The desire to "help people" is really over used is explaining ones want to enter any health field. Bankers help people by loaning them money for a home, farmers by providing food for all of the world, engineers by designing items that clean, protect, and save us. Nearly every profession "helps people", so why don't chefs say they want to help people when they are applying to a culinary arts school? B/c in other professions to is not perceived as taboo to say, "I'm here b/c I like to cook."
We love the notion that our drive to purse anything is completely utilitarian, but in reality, self-fulfillment is the motivation..."helping people" is just often a byproduct. That is not to say that we are not fulfilled by helping others; but, we would not help others unless we enjoyed it (there is a Kantian aspect to the last statement). There is a difference between helping people just to help, and helping people b/c we derive self-fulfillment form it.
Sorry for letting my philosophy minor jump in to the forum, I'll just answer your question now. I'm in optometry b/c I have always loved science. Anatomy, physics (which I suck at), chemistry...they are all amazing. Another influence is that my dad's an OD with a practice I can buy. So, why optometry? Optometry incorporates all of those likes I mentioned, but so does biomedical engineering, or pharmaceutical research, or, why not dentistry? I would have to say that access to a nice practice with a father approaching retirement at the same time I will be graduating is a pretty strong influence. I get to spend my life studying anatomy, biochemistry, optics..., and make a very comfortable living. Oh yea, I almost forgot, I like to make people happy. People are usually pretty happy when they leave the optometrist, I guess helping people is a factor as well.
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