Is it worth it to put all the time, effort, and money into becoming an Optometrist? I'm 22 and I would still need 7 more years to become one. Seven years later I would start off with $80,000 as a rookie and then slowly to $100,000. Is it worth the time and money? Or should I just work and open a store in 7 years? I also want to become a police officer, PAPD makes more than $80,000 in 5 years. Which is what I always wanted to do since little. I'm confused and lost...:hammer:
Well, there's less chance of being shot as an OD. So you've got that going for you.
Best thing you could do is write out a list of pros and cons about each and then do what's best for you. People generally don't become cops or ODs just for the cash, and money isn't everything.
Looking forward to going to work everyday is the best paycheck. If you are a miserable cop, no pay in the world will make you happy. and vice versa
I couldn't agree more.Originally Posted by FullCircle
Find something you're passionate about, and figure out a way to make money doing that. It's much easier, and you'll be happier.
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
And I contend he wasn't a great OD as he didn't see that one coming!
Bah dum dum.
I agree with what many others have posted. It's somewhat shallow to pick a profession based on the income you expect to earn. Instead, you should pick a profession based on how it will impress others.
well, since little i always wanted to become a police officer to make this world a better place to live in. But 10 years down the road i don't want to regret this day not going to continue my education in optometry =\
now i'm just 50/50 very confused and lost...sigh...
Tonight you can practice what its like to be an OD!
Sit in your bedroom with a comfy chair, turn of the lights, and repeat "Is it better in one....or...two?". Now say that for the next eight hours straight, then pull out your medical card and call the customer(dis)service number and IF you get a live person, just ask a bunch of questions about your coverage. Hang up and do that again for the next three hours. You should be able to get through about twice. If you still enjoy that experience, well...have at it!
Good luck. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I *grow up*!!
:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:
Why don't you write down why you want be a police officer or optometrist?
Seems like you want to help people. You have a sense of altruism. If you write down and really analyze what pulls you in these directions, not only will it help you make a choice, but it can also open your eyes to other opportunities that will help you get that same sense of fufillment.
I considered being an optom, even took the OAT. I also majored in Criminal Justice and considered doing CSI work (love science!!). However, what draws me in is helping people. I want to make this world a better place cause I existed..
After doing some soul searching of my own, I decided to forget the MBA I had pursued off and on, and I am now in my second session for a MPH. A masters in public health will help me combine my love of science, and altruism..and I hope to apply what I learn to better vision care services and charities..
The ability to combine the features that pulled me in a miriad of directions has given me a new found sense of energy and excitement.
I used to think in terms of what would earn more.. however, I believe the satisfaction comes from finding your passion...and if you have a passion for it, it shows to all who interact with you and makes you all the more successful.. so in the long term it can build income as well..
"Some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate. But I believe that happiness is something we create."-Something More by Sugarland
I've got it! How about a little from both worlds? How about Loss Prevention for an optical chain? And no, I'm not kidding.
What do you really want to do, leave the money out of it. And factor in the debt too. I had $126,000 debt when I got out of grad school, and that was grad school only, I had all scholarships for undergrad. Took me 7 years to pay that off. I have been in private practice for 7 years, almost 8 now, and make about $70,000/year. I could probably make more if I wanted to, but chose to work for other docs instead of opening my own practice so that I could have a lot of freedom in my schedule, vacations, and hobbies. It works for me, I'm perfectly happy sacrificing pay for freedom, though looking back, I should have followed my heart and become a veterinarian, it's what I truly love.
My side job is as a skydiving instructor though, and optometry affords me the freedom to take off a week at a time to go to skydiving boogies, take skydiving courses, etc. Plus I tend to plan my continuing ed to be in places that I know have great dropzones, so I can take a side trip one day
NO!
It is not worth it. I have been doing it for 12 years. I like it enough. Actually like it quite a bit. But, I would not recommend the field to anyone. There is so much to be unhappy about in optometry. MDs hating ODs. ODs hating eachother simply based on where they practice. Opticians thinking they should have the right to refract ;);) and ODs thinking they know the proper way to construct a decent pair of glasses.
Reimbursements are low and getting worse. the field is flooded with new graduates and more to come by the time you would be finished.
Patients in general are getting more and more difficult to deal with. Very demanding and couldn't care less about the time and effort you spent getting to your current position.
As a practitioner I find it a constant battle to keep the profession exciting and rewarding. So far so good. If you want a field that is in a bit of turmoil than this is the one for you.
If you want a medical career, there are better avenues. Sometimes I wish the coin had landed on dentistry rather than optometry, but it is what it is.
Good luck!
:cheers:
yeah, i kinda need some real advice that brings me back to reality. i keep thinking optometrists make well over 100,000 guarantee and there's not as much problems dealing with patients then opticians do. thanks guys
there are times you could pay me 100,000 a DAY and i would still slap your face! skip it. find something fun and exciting. Cop? hell yeah. being a detective sounds really cool. at least it does when I watch "the wire" or "the shield". you will never see a show called "the optometrist" that is your only guarantee from optometry
Wow!
Now that's the real deal!
Great post! (It would've been just as good had you been outrageously happy, but either way, the honesty is refreshing!)
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
That reminds me of Liz Martinez http://www.optiboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9176 wrote a book about loss prevention in the optical field. That's putting two and two together.
Hey tcmod, your alright to me. It's nice to see someone that's a bit more honest. I am afraid it is the same for being an optician when it comes to dealing with these same folks and the amount of disregard for the profession. I don't think anyone's got a profession without some sort of issues. A show called "The Optometrist" I can see it now, "1 or 2". ;)
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I wish we could get some of that flooding and overcrowding of ODs here. We've been trying to find another OD for years!
DragonlensmanWV N.A.O.L.
"There is nothing patriotic about hating your government or pretending you can hate your government but love your country."
The problem is that all of them want to work in the big cities with glamorous jobs that pay 3 figures. The oversupply is happening in the cities not in the suburbs.I wish we could get some of that flooding and overcrowding of ODs here. We've been trying to find another OD for years!
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I saw go for optometry if that is what you want to do. I love my profession. I work in rural Canada so under-supply is more the issue. I realize that the situation in the US is different with many more grads and a ****ed-up insurance situation. If you practice in Canada, you will make plenty of $$ - easily six figures. I think part of the problem with many people is they have "the grass is greener over there" syndrome. Being a cop may be great, but it would not be much like TV in most areas I'm sure. Follow your heart.
I've been looking for a year. Tcmod? I can pay!I wish we could get some of that flooding and overcrowding of ODs here. We've been trying to find another OD for years!
Cheap plug! Sorry.
HA!! I think we would work well together. I know my limitations and respect experience. Looking forward to having a good optician to partner with.
OD or cop? That's quite a range. I've been an OD for 8 years and was an Military Police/security type in my younger days. My brother is a local cop. Your a young man with plenty of time on your hands. Optometry is a challenging field (all the O's are) with big corps pushing hard in every direction. Private practice is getting very tough (but still profitable if your business-smart). An even bigger chuck of ODs in the future will be working next to the tires and electronics. :(
If you decide to go the OD route, go to the cheapest schools you can find. I mean community college for the first 2 years. Then a state college and then a state OD school if possible. Move there to declare residency if need be. It's quite possible to come out with only $50,000 in school loans if you plan well. You should easily make $130,000/yr after a few years out.
Hey, either way you'll be 30 years old in 8 years, right? I say go for it. You can always go from OD to cop but not the other way around.
Good luck on whatever you do. Optometry is a nice paying job. Routine mostly. Dealing with nuts sometimes. But every job deals with the loonies, I suppose. :)
Anything medical (or related to medical) is going to be on shaky ground the next few years, who knows what will happen. Socialized medicine?
There are more than enough ways to make more money, get better benefits, better vacation, etc.
In terms of cost/reward, its a toss-up. Many optometrists plan very poorly and put themselves in stupid situations after spending a ton of money on schooling.
Don't read flawed surveys from the AOA or any organization out to sell you an education or a career. Dept of Labor has much more realistic statistics. Those who made money in optometry benefited from a totally different market with vastly different market forces than those graduating now.
The future of optometry is probably toward more income from examinations, and routine exams are kept low due to uncontrollable market forces. Traditional revenue streams are drying up.
Look at VSP and eyemed and see how they are partnering with medical plans to essentially steal money from our practices. It is only going to get worse. National ERISA laws allow discrimination against ODs by preventing them from joining provider panels and getting paid for what we went in to debt to learn how to do. However, optometrists can not band together against vision plans or medical panels since that is considered anti-trust. Our own organizations are virtually helpless in these matters.
If you don't comprehend all these issues you'd be silly not to understand them before spending 8 years in study.
Still, if you are a great people person, great businessman, and enjoy what you do you can be successful in anything.
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