I just found this forum and I thought I would add my thoughts to this issue. Corporate vs Private....lets get ready to rumble.
I have a private practice and enjoy it enormously. My "boss" lets me look at the internet all day (in between patients), listen to my favorite types of music while I work and even pays me a decent salary.
It really doesn't matter where you practice, it matters how you practice. An eye exam is the same no matter where you do it...Wallyworld, your own office, your grandmother's basement. Its all the same. Don't compromise how you do an exam just because you are in a different environment. Rise above it and do the right thing for your patient. I realize all dreadful vision plans do not pay for medical care, but that is why you refer to our friends the Ophthalmologists or even other Optometrists, such as myself, who deal with lots of pathology.
I have a good friend who works at a Wallyworld location. He has a medical practice. He does not compromise his patient's care and accepts every type of medical insurance that allows him on their panel.
To get back to the subject of paying off student loans. Don't sweat it. Find a good interest rate and pay it off slowly. There are other things to do with your salary, such as investing in your practice. You'll have debt until you retire (hopefully not after), so it is just another monthly bill.
The biggest difference between corporate and private practices is the accumulation of assets. Everyone will retire one day and a private practice affords individuals access to a greater collection of assets.....real estate, goodwill, equipment, stock and bonds bought with excess salary, etc.
How would one start a private practice with so much competition??? This is a common question that has many answers. My answer is to find a "niche" area that is underrepresented. I found a town of 45,000 people, 3 and a half Optometrists (No, the half is not a midget, just part-time) and one visiting Ophthalmology group. The Optometrists are "old school" so my progressive practice is flourishing. Do I live on a beach or have access to multiple malls or restaraunts?? No, but there is a nice lake and I like to travel anyway. My weeks are spent at the practice and my weekends are either on my "ranch" or elsewhere. I enjoy it tremendoulsy.
So to sum up my post - Optometry is a great field, don't compromise your exams and don't sweat the student loans.