My family is helping me greatly with tuition and cost of living, and even I think this is a big waste of money. I can't imagine paying 200K now that I've actually started to see the reality of this profession. You'll be put through hell, made to jump through innumerable hoops, only to realize that you're a glorified optical salesperson. I was talking to someone from another country the other night--just making small chitchat at a city hangout--and he was like, "I don't mean to be rude, but in my country no one considers optometrists as doctors." Meanwhile, my friend who was with me, who is a nurse, just bought a Mercedes and has a really nice apartment. Her job is in great demand almost everywhere. People tell me that I might have to live in some small town to find a job. I recently talked to a young optometrist who told me that he had to move back to his nowhere town to live with his parents because he can only find part time work and is drowning in student loan debt. He told me he had a ten-year-old car.
I would have a better view of things if my school were run like a normal, decent school. I don't even care too much about the money, but the lack of respect gets disheartening after a while. The arrogant professors make me laugh with their obvious insecurity.
I used to love this, and I hold on the hope that I will graduate, move the hell away from my school, and once again have the passion that I initially had. If I didn't have that hope, I would drive away in the morning.
