Just like the title says, is it worth it? I have a master's in a completely unrelated field, operations management. When I retire from the military in five years I would like a job in which I could give back and help others but I also want a job that won't disrupt my lifestyle. I currently make about $60K and would like to make about that early on after I retire (not counting retirement pay). Is this a career in which I can feel fulfilled and helpful and at the same time live comfortably?
OT as a second career- worth it?
- Thread starter Rcoll90
- Start date
Yes, OT is a career that will give you job satisfaction in helping others and a comfortable salary. It'll take some time to get there, though. Most MOT programs are full-time and pretty much no one will advise trying to work while going through the program. You can expect about 2 years of schooling followed by 6 months of fieldwork (basically unpaid work) before you can be licensed, but it varies by school. I haven't personally researched it but you could probably get tuition reimbursement through the military if you wanted to continue that route. You need documented hours of observation in order to apply to most schools anyway, so I suggest setting up some time to shadow an OT. That will give you insight into their work plus a contact to answer your questions having personal experience (unlike myself - I start school in the fall). You can expect to make the salary you're after in most locations and settings as an OT.
I am pursuing OT as a second career. I am a parent and about 12 years into my career. After learning more about the discipline as a whole (and I agree that shadowing an OT (or a few) is a great idea), I was more convinced that I was attracted to the discipline and to the work that OT's do. What I needed to do was a serious list of pros and cons and financial estimations to see if I could afford the school and the time out of the work world whilst getting the degree. My income from my first career had a lot of promise and I was doing well and it remains very interesting to me, but I missed an interpersonal aspect that I believe OT will provide. In the end I figured I could do it, after I set out all of my assets and all of my liabilities. It took me another 6 months before I started school again after my decision to do it to very aggressively pay down debts so that I had as few liabilities going into school as is humanly possible.
It has been a while since I graduated from college, so I've had to take all of my pre-reqs. I was able to do this, more or less, in three semesters.
What you definitely have going for you is retirement income while you attend school, which is a total bonus. Good luck.
Thanks for the insight. I'm not really sure what I'd like to do when I retire. I know I want nothing to do with the career I have in the AF and that I'd like to do something where I can help others. I've looked into OT, MPA, MPP, MPH, nursing. I'm not worried about making money when I go to school, I will have retirements pay and the GI Bill stipend.
Last edited:
Similar threads
