Make sure you think it through...

[SaveYourself]

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Every couple of months I post a warning to optometry students to think about this career choice and people usually get pretty defensive. So, this time I am simply going to give prospective students some things to think about. Hopefully this will be helpful to some students who are on the fence or going into the career for the wrong reasons.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Have I always wanted to be an OPTOMETRIST, or did I start out wanting to be a PHYSICIAN?
2. Is my decision being influenced by my GPA?
3. Has my shadowing of an optometrist consisted of 1 day at my local optometrists office, or has it been even weeks or months?
4. Is my decision being influenced by burnout at the end of undergrad?
5. Is my decision being influeced by money?
6. Would I like doing 15-25 eye exams, all day long, for 5 days a week, for 25-30 years?
7. Do I expect to see and treat a great amount of ocular pathology?
8. Would I be okay working at Wall Mart, Costco, Sears or Lenscrafters?
9. Am I doing this to be called "doctor" at all costs?
10. Am I doing this becuase I have a science degree that isn't worth a whole lot? Am I not sure about my chances for what I initially set out to do four years ago?
11. Would I like being classified as a mid-level provider (nurse, PA) by HMO's and the DEA after 8 long years of study?
12. Would I like having six figure student loan debt when the average starting salary of a new OD is 85,000/year?
13. Will I like not clearing very much money after taxes and a six figure student loan payment?
14. Will it bother me to be treated like a subordinate by other healthcare professionals?
15. Would it bother be to perform tech work for an ophthalmologist if I had a hard time finding a job?
16. Would it bother me to work on Saturdays or Sundays?
17. Would it bother me to be barred from medical plans becuase I am not a physician?
18. Would it bother me to be at the mercy of vision plans if I were in private practice?
19. Would it bother me to be unable to compete with Costco and WallMart if I were in private practice?
20. Would it bother me to study for 8 years, and (in some states) not be allowed to use much of what I had learned?
21. Would it bother me to be denied hospital privleges (in some states) becuase I am not a physician?
22. Do I enjoy my science classes or look at them as "a necessary evil"?
23. Do I not really want to do this, but don't want to look like a "quitter"?

These are just some of the questions you should be asking yourself. Do not let other people influence your decision. Many people don't have the courage to tell you they hate their job and that they made a mistake. Some people can't even admit it to themselves; after all, if you spent six figures and eight years of your life to become essentially a technician, it might be pretty hard to face facts that the AOA and the optometric colleges have grossly misrepresented the profession of optometry.
It is my hope that you really soul search and be honest before embarking on another long journey. If I can stop just one of you from making an impulsive life decision that could cause you a lot of heartache, then I've accomplished something.

Anyone who is going to respond to this in an attacking and defensive tone will not be responded to. This is for prospective students.

 

[x22]

before all the bickering starts, have to admit you make some really good points!

 

[jymezg]

would i like doing 15-25 eye exams, all day long, for 5 days a week, for 25-30 years?

yes!

 

[blysssful]

Thank you for making this post a million times less insulting and degrading towards those who actually DO know what they want compared to your previous posts.

 

[Commando303]

Every couple of months I post a warning to optometry students to think about this career choice and people usually get pretty defensive. So, this time I am simply going to give prospective students some things to think about. Hopefully this will be helpful to some students who are on the fence or going into the career for the wrong reasons.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Have I always wanted to be an OPTOMETRIST, or did I start out wanting to be a PHYSICIAN?
2. Is my decision being influenced by my GPA?
3. Has my shadowing of an optometrist consisted of 1 day at my local optometrists office, or has it been even weeks or months?
4. Is my decision being influenced by burnout at the end of undergrad?
5. Is my decision being influeced by money?
6. Would I like doing 15-25 eye exams, all day long, for 5 days a week, for 25-30 years?
7. Do I expect to see and treat a great amount of ocular pathology?
8. Would I be okay working at Wall Mart, Costco, Sears or Lenscrafters?
9. Am I doing this to be called "doctor" at all costs?
10. Am I doing this becuase I have a science degree that isn't worth a whole lot? Am I not sure about my chances for what I initially set out to do four years ago?
11. Would I like being classified as a mid-level provider (nurse, PA) by HMO's and the DEA after 8 long years of study?
12. Would I like having six figure student loan debt when the average starting salary of a new OD is 85,000/year?
13. Will I like not clearing very much money after taxes and a six figure student loan payment?
14. Will it bother me to be treated like a subordinate by other healthcare professionals?
15. Would it bother be to perform tech work for an ophthalmologist if I had a hard time finding a job?
16. Would it bother me to work on Saturdays or Sundays?
17. Would it bother me to be barred from medical plans becuase I am not a physician?
18. Would it bother me to be at the mercy of vision plans if I were in private practice?
19. Would it bother me to be unable to compete with Costco and WallMart if I were in private practice?
20. Would it bother me to study for 8 years, and (in some states) not be allowed to use much of what I had learned?
21. Would it bother me to be denied hospital privleges (in some states) becuase I am not a physician?
22. Do I enjoy my science classes or look at them as "a necessary evil"?
23. Do I not really want to do this, but don't want to look like a "quitter"?

These are just some of the questions you should be asking yourself. Do not let other people influence your decision. Many people don't have the courage to tell you they hate their job and that they made a mistake. Some people can't even admit it to themselves; after all, if you spent six figures and eight years of your life to become essentially a technician, it might be pretty hard to face facts that the AOA and the optometric colleges have grossly misrepresented the profession of optometry.
It is my hope that you really soul search and be honest before embarking on another long journey. If I can stop just one of you from making an impulsive life decision that could cause you a lot of heartache, then I've accomplished something.

Anyone who is going to respond to this in an attacking and defensive tone will not be responded to. This is for prospective students.

1. Why does this matter, and what's "always"?
2. Shouldn't it be? If it's very low, perhaps getting in to a school would be nearly impossible; if it's very high, I can be more comfortable about my being accepted.
5. Isn't any professional aspiration influenced by money? How much it'll cost to get there; how much you'll make when (if) you do.
6. A good question to consider, but I think the prospect of doing anything, close to daily, for such a long time, can be frightening...
9. Lol.
16. Plenty of jobs might have you working weekends; that which I have currently, does.
20. One should consider, though, that state laws regarding optometry may well change over time, giving optometrists more opportunities.
23. I think this is a very important point.

No matter how the points you make are prioritized, there is no arguing against your statement that one should thoroughly think about whether or not one wishes to embark on this sort of journey.

 

[Commando303]

To the original poster, I see your status is of "optometrist." Do you regret entering the field?

 

[ykim637]

12. Marry rich.

 

[thanotoriousfob]

Every couple of months I post a warning to optometry students to think about this career choice and people usually get pretty defensive. So, this time I am simply going to give prospective students some things to think about. Hopefully this will be helpful to some students who are on the fence or going into the career for the wrong reasons.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Have I always wanted to be an OPTOMETRIST, or did I start out wanting to be a PHYSICIAN?
I wanted to go into dentistry, but with more time shadowing I slowly realized this field was not right for me. More often than not, the dentists I shadowed told me they regretted being a dentist. The warning signs were very clear.
2. Is my decision being influenced by my GPA?
No.
3. Has my shadowing of an optometrist consisted of 1 day at my local optometrists office, or has it been even weeks or months?
Over 2 months shadowing. Every week I would shadow at least 5 hours.
4. Is my decision being influenced by burnout at the end of undergrad? No. I have been out of undergrad for two years and have been working since.
5. Is my decision being influeced by money? If I said money didn't play a part of the total equation I would be lying. It is not the most important thing however; I would place my happiness over money any day of the week.
6. Would I like doing 15-25 eye exams, all day long, for 5 days a week, for 25-30 years? Yes. I like meeting new people. That is the best part about my current job!
7. Do I expect to see and treat a great amount of ocular pathology? Who knows. Depends on where I practice.
8. Would I be okay working at Wall Mart, Costco, Sears or Lenscrafters? Costco and lenscrafters from my experience were not too bad, so I wouldn't mind. I haven't shadowed ODs at Wal-Mart of Sears so the jury is still out.
9. Am I doing this to be called "doctor" at all costs? No. I don't care about entitlement.
10. Am I doing this becuase I have a science degree that isn't worth a whole lot? Am I not sure about my chances for what I initially set out to do four years ago? I've wanted to go into the health sciences since I was a jr. in high school. I knew I would continue my education after receiving my B.S. but I never expected to become an OD. However, I am glad I chose this route!
11. Would I like being classified as a mid-level provider (nurse, PA) by HMO's and the DEA after 8 long years of study? Probably not, but I can't have everything right? 🙄
12. Would I like having six figure student loan debt when the average starting salary of a new OD is 85,000/year? Since I have been working the last couple years, I think I have saved enough to not be in six figure debt. 85k + is okay for me as starting compensation. I will say however that the figures are slightly higher in my neck of the woods.
13. Will I like not clearing very much money after taxes and a six figure student loan payment? This question has too many variables. Many of the ODs I've shadowed were raking in great money and student loans weren't a big issue for them. This was with fairly young ODs too. Less than 5 years out of graduation.
14. Will it bother me to be treated like a subordinate by other healthcare professionals? I believe it is all about how you present yourself. I currently work in a job where I might be viewed as a subordinate but am not treated like one because of the way I approach it.
15. Would it bother be to perform tech work for an ophthalmologist if I had a hard time finding a job? If it still meant performing tasks like an OD than I would not mind.
16. Would it bother me to work on Saturdays or Sundays? I work 6 1/2 days a week, I can handle it.
17. Would it bother me to be barred from medical plans becuase I am not a physician? This question varies from state to state. Some states have good enough laws to protect you from alot of discrimination.
18. Would it bother me to be at the mercy of vision plans if I were in private practice? Define mercy.
19. Would it bother me to be unable to compete with Costco and WallMart if I were in private practice? Yes. I can't argue with you here but it is pre-mature to assume all private practices can't/won't be able to compete with these stores.
20. Would it bother me to study for 8 years, and (in some states) not be allowed to use much of what I had learned? It would but in the state(s) I hope to maybe practice in, they have laws that would allow me to do more than many other states. We can also assume that ODs will gain more rights in the future.
21. Would it bother me to be denied hospital privleges (in some states) becuase I am not a physician? It would but this is NOT a deal breaker for me.
22. Do I enjoy my science classes or look at them as "a necessary evil"? I enjoy science. Always have. The only real evil is physics.
23. Do I not really want to do this, but don't want to look like a "quitter"? I want to do this because I have researched this profession thoroughly enough to make the decision that it is a great fit for me.

These are just some of the questions you should be asking yourself. Do not let other people influence your decision. Many people don't have the courage to tell you they hate their job and that they made a mistake. Some people can't even admit it to themselves; after all, if you spent six figures and eight years of your life to become essentially a technician, it might be pretty hard to face facts that the AOA and the optometric colleges have grossly misrepresented the profession of optometry.
It is my hope that you really soul search and be honest before embarking on another long journey. If I can stop just one of you from making an impulsive life decision that could cause you a lot of heartache, then I've accomplished something.

Anyone who is going to respond to this in an attacking and defensive tone will not be responded to. This is for prospective students.

.

 

[gochi]

.

 

[captainnerd]

6. Would I like doing 15-25 eye exams, all day long, for 5 days a week, for 25-30 years?

You know, I think you're right. I rather be sitting at a lab bench doing the same thing for the rest of my life. Actually, now that I think about it, I rather be a doctor seeing patients for the rest of my life. Wait, no. Porn star. That's it. Porn star. Wait, I can barely last 5 minutes and I don't have enough "volume."

Damn, I guess optometry is for me.

1. No, actually, the opposite. I always wanted to be a physician but discovered optometry.
2. Of course it is. If I was stupider, I'd be a porn star.
3. Months.
4. No. Undergrad was more than 4 years ago.
5. Yes. I'm realistic. But I'm also an economics geek who runs my own business. And I'm honest.
6. No. But if I didn't do the exams, my patients would hate me. Imagine going "I think you're a +2.00. Yeah, that's about right. You just saved a lot of money by switching to me."
7. Sure.
8. No. I haven't been to a WalMart, Costco, Sears, or Lenscrafter in more than 10 years. I have dignity.
9. At all cost? No. Be more realistic and less hyperbolic.
10. Depends on what you value. I don't give away free economics lessons. Paypal me $10 for the answer to this question.
11. I don't really care what I'm classified as.
12. I've probably seen more debt than most of you on here and I haven't even been in school yet. You gotta invest money to make money. Education is still the best investment you can make. Unless you're an expert at Ponzi-scheming.
13. Wow, you're a really bad business person aren't you?
14. You need better friends.
15. Are you depressed? Why are you working for ophthos?
16. No. Saturdays are your bread and butter? Take Sundays and Mondays off.
17. Follow the law.
18. Try to invent your own currency. Accept that only.
19. Costco and WalMart are for cheap people. Understand economics and provide good service. My brother gets his glasses at Costco. He's stupid. No, seriously, he is.
20. I'm barred from using linguistics on my girlfriend. If you know what I mean. I'm okay with it.
21. Hospitals? What do you want to do with a hospital?
22. I like sciences.
23. Wow, you are depressed, aren't you?

There, those are my answers. Analyze away. Just in time too. I gotta go to my investment club meetings.

 

[Commando303]

I think the real "killer" question is, indeed, #6: "Would I like doing 15-25 eye exams, all day long, for 5 days a week, for 25-30 years?" Again, the prospect of doing anything repeatedly for a long period — other than, maybe, being a "movie star" — must seem unappealing to most people: We like to imagine our lives as having a great deal of variety and excitement, after all. The fact it, everyone (at least in our economic system) more or less needs to work to maintain a "decent" quality of life (OK, you can win your money or be born into it). Being a teacher means going over the same material year after year in front of a class that learns but is then taken away from you, only to be replaced by new people who know nothing. A paediatrician will mostly sit through kids with runny noses who don't like the cold touch of a stethoscope. Dentists will be in people's mouths all day, looking at all sorts of disgusting things. Even doctors on emergency-room duty will mostly be telling people to get plenty of rest, take in plenty of fluids, and come back in a week if they're not better.

There's tedium in everything. People spend their careers in offices and behind cash-registers. In high school, you might take a job at Best Buy, that ends up lasting you five years; imagine being asked to think of working at Best Buy for five years during your first week there. Even movie stars must experience tedium in their professions, as it just can't be all hanging from cliffs and jumping out of planes, which must turn to boring things for the stunt-man taking his 5,000th fall.

I feel we're led to believe, in our culture, that "every day you go to work should be a day that fills you with excitement and joy" and blah and blah-blah — the fact is, things get boring, then pick up, then maybe get dull again for a while. How much can one fairly expect from one's job, anyway?

It is essential to think through what one is getting into, but I believe question #6 doesn't have to end up being as "prophetic" as it might initially appear; at the absolute least, it's not something exclusive to the pre-optometry student, and it has the potential to scare someone away from any "career."

 

[Oogilily]

This stuff always comes up. I think the big difference between our profession and others is the dedication we have to put in. If I work at Best Buy I can easily change my profession. But, I have put too much into optometry to ever get out of it (which I am not, I like it here!). So really, you will be stuck in this profession and so people want to make sure that you REALLY want it.

But, I agree with the poster just above me. It is just common sense to think through your career choice. I don't care what it is I chose to do, it is a big decision. And I agree that any job can become tedious and very boring. I don't care who you are.

So I think some of these questions are very valid and I hope that everybody has thought about this before they invest so much money and time. But, like I said, I think this should just be common sense before anyody makes such a big decision. Basically, don't be so dramatic and just keep a good head on your shoulders. Don't follow the "this is my dream so it will work out no matter what!" dogma (I wanted to be a stuntcar driver for movies, but that just wasn't practical... 😛). It takes real planning and real guts to do this. It is going to be a lot of hard work and nothing will come easily. I didn't understand this until I started optometry school. But, with all that said, if this is what you want to do, then do it and work hard at it.

 

[HOPEOPT]

Every couple of months I post a warning to optometry students to think about this career choice and people usually get pretty defensive. So, this time I am simply going to give prospective students some things to think about. Hopefully this will be helpful to some students who are on the fence or going into the career for the wrong reasons.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Have I always wanted to be an OPTOMETRIST, or did I start out wanting to be a PHYSICIAN?
2. Is my decision being influenced by my GPA?
3. Has my shadowing of an optometrist consisted of 1 day at my local optometrists office, or has it been even weeks or months?
4. Is my decision being influenced by burnout at the end of undergrad?
5. Is my decision being influeced by money?
6. Would I like doing 15-25 eye exams, all day long, for 5 days a week, for 25-30 years?
7. Do I expect to see and treat a great amount of ocular pathology?
8. Would I be okay working at Wall Mart, Costco, Sears or Lenscrafters?
9. Am I doing this to be called "doctor" at all costs?
10. Am I doing this becuase I have a science degree that isn't worth a whole lot? Am I not sure about my chances for what I initially set out to do four years ago?
11. Would I like being classified as a mid-level provider (nurse, PA) by HMO's and the DEA after 8 long years of study?
12. Would I like having six figure student loan debt when the average starting salary of a new OD is 85,000/year?
13. Will I like not clearing very much money after taxes and a six figure student loan payment?
14. Will it bother me to be treated like a subordinate by other healthcare professionals?
15. Would it bother be to perform tech work for an ophthalmologist if I had a hard time finding a job?
16. Would it bother me to work on Saturdays or Sundays?
17. Would it bother me to be barred from medical plans becuase I am not a physician?
18. Would it bother me to be at the mercy of vision plans if I were in private practice?
19. Would it bother me to be unable to compete with Costco and WallMart if I were in private practice?
20. Would it bother me to study for 8 years, and (in some states) not be allowed to use much of what I had learned?
21. Would it bother me to be denied hospital privleges (in some states) becuase I am not a physician?
22. Do I enjoy my science classes or look at them as "a necessary evil"?
23. Do I not really want to do this, but don't want to look like a "quitter"?

These are just some of the questions you should be asking yourself. Do not let other people influence your decision. Many people don't have the courage to tell you they hate their job and that they made a mistake. Some people can't even admit it to themselves; after all, if you spent six figures and eight years of your life to become essentially a technician, it might be pretty hard to face facts that the AOA and the optometric colleges have grossly misrepresented the profession of optometry.
It is my hope that you really soul search and be honest before embarking on another long journey. If I can stop just one of you from making an impulsive life decision that could cause you a lot of heartache, then I've accomplished something.

Anyone who is going to respond to this in an attacking and defensive tone will not be responded to. This is for prospective students.

I read your previous post for pre-optometry students and this one for prospective students, but I am wondering why you waste your time in writing these long posts it seems that you hate your career and regret about it, in my opinion change your career, or you are aiming to give us advices to decide well for our future, if that's the case thank you your massage is received, but I see the opposite you are trying to shape optometry career as a humble career and lacks a prestige status why why?? It is like any other professional health care career at the end of 8 years of studying we earn the degree of DOCTOR of optometry from an accredited school, and it is not easy to be accepted we are working hard to get in, it is an independant primary health care profession why you are trying to put it down, anyway you can keep your opinion to yourself and save yourself first before trying to save anybody else

 

[Darklord]

Good post. It gives me motivation to pursue what I really want to do, even if I spend more time getting an extra degree.

 

[gochi]

Every couple of months I post a warning to optometry students to think about this career choice and people usually get pretty defensive. So, this time I am simply going to give prospective students some things to think about. Hopefully this will be helpful to some students who are on the fence or going into the career for the wrong reasons.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Have I always wanted to be an OPTOMETRIST, or did I start out wanting to be a PHYSICIAN?
2. Is my decision being influenced by my GPA?
3. Has my shadowing of an optometrist consisted of 1 day at my local optometrists office, or has it been even weeks or months?
4. Is my decision being influenced by burnout at the end of undergrad?
5. Is my decision being influeced by money?
6. Would I like doing 15-25 eye exams, all day long, for 5 days a week, for 25-30 years?
7. Do I expect to see and treat a great amount of ocular pathology?
8. Would I be okay working at Wall Mart, Costco, Sears or Lenscrafters?
9. Am I doing this to be called "doctor" at all costs?
10. Am I doing this becuase I have a science degree that isn't worth a whole lot? Am I not sure about my chances for what I initially set out to do four years ago?
11. Would I like being classified as a mid-level provider (nurse, PA) by HMO's and the DEA after 8 long years of study?
12. Would I like having six figure student loan debt when the average starting salary of a new OD is 85,000/year?
13. Will I like not clearing very much money after taxes and a six figure student loan payment?
14. Will it bother me to be treated like a subordinate by other healthcare professionals?
15. Would it bother be to perform tech work for an ophthalmologist if I had a hard time finding a job?
16. Would it bother me to work on Saturdays or Sundays?
17. Would it bother me to be barred from medical plans becuase I am not a physician?
18. Would it bother me to be at the mercy of vision plans if I were in private practice?
19. Would it bother me to be unable to compete with Costco and WallMart if I were in private practice?
20. Would it bother me to study for 8 years, and (in some states) not be allowed to use much of what I had learned?
21. Would it bother me to be denied hospital privleges (in some states) becuase I am not a physician?
22. Do I enjoy my science classes or look at them as "a necessary evil"?
23. Do I not really want to do this, but don't want to look like a "quitter"?

These are just some of the questions you should be asking yourself. Do not let other people influence your decision. Many people don't have the courage to tell you they hate their job and that they made a mistake. Some people can't even admit it to themselves; after all, if you spent six figures and eight years of your life to become essentially a technician, it might be pretty hard to face facts that the AOA and the optometric colleges have grossly misrepresented the profession of optometry.
It is my hope that you really soul search and be honest before embarking on another long journey. If I can stop just one of you from making an impulsive life decision that could cause you a lot of heartache, then I've accomplished something.

Anyone who is going to respond to this in an attacking and defensive tone will not be responded to. This is for prospective students.

What do you think about saturation and how it will effect salaries of OD's?