Is Optometry School worth it?

[Chrism54]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I'm sure this is posted all the time.
I'm getting out of the Military soon, so I'm looking toward my future.
I want to become an Optometrist, but is it worth it?
I've been researching for hours and I keep hearing that with todays Student Debts, that it's hardly possibly to stay afloat with the starting salaries.

 

[catsomgcats]

If you were in the military, isn't there a scholarship option for you?

 

[Chrism54]

If you were in the military, isn't there a scholarship option for you?

So, we all get roughly 50k so it'll pay up until my bachelors depending on the school.
Otherwise it's kind of weird going green to gold, or their other scholarships because they require you serve twice the length as your time at school.
So I'll be stuck in the military until I basically retire

 

[Meeehai]

I'm sure this is posted all the time.
I'm getting out of the Military soon, so I'm looking toward my future.
I want to become an Optometrist, but is it worth it?
I've been researching for hours and I keep hearing that with todays Student Debts, that it's hardly possibly to stay afloat with the starting salaries.

It's worth it if the pros outweigh the cons for you personally. With low salary relative to the cost of tuition being one of the biggest cons, you should ask yourself if this is something you're willing to deal with come graduation time.

 

[GoColts]

So, we all get roughly 50k so it'll pay up until my bachelors depending on the school.
Otherwise it's kind of weird going green to gold, or their other scholarships because they require you serve twice the length as your time at school.
So I'll be stuck in the military until I basically retire

My dad was an OD in the military. He was enlisted for about 7 years, then left to start optometry school on the HPSP scholarship. He graduated and served active duty for 4 years and then stayed in the reserves as an OD for another 5 years. He left with 20 years total and has a really nice retirement pension to go with it. He started a private practice which is where I now work.

The moral of the story is that you can go to school to be an OD, have it paid for, and get paid while you're in school to do it. A classmate of mine was on HPSP scholarship and he's debt free. He just has to practice in the military a few years and then can either stay longer or separate.

OD school was still worth it to me though, even though I ended up missing out on the scholarship. Yes I have a lot of debt, but it will get paid off eventually. I'm Not worried about it.

Optometry is in fact changing. It is not just glasses and contacts like many people think. I manage a lot of eye disease and have changed the way my practice runs. We fit a lot of custom contacts, do more pediatrics, and will likely be adding low vision in the next few months.

You can still make it as a straight primary eye care doctor, but you have to be smart about it.