Debating a Career Change

[Wisconsin ABO]

I'm at the point in my life where an optician salary isn't cutting it anymore. I have spent nearly two of the best decades of my life working in a profession that I love and enjoy. Each day, I wake up and eagerly look forward to seeing clients, representatives, optometrists, and familiar and unfamiliar faces. Unfortunately, with increasing competition from big-name corporations, I am having a tough time competing.

While, I'm not struggling to put food on the table, I would like to have some extra money around. With that being said, what do you guys recommend: law or medicine? They both have their pros and cons, but I would like advice from you guys. If you have any knowledge on these field, then please comment!

Sincerely,

Wisconsin ABO

[braheem24]

Realtor

[Lelarep]

Law if you hate people, medicine if you like people (who you will learn to hate).

[Johns]

Ice Cream Shop.

1. The customers are almost always in a good mood.
2. They won't bring it back in 2 years and say they didn't like it.
3. Higher profit margins.
4. In some areas, you can make a living on 6 months of work.
5. You make more money off of "wants" than "needs". Nobody needs ice cream, but most want it

[Chris Ryser]

While, I'm not struggling to put food on the table, I would like to have some extra money around. With that being said, what do you guys recommend: law or medicine? They both have their pros and cons, but I would like advice from you guys. If you have any knowledge on these field, then please comment!

Having spent 20 years in the optical retail, you actually want to go back to school until you are qualified to make big money in law or medicine, and be close to 60 years old?

If you can you afford that, you might have lost all the pep needed for a new scientific career due to advanced age.

Stick to what you have learned, and worked in, but simply change the field. You could learn to become a consultant, or you also could work for one of the big corporations that love to employ people with experience in the optical field.

Good luck.

[rbaker]

I'm with Chris on this one. Assuming that you have an undergraduate degree in an appropriate area you will find admission to a law school difficult and to a medical school impossible. Can you afford to leave the job sector for academia for the required time to complete your studies?

You might consider employment in the public sector. Garbage men, (excuse me, sanitary technicians) in New York City make well over 100 large and motor men (subway drivers) 130K. In the private sector, the striking Verizon folks are knocking down over $130,000.00 a year now and are hoping for a 6% annual raise.

If you do want to continue laboring in the eye care vineyard there are some steps that you can take to improve your financial status. You can spend a few evenings a week at your local college or university and pick up a degree in business administration, management or accounting and move on to another employer. You might also want to consider becoming an ophthalmic technician or technologist or ophthalmic photographer. Cripes you got the medical school right there in your town. You just might want to seek employment there or at least talk to the ophthalmology clinical director (you need a mentor.)

[wmcdonald]

I understand your situation, and you are not alone. PM me with a bit more about your background (age, undergraduate education, etc.). I may be able to offer some advice. I have studied this issue for many years, and hate to see you waste time invested. If you are comfortable sharing your income and what you would like to earn in the future, it would also be helpful. There are other paths beyond medicine, which would take an extended time, and law. Law is now almost over-saturated, and the investment may not be a good value for you. Just keep positive about your future.......there is a number of paths to take, and you will find yours.

[Uncle Fester]

You might consider employment in the public sector. Garbage men, (excuse me, sanitary technicians) in New York City make well over 100 large and motor men (subway drivers) 130K. In the private sector, the striking Verizon folks are knocking down over $130,000.00 a year now and are hoping for a 6% annual raise.

Name the common thread...

Verizon wins!!!

http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/v...ers/2015-06-23

An interesting read on the salary of a NYC conductor. I never would have thought to run to the end of the platform instead of climbing back up.

http://jalopnik.com/5851714/conducto...k-city-subway/


Good luck on the Sanitation workers gig...

http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/real-money-with-alivelshi/articles/2015/1/13/sanitation-gold.html

[COMEINPEACE]

2. They won't bring it back in 2 years and say they didn't like it.

I had a patient after 23yrs...yes 23 years (same reading glasses) confess she never really liked them

[smallworld]

My recommendation would be Dentist. They seem to make a killing.

[Caroline]

Move to a licensed state with a lower cost of living.

[Wisconsin ABO]

I appreciate all the replies. I currently make around $60k a year from being an optician and doing some realty. While, yes, this income is "sufficient", I expect further declines in my practice, children's college tuition (when it's time), car payments, etc. to pose a problem in the future. I would rather join a profession that can give me a stable career with a good salary - opticianry is anything but this.

I have a biochemistry bachelors degree from NYU, so completing a pre-health post-bacc shouldn't be a problem for me. I am leaning towards becoming a PA instead of a physician, since it's only 3 years. My other option would be to take the LSAT this summer and apply for law school in the fall. From what I understand, it's only worth going to a law school is you go to a top 14 school. My bachelors degree that I completed over 20 years ago was accomplished with a 3.8 something gpa. I don't know what value it has now, but I could focus on the LSAT and take it. Anyways, with a new career path, I could do some optical consulting on the side. Thanks!

Wisconsin ABO

[wmcdonald]

I appreciate all the replies. I currently make around $60k a year from being an optician and doing some realty. While, yes, this income is "sufficient", I expect further declines in my practice, children's college tuition (when it's time), car payments, etc. to pose a problem in the future. I would rather join a profession that can give me a stable career with a good salary - opticianry is anything but this.

I have a biochemistry bachelors degree from NYU, so completing a pre-health post-bacc shouldn't be a problem for me. I am leaning towards becoming a PA instead of a physician, since it's only 3 years. My other option would be to take the LSAT this summer and apply for law school in the fall. From what I understand, it's only worth going to a law school is you go to a top 14 school. My bachelors degree that I completed over 20 years ago was accomplished with a 3.8 something gpa. I don't know what value it has now, but I could focus on the LSAT and take it. Anyways, with a new career path, I could do some optical consulting on the side. Thanks!

Wisconsin ABO

PA school is a great way to go. You have an excellent background, and I encourage you to take a look closely at that field. You can do a great deal from that platform. Know that you are well above the mean for Optician's income, but with that background you can go in a number of directions. I chose education, and you may want to consider that as well. You may also want to look at Health Administration. An MHA would take 2 years, and you have an excellent program there. Combining that with your existing education and professional experience would make you far more marketable, and greatly increase your income. Best of luck in your decision.

[Chris Ryser]

I expect further declines in my practice, children's college tuition (when it's time), car payments, etc. to pose a problem in the future. I would rather join a profession that can give me a stable career with a good salary - opticianry is anything but this.

Anyways, with a new career path, I could do some optical consulting on the side. Thanks!

Thanks for your interesting post and all the good luck for a new future.

[Tallboy]

Posts like this make me feel unsane for wanting to make glasses for a living. I mean people seem to like what we do here... I guess if I had a 3.8 gpa from NYU I might not be a glasses jockey either... Well good luck to you!

[mervinek]

Ice Cream Shop.

1. The customers are almost always in a good mood.
2. They won't bring it back in 2 years and say they didn't like it.
3. Higher profit margins.
4. In some areas, you can make a living on 6 months of work.
5. You make more money off of "wants" than "needs". Nobody needs ice cream, but most want it

+1

[Plausible]

I'm with Tallboy, I love what I do. If moneys the issue take a hard look at where you work. Are you maxed out in earning potential there? Are you maxed out in advancement there? If not work harder to move up, if your maxed out find a bigger corporation to work for. The bigger the company the more options you have to move up. Minnesota's a solid state for Optical Companies, I have used that to my benefit and am more than happy with my place of employment on a personal level and professional level.

[Wisconsin ABO]

Thank you all for the replies. I'm going to take some time to carefully make my decision. As of now, I'm financially stable - I'm just apprehensive of the future. My kids are beginning middle school, and when they reach college, who knows what my financial situation will be. $60k, and some of that coming from realty, a commission-type business, is not the way to go. I can't predict on x number of optical customers and x number of houses sold; I need a stable and secure profession. Also, more and more large scale corporations are infiltrating and taking over my surrounding area.

Let's face it, opticianry isn't as good of a career as it once was, and it's bound to get worse. I graduated with a biochemistry major in preparation for an optometry career. I took up opticanry to gain some experience and to pay for optometry school. Fast forward twenty years, and I have my own business as an optician. Do I have any regrets? No, I did what I enjoyed for two decades. I honestly don't think I would have been too much better as an optometrist either - the field is becoming too saturated.

As I keep doing more research on careers, I keep leaning towards PA. I can also work for a couple of years, and then do a part-time MHA/MPH. This will allow me to have some administrative roles, and perhaps teach a course or two to supplement my income. I could also contract at some other hospital/clinic on my off-days.

[icmor]

I'm certainly not starving, but getting to the later years in my career. I have had a hobby doing photography for many years, and I recently started exploring that semi professionally. My nature and landscape photography are starting to sell, and I've gotten into outdoor portraiture.
Next year, I'm hoping to go part time in optical, and supplement the income through my hobby. If you enjoy what you're doing, it's not work. I'm hoping to do two things I really enjoy now.

[optical24/7]

PA's average around mid 90k a year. Ophthalmic practice administrators can make over 100k. If you wanted to stay in optics you could look into shifting into that area.

[Johns]

PA's average around mid 90k a year. Ophthalmic practice administrators can make over 100k. If you wanted to stay in optics you could look into shifting into that area.

I was thinking the same thing.

[rbaker]

There are many opportunities for you to pursue but if you are looking for a guaranteed lease on life you will find yourself sadly disappointed.

[Plausible]

Agree with rbaker, there are no guarantees. And Not saying at all that Wisconsin ABO has done this but in regards to salaries made in the optical business. It's amazing how often I have heard from fellow employee's how they need money to pay for a current event in their life (house, car, vacation.....ect) so they get the idea to ask for a raise. That absolutely floors me.
My approach has always been to make what I feel is fair to me for what I am producing for the owner / company. There were times I felt I was underpaid and voiced my opinion with facts during the yearly review process. On more than one occasion after a review was made on my request with facts; I was granted a significant raise. The one time nothing happened I looked else where and found what I wanted and moved on, no hard feelings on my part. Business is business.

[Craig]

We are growing and looking for folks who want to find a new way to lead the industry; dissatisfaction with pay is a good place to start. Many of us in the industry do make a nice living but it is not as an optician working for someone else.
My suggestion would be to get in optical sales and not waste 3 years for no money that will not average out in 15 years.
Just my thought.
Craig

[Wisconsin ABO]

The reason that PA is so prevalent in my mind is that I have two nephews that took the PA route. I tutored them on their prereqs, and provided whatever academic assistance I could throughout their education. Now, they work full-time at a hospital and have an outside contract with another hospital to work on vacation days. Both of them are making $150,000 each year and have spoken to their recruiter about me.

I know that everything can change in 4-5 years, and who knows if the recruiter or CMO is even interested. However, after doing research on the internet, I've come to notice that this type of salary is not unusual in the field. It would require me to work almost everyday, but I pretty much do anyways with opticianry and realty. I'm not so sure if the optical management route in large corporations is right for me. There are too many politics and external influences in that profession, and I'd rather have a stable and secure position.

In a way, I feel like being a PA would be similar to being an optician in the 90s. Back then, people respected opticians and had a close relationship with them. I'm not saying that this isn't entirely the case anymore, but with online contact lens ordering and large chain corporations, most people view opticians as salesmen and "eye glasses adjusters". I feel that a PA would restore that mutual respect that I long for.