I am an applicant to optometry school for the 2016 entering class. I had been weighing the two options, dental school or optometry school, and landed on optometry after shadowing multiple optometrists and sitting down with them to discuss the profession and where they see it heading, without shadowing a single dentist. All I heard was positives, no negatives, a relatively low stress environment with a great earning potential. Any mention of potential hardships was shrugged off (e.g. the rise of cheaper avenues for contacts and eye glasses) and were made to be not that big of a deal. When you speak to these people, you trust them as professionals in the field.
Now I have been on here and a number of other online places that make it seem like there is absolutely no hope for optometrists in the future. I had no idea how big these issues are, and I feel discouraged and disheartened with my choice. The more I look into the issues I have seen brought up, the more I am realizing that is the reality. I see people all the way from current optometry students to optometrists that have been in private practice for 30 years all saying the same thing. The students regret their decision, and the optometrists would tell their own children to stay away. Given the option, they would not choose optometry again, especially in 2015.
Now I am at a crossroads in my life and looking back to dentistry as an option again. I want to ask those in dentistry what they think of the profession, what its future is, what the saturation issue looks like, and what the return on investment looks like for someone that would come out after 2020. I will be shadowing a few dentists, speaking with them in person, and trying to get a better understanding of what the outlook is and what I can expect. I was not thorough enough in my research of optometry, and am reevaluating where I stand, what my goals are, and what I can expect.
Here is where I stand currently:
I have applied to optometry school, but have not paid a cent in tuition yet.
I am a non-traditional student, age 27, to be married next month (October).
I have completed all pre-requisites other than Organic Chemistry II, which is not required for optometry school (I will be taking this in the spring).
My OAT scores are 390 AA (99.9th percentile) and 400 TS (100). I am confident I can do well on the DAT.
My overall GPA is 3.37, but as I said I am a non-traditional student, have shown significant upward trajectory, got A's in both general chemistries, organic I, both physics classes, and biochemistry, and have not run into any issues with admissions in optometry school whatsoever. I know dental is more competitive, but I still feel my GPA combined with a good DAT will make me competitive.
What it really comes down to is doing what is best for my family and I. I am terrified of committing to optometry and putting us in a huge hole and a career with dwindling opportunity with abysmal return on investment. I feel like I will struggle to get out of debt until I'm 50, not to mention raise children, save for my wife and I's future, as well my children's futures.
I'm here trying to grasp the overall picture of dentistry as an investment in my life for the wellbeing of my family and the happiness and fulfillment of the career.
The two options are:
1. Continue with optometry and take the risk as mentioned previously.
2. To go into dentistry, which will take a year longer at this point, meaning I will have to apply next year for the entering class of 2017.
This is not some knee-jerk reaction in response to the realization that my career choice is screwed. It is deliberate and thought out, though I do have more research to do and conversations to have. My interest in dentistry is and always has been real, just as my interest in optometry. It is not only about money, but also about personal satisfaction and accomplishment in addition to being a capable provider. I simply do not see how anyone can be optimistic about optometry anymore. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Now I have been on here and a number of other online places that make it seem like there is absolutely no hope for optometrists in the future. I had no idea how big these issues are, and I feel discouraged and disheartened with my choice. The more I look into the issues I have seen brought up, the more I am realizing that is the reality. I see people all the way from current optometry students to optometrists that have been in private practice for 30 years all saying the same thing. The students regret their decision, and the optometrists would tell their own children to stay away. Given the option, they would not choose optometry again, especially in 2015.
Now I am at a crossroads in my life and looking back to dentistry as an option again. I want to ask those in dentistry what they think of the profession, what its future is, what the saturation issue looks like, and what the return on investment looks like for someone that would come out after 2020. I will be shadowing a few dentists, speaking with them in person, and trying to get a better understanding of what the outlook is and what I can expect. I was not thorough enough in my research of optometry, and am reevaluating where I stand, what my goals are, and what I can expect.
Here is where I stand currently:
I have applied to optometry school, but have not paid a cent in tuition yet.
I am a non-traditional student, age 27, to be married next month (October).
I have completed all pre-requisites other than Organic Chemistry II, which is not required for optometry school (I will be taking this in the spring).
My OAT scores are 390 AA (99.9th percentile) and 400 TS (100). I am confident I can do well on the DAT.
My overall GPA is 3.37, but as I said I am a non-traditional student, have shown significant upward trajectory, got A's in both general chemistries, organic I, both physics classes, and biochemistry, and have not run into any issues with admissions in optometry school whatsoever. I know dental is more competitive, but I still feel my GPA combined with a good DAT will make me competitive.
What it really comes down to is doing what is best for my family and I. I am terrified of committing to optometry and putting us in a huge hole and a career with dwindling opportunity with abysmal return on investment. I feel like I will struggle to get out of debt until I'm 50, not to mention raise children, save for my wife and I's future, as well my children's futures.
I'm here trying to grasp the overall picture of dentistry as an investment in my life for the wellbeing of my family and the happiness and fulfillment of the career.
The two options are:
1. Continue with optometry and take the risk as mentioned previously.
2. To go into dentistry, which will take a year longer at this point, meaning I will have to apply next year for the entering class of 2017.
This is not some knee-jerk reaction in response to the realization that my career choice is screwed. It is deliberate and thought out, though I do have more research to do and conversations to have. My interest in dentistry is and always has been real, just as my interest in optometry. It is not only about money, but also about personal satisfaction and accomplishment in addition to being a capable provider. I simply do not see how anyone can be optimistic about optometry anymore. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
) who pursued this route, they exclusively tried getting into Waterloo (Canadian school) or IAUPR i.e. the cheap schools OR moved onto different careers. And just from an observation, the 2 optometrists i shadowed both worked part-time to string together full time hours. Perhaps that's the norm with Optometry jobs and that isn't a reflection to their salary etc. i really don't know. Nonetheless, the thought of working part-time giving out eye exams with huge loans to pay off scared me out of it. 
