be in the top 20% of wage earners, and be above middleclass. For some, that's enough reason.

I wouldnt go into clinical science or biotech. Unless you want to live on crappy pay or possibly grants. Higher education in this field doesn't guarantee a big pay check. Pay is horrible even with a MS degree. If you can find a job that pays for your masters (like mine has) it makes the crap-tastic pay a little more bearable. I know PhDs scrounging for money who are associate PIs of major labs. The pay out even with debt and mediocre pay from opto school and advancement in career is still far more worth it then sitting on 40-60k a year in biotechnology or clinical science. GOOD Lab jobs are impossible to get and advancement and job security is virtually nonexistent (even in industry). I've had coworkers who are research scientists go from job to job every few years... With pay going from 65k to 35k to 45k... And work insane amounts of hours for nothing. Even with higher level education.

Just giving me two cents since I work at a top biotech institute in the states. AVOID!!. If anything a wiser investment would be engineering. But for me the pros of Optometry outweigh working as a clinical / biotech research scientist. Depends on what makes you happy. But I know for a fact for me staying in molecular / clinical science would make me miserable.


Every job has their issues. Don't just look at pay.. Look at security .. Quality of life ... Are you going to ENJOY working everyday? It makes a difference. If Optometry is what will make you happy .. The debt won't matter.

 

[Myopic2020]

@chelle111 is correct, but let me give you a different perspective. I am currently working in the bio-pharmaceutical field, and although some good points were made, there are more sides to the story.

The higher the degree does not mean better pay. If anything, it gives you better job prospects compared to someone who only holds a Bachelor’s degree. This is why some people who have masters, or even PhD’s will have “mediocre” pay because they work in jobs that only require a bachelors. That’s like if you worked at Target as a cashier, but you hold a bachelor’s degree.

Working in a RESEARCH lab is tough because your job depends on the results. There are two different sectors in research you can work for: A) Academic and B) Industry. Working in an academic setting is tougher because the money you receive depends on funding and grants. The money distributed to a research lab, of course, depends on how successful the research is.

As for working in an industry setting, the job is a little more secure, because unless you’re leading a lab, you can always work on different projects and/or labs depending on what the company is focusing their resources on. For example my company is currently working on producing 8 different drugs, so depending on the expertise of our scientists, biologists, and physicists, they can be working on 1 or more drugs.

As for working in Biotechnology or clinical sciences, there are FAR more opportunities working in this setting than optometry because you can work in different fields than just in the lab. For example you can work in research, manufacturing, development, analytical, bioanalytical, pharmacology, bioinformatics, optics, etc. If you no longer want to work in a laboratory setting but still want to use your science background, biotechnology companies also have jobs such as regulatory affairs, quality assurance, clinical trials, CMC, DMPK, project management, etc.

At the end of the day, make the most informed decision that makes you happy.

 

[GypsyHummus]

@chelle111 is correct, but let me give you a different perspective. I am currently working in the bio-pharmaceutical field, and although some good points were made, there are more sides to the story.

The higher the degree does not mean better pay. If anything, it gives you better job prospects compared to someone who only holds a Bachelor’s degree. This is why some people who have masters, or even PhD’s will have “mediocre” pay because they work in jobs that only require a bachelors. That’s like if you worked at Target as a cashier, but you hold a bachelor’s degree.

Working in a RESEARCH lab is tough because your job depends on the results. There are two different sectors in research you can work for: A) Academic and B) Industry. Working in an academic setting is tougher because the money you receive depends on funding and grants. The money distributed to a research lab, of course, depends on how successful the research is.

As for working in an industry setting, the job is a little more secure, because unless you’re leading a lab, you can always work on different projects and/or labs depending on what the company is focusing their resources on. For example my company is currently working on producing 8 different drugs, so depending on the expertise of our scientists, biologists, and physicists, they can be working on 1 or more drugs.

As for working in Biotechnology or clinical sciences, there are FAR more opportunities working in this setting than optometry because you can work in different fields than just in the lab. For example you can work in research, manufacturing, development, analytical, bioanalytical, pharmacology, bioinformatics, optics, etc. If you no longer want to work in a laboratory setting but still want to use your science background, biotechnology companies also have jobs such as regulatory affairs, quality assurance, clinical trials, CMC, DMPK, project management, etc.

At the end of the day, make the most informed decision that makes you happy.

Why is there so much degree inflation?

Would having a masters or Ph.D. On top of an OD degree lead to better job prospects?

 

[Weirdy]

Why is there so much degree inflation?

Would having a masters or Ph.D. On top of an OD degree lead to better job prospects?

Not necessarily.

Most PhDs go into an academic research field. As Myopic mentioned above, academic research = securing grants = money to keep running your projects. Unless you are heavily interested in performing your own research or teaching, why get the PhD? A traditional PhD student after passing their defense would still be stuck in post-doc anywhere from 4-7 years until they can secure a faculty position. During this time you're getting paid 1/2 or less than what you'd be making as an OD and stuck with insane hours per week. If your research does not provide results, your grant expires and you have no funding for your lab and projects. Again Myopic and a few others have mentioned this above.

A PhD does NOT equate to guaranteed job prospects or better pay. It is just a different direction you can choose to take depending on what you see yourself doing; teaching and research.

After 4 years of OD school, you are more than prepared to enter the workforce and can still choose to do a 2 year fellowship afterwards. The fellowship if anything (and please correct me if I'm wrong) may give you more valuable work experience/ opportunities than the PhD if you choose to go workforce instead of academic route.

 

[Weirdy]

As for degree inflation within the traditional PhD track:

There are more PhDs being churned out than there are faculty positions for these PhDs to go in to.

Whereas the purpose of a post-doc back then was kind of an in-between zone that took only 1-3 years while you waited for a faculty position, its completely changed now.

Institutions use that post-doc phase to work you very very hard and secure more research funding. During that time you are also required (depending on the institution) to produce however # of publications. Its increased to an average of 4-7 years with even higher requirements to produce satisfactory work.

TL;DR: Supply and demand. More PhDs --> not enough faculty positions --> longer time stuck in post-bac --> higher requirements to perform during post-bac