what made you want to go to optometry school?

[jmcfa002]

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Since college, I've been leaning toward pharmacy. I'm a tech right now, and have my eyes set on pharmacy school. I was thinking about why i wanted to be a pharmacist, and I couldn't get a clear cut answer for myself. I like my job right now as a tech. But what about other professional schools?

Where is a good place I can go to get info about it. I've googled it before, but you just get career overviews(to me they are not that helpful)

 

[Jay12]

I think one source could be to talk to people who are already working within the profession (i.e. shadowing them, etc...)

 

[jmcfa002]

Ya thats what I was thinking of trying, I just don't have time right now. I'm doin the bio, ochem, phys, thing right now m-f and working as a pharm tech T,F,Sat, and Sun

 

[mthwong]

here is a website that might help:

http://www.explorehealthcareers.org/en/index.aspx

pretty much the reasons I want to go to optometry school:
1) great opportunity to have one-on-one interaction with the patient, where you can not only treat their vision but get to know the patient as well
2) i appreciate the deductive reasoning and investigation behind refraction and ocular health
3) flexible work schedule
4) at least in private practice, there is a business aspect to optometry, where you're selling glasses or contacts

but definitely if you get an opportunity, you should talk with an optometrist if not observe/shadow. you can always ask your own optometrist, and treat them to coffee on the weekend.

 

[mupreopt]

Reasons I chose optometry school:

1.) Salary
2.) Work environment
3.) Help people (in terms of health/quality of life)
4.) Work for myself
5.) Personal time and time for family
6.) prestige/respect

 

[jamieyum]

I had my own eye problem since I was really young. Even though I had a surgery i still need some routine postsurgical care. That's how I got interested in this field.

Well, I thought about the dentistry to be honest. I'll be honest with you guys. Seeing and smelling someone's mouth for 7-8 hrs a day is not the most fascinating thing in the world. I had volunteered/shadowed in dentistry field and realized after my first hour in there that is not something anyone can do for living. (I seriously don't know how dentists live with all those).

Optometrist environment is very clean and you don't deal with much of emergency situation either, while you can help people. That's something I was drawn too

 

[sharpshooter24]

I had my own eye problem since I was really young. Even though I had a surgery i still need some routine postsurgical care. That's how I got interested in this field.

Well, I thought about the dentistry to be honest. I'll be honest with you guys. Seeing and smelling someone's mouth for 7-8 hrs a day is not the most fascinating thing in the world. I had volunteered/shadowed in dentistry field and realized after my first hour in there that is not something anyone can do for living. (I seriously don't know how dentists live with all those).

Optometrist environment is very clean and you don't deal with much of emergency situation either, while you can help people. That's something I was drawn too

it all depends on what you like and love.. 3/4 of my close friends are in dental school/ applying to dental school. and all of them talk about "ohhh ohh look how much money i make in less time than OD's and MD's"

some of them tried to disuade me go into dental, yeah dental makes a crap load of cash, business oriented, but then again, im not much of a teeth guy, eye balls and examining them all day long seems interesting to me.

also you got to factor than 4000-6000 people apply per school with only 80-100 available seats. competition on steroids if you ask me. optometry is several hundred for 80-100 seats. some schools like PCO and ICO are 150+ seats