Mid-life Crisis At 25? Please Advice

[sNoWbALL00]

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I know there is a couple thread for the waitlist at SCCO already, but I just want to start this one anyways. For those of you who are on the waitlist anywhere, I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL. It really sucks because the school won't even tell you that you are acccepted or rejected probably until summer.

Although I know I still have a chance to get in, but what if not? This is the only school that I applied for. Stupid me huh? It is all my fault, I applied really late as well....end of February. I know that I can always apply for Fall 2007, but I dont have time to afford it. I graduated as an Electrical Engineer in 2003. Took half a year off, then took my GRE (and did pretty well) and plan on obtaining my MS Electrical Engineer from UCLA. I never completed my application at UCLA because at that time I felt that Engineering was not for me. It took me a lot of courage to leave one degree behind and pursuing something else in a totally different direction. My mom was totally against my decision at first, but I thought to myself I only live once and I have to follow my heart and do what makes me happy.

Now that I'm on the waitlist for the only school that I applied to, I began to have second thoughts if optometry is really right for me. What if I pick the wrong choice again? I'm very frustated and confused......I think I'm going through a mid-life crisis at 25 (just turned 25 about two weeks ago). Anyone going through the same thing please advice on how to get through these hard times........It is very difficult and frustating.....................................

 

[IceNine]

"...Been dying since the day I was born, 'cause there's no road, that ain't a hard road to travel on...."

You know what also sucks? When the optometry school you wanted to get into rejects you two years in a row, AND it happens to be the ONLY english speaking opt school in CANADA!

Your state of mind is exactly where I was between June-December.
After graduating with a Biomedical Science degree in June 2005 and having two rejections under my belt, i was frustrated. Everyday became a struggle to decide what the heck I was gonna do with my life, I felt so confused. I had four applications that I was looking into... Masters, Teacher's college, perhaps MBA? And then for sh- and giggles, I decided I'd apply for opt school in Chicago.

I got my acceptance letter for the Illinois College of Optometry in December. So now when I look at it, life is prettty sweet. I just graduated, and now I'm working until August so that I can afford to go to opt school in september. So I'm probably the best case scenario of things working out in the end...technically, I'm your new HERO!

The best advice I can give you is to keep your options open. More options=more opportunities. But remember that what you got now is a CHANCE to get in, and it looks to me that if you don't get in, you've got two options 1)Apply so that you can INCREASE your chances, or 2) MOVE ON. But from what you've written, you've pretty much set yourself up for a one shot deal so don't be too disappointed if you don't get in.

You probably feel as though you have no control over anything right now. But really, it isn't as bad as you think. Focus more on the definites...you KNOW in the end you'll be doing something that makes you happy, and you KNOW that you got brains and that your probably not gonna end up starving and homeless so....Relax!!!!! You're just going to have to let this phase run its course for a bit. Not everything is in your control!

Like you said, "You only LIVE once" and right now, you're LIVING IT.

 

[sNoWbALL00]

Hey IceNine,
Thanks for the encouragement and advice. I am glad things worked out for you at the end. I hope it is the same way for me as well. I am still crossing my fingers.

 

[KHE]

Hey IceNine,
Thanks for the encouragement and advice. I am glad things worked out for you at the end. I hope it is the same way for me as well. I am still crossing my fingers.

I made this suggestion to another poster and that is that it might not be a bad idea for you to invest a few dollars in a career counsellor if you are struggling this much so early in your career path.

When you're in a stressful situation like you are in, you tend to idealize where you'd like to be and don't see the good things about where you are.

A good counsellor can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and help you find a career that is best suited to your talents and goals.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

It's funny that you're considering optometry after being an electrical engineer. My husband graduated last year with his BSEE and he is in the process of taking his prereqs to go to optometry school now! You are right in that you do only live once, and you have to do what makes me happy. However, why do you feel as though waiting is equal to wasting time? The things you do outside of school make you a more well-rounded person. If you don't get in this year, take a year and travel, explore, relax, learn to cook, whatever. In that year you might discover where you really want to be! Don't feel as though you must choose a career path immediately. 25 isn't as old as you think... in fact... it is quite young. I'm 24 and facing a similar situation after having been accepted to optometry school and considering whether I should have gone into medicine instead. I've realized two things:

1) I do not have to decide RIGHT NOW! (Neither do you!)
2) If I do choose one path and end up not liking it many years down to road, I will change. Yes, I might be faced with monumental student loans and other things that will make switching careers more difficult, but life is too short to be miserable in your career choice.

I'm curious... what attracted you to Electrical Engineering... and what attracts you to optometry? Have you shadowed and researched the profession (optometry)? Do you know what you are getting yourself into, and does it excite you? Inspire you? I only ask because my husband is brilliant in things like math and science, and that's why EE was so well-suited for him. However, he missed the people interaction after a year in a job with schematics and computer programs. We'll see how everything plays out in the next couple years! Best of luck to you in the future... no matter what you decide!

 

[idoc2b]

Dont beat yourself up 🙂 Life is a process and 25-26 is not old to start a professional program. If you want definitely want to do optometry, you now have extra time to research and apply to different schools and learn more about the porfession before beginning the program - I'm sure that will help. I agree with KHE in maybe investing in a career counseller

 

[sNoWbALL00]

I guess 25 isn't too old, but I just feel like I've been through a lot of schooling already and felt frustrated that something that I've worked so hard for end up to be what I don't really enjoy doing. Going through the engineering programs does take a lot of time and dedication. The intial reason why I choose electrical engineering was for the same reasons: I was good at math and science and just came right out of high school and didn't really thought much about my career goals (After all, I was only 18).

During my last year as an engineering student was when I started to feel like engineering was not for me. Although I was good at it, but it doesn't make me happy. Working in front of the computer or in a room all day with irregular working schedule was not for me. Sometimes when projects doesn't get finish on time.....an all nighter is a must. What I should have done was to change majors right then, but I thought I was just going through a phase because graduation was only a couple of months away....so I did the wrong thing and finished up with the education and got my degree.

Optometry initial appeals to me from the biology courses that I've taken, but my sister is also a recent graduate from optometry school as wells. She seems to be very happy with what she was doing. I guess shadowing her kind of motivated me. I've also worked as a receptionist at another private practice as well.

Hey prettygreeneyes, it's interesting how you said to travel or do something with that extra year because I've thought of the same thing. If I really don't get in, what can I do right? I might as well enjoy myself....maybe that will clear up some things. The only reason why I think that it would be a waste of time to wait a year is because I finished my degree already and had to go back for an additional 2 years to finish the prequisites that's all. But like I said, "Life is really too short" to be stressing all the time. Sometimes I really feel down and don't want to do anything be I do keep on telling myself that I can get through it because it is just an other event in my life that I must go through.

I will probably go travel or do something fun......and then get a career counseler if I don't get in. 🙂 But still crossing my fingers....hope you guys pray for me too....Thanks for all your advice!!!!!

 

[sNoWbALL00]

Does any of you guys know how many people from the waitlist are actually accepted to SCCO last year? Thanks

 

[gioiarioia]

I'm 26 now and will be 27 by the time I enter optometry school. I was a high school band director for 1.5 school years before returning to start work on pre-reqs. 3 years of school later (adding to the previous four) and following last year's rejection, I will be starting at SCO in August.

Like you, I knew that I didn't want to do music as a career long-term. I should have explored more while I was in school the first time, but since I was funding my own education I felt the best thing to do was to get finished as fast as possible.

I agree with KHE, perhaps a career counselor would be a smart move since you are worried about making the wrong decision.