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Reply 80
Original post by ALittleLost25
He didnt sugar coat it. He said its swings and roundabouts, its not a glam job but he always wanted to do it so he enjoys it.
Why cant you comprehend that other people may enjoy things you dont?
You still havn't explained why youve changed job every year


I can't see how you can have an opinion on this matter when you haven't experienced optometry yourself. You can't really speak for your friend.

I suggest maybe taking work experience in optometry or pharmacy and then you can make up your own mind. It's better to have first hand experience than to retell the tales of others.

Again I don't know how old you are or what you do, but if you are young, work experience is the best way to see how a job really is.
Original post by ALittleLost25
He didnt sugar coat it. He said its swings and roundabouts, its not a glam job but he always wanted to do it so he enjoys it.
Why cant you comprehend that other people may enjoy things you dont?
You still havn't explained why youve changed job every year


I changed jobs often for a pay rise - if your going to have a crappy job you might aswell get paid more for it each year. If you stay in the same place I know optometrists who have been on the same pay for 5+ years

I was made redundant from one job after few months because the practise closed down - too much saturation and it not making enough money.

Also im sure some people do enjoy it.. mothers who have young children who want to work 1-2 days spring to mind as there is alot of flexibility which is one good thing.

But I know in my experiance with all the Optometrists Ive met in my years atleast 50% or more hate their jobs.
This is evidenced by the anonymous letters sent to OT (optometry monthly magazine) all saying the same thing about how the profession and work conditions are awfull. They actually got so many negative letters they stopped doing anonymous letter write ins. (As the industry magazine is owned by the AOP which also represent employers)
(edited 7 years ago)
Hi optometrist 123

I have read your discussion and thank you for being honest about the profession.

I know many optometrists who share the same views.....

YOU DO NOT have to explain yourself to people like A little lost 25

who may truly well be lost. In the manner in which this user is trying to have a go at you.


:smile:
Also fg45344

Keep up with your studies and Good luck.

As many people who are challenging your qualifications, will never understand how difficult it is to obtain a PHD.

:smile:
Original post by YOU what m8
Hi optometrist 123

I have read your discussion and thank you for being honest about the profession.

I know many optometrists who share the same views.....

YOU DO NOT have to explain yourself to people like A little lost 25

who may truly well be lost. In the manner in which this user is trying to have a go at you.


:smile:


Meh dont really care tbh, was just making sure people dont write off their dreams just because one disgruntled employee says its a bad career.
Sucks to be OP though, wasting years of study and spending thousands for uni and ending up in a job he hates and cant escape from lol.
Could have spent all that time travelling the world and enjoying life whilst working on a career he wanted...





















:smile:
Maybe you should share your experiences of the profession and help potential optometry students...In terms of wasting years of studying what would you recommended then..??Looking forward to hearing from you..:smile:
Original post by YOU what m8
Maybe you should share your experiences of the profession and help potential optometry students...In terms of wasting years of studying what would you recommended then..??Looking forward to hearing from you..:smile:


Years of studying is perfectly fine as long as you thoroughly research the career you think you want prior to going to uni.
So many just dive straight in studying mickey mouse degrees like nutrition and art, and wind up getting a job in retail and the like.
Others pick a course related to a career they spent 5 minutes researching like the OP did, then shock horror when it isnt what he thought it would be from his 5 mins of research.
Otherwise do an apprenticeship or an office junior role and work your way up
Reply 87
Original post by ALittleLost25
Years of studying is perfectly fine as long as you thoroughly research the career you think you want prior to going to uni.
So many just dive straight in studying mickey mouse degrees like nutrition and art, and wind up getting a job in retail and the like.
Others pick a course related to a career they spent 5 minutes researching like the OP did, then shock horror when it isnt what he thought it would be from his 5 mins of research.
Otherwise do an apprenticeship or an office junior role and work your way up


ALittleLost25, what do you do/study? Let's here your side of the story?
Original post by fg45344
ALittleLost25, what do you do/study? Let's here your side of the story?


I held off uni because i didn't know what i wanted to do. I figured it would be a waste of time and money and i know i wouldnt do well if i didnt enjoy the course with no set career path in mind.
I've just worked in various different sectors including IT, retail and management while saving approx 30k in the process.
I'm now at a point where i want to focus on something long term, not forever but for the next 5-10 years. I get itchy feet after a while because nothing keeps my interest long enough.
I dislike the corporate white collar world and i require a decent work/life balance to be kept happy. I'd never work more than 45 hours a week absolute maximum, no one should.
Having been to the opticians a lot in my life i've recently become interested in it as a career, as the pay is good and every now and then you might save a persons sight. Its also low stress and a fairly good work life balance.
Instead of accepting everything OP said like he is an all knowing master of optometry, i instead questioned him which lead to some very sketchy responses.
All i'm saying is do your own research like I am doing myself. However when you do, you should keep it to yourself as OP will just keep moaning his false points.
We also know nothing about OP, how do we know he hasn't just graduated with a 2.2, is now struggling for a job and doesn't want any competition hence the first post?
Or more likely, he has just been sacked for being bad at the job and in a hissy fit came here to vent.
Do a past search on optometry on TSR and find me at least 3 other optom grads with the same opinions as OP? If it were that bad and they were all lied to by the uni, they'd come here to tell the truth.
Food for thought
(edited 7 years ago)
Im unsubscribing from this thread as it has become more of a personal *****ing (female dog -ing) thread against each other rather than actually coming up with support and solutions for the problems in Optometry and/or Pharmacy.*
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 90
Original post by ALittleLost25
I held off uni because i didn't know what i wanted to do. I figured it would be a waste of time and money and i know i wouldnt do well if i didnt enjoy the course with no set career path in mind.
I've just worked in various different sectors including IT, retail and management while saving approx 30k in the process.
I'm now at a point where i want to focus on something long term, not forever but for the next 5-10 years. I get itchy feet after a while because nothing keeps my interest long enough.
I dislike the corporate white collar world and i require a decent work/life balance to be kept happy. I'd never work more than 45 hours a week absolute maximum, no one should.
Having been to the opticians a lot in my life i've recently become interested in it as a career, as the pay is good and every now and then you might save a persons sight. Its also low stress and a fairly good work life balance.
Instead of accepting everything OP said like he is an all knowing master of optometry, i instead questioned him which lead to some very sketchy responses.
All i'm saying is do your own research like I am doing myself. However when you do, you should keep it to yourself as OP will just keep moaning his false points.
We also know nothing about OP, how do we know he hasn't just graduated with a 2.2, is now struggling for a job and doesn't want any competition hence the original thread?
Food for thought


Great to here your side of the story!!

Me and OP can only tell you what we are experiencing, I feel me and OP are both working in terrible environments (like the bottom 5% of optometry and pharmacy). I'm sure there are better places out there.

Optometry and Pharmacy are a good career if it is done well, if the staffing is correct, if the hours are good. But it comes a time where the management want that little extra out of you and so ruin a good career.

I mean we can imagine a village opticians where old grannies come in and have a chat with you over a cup of tea or we can imagine an opticians on oxford street where there is a relentless stream of customers shouting why they aren't being served or why it takes so long.

A lot of people went into pharmacy thinking its a relaxing job, checking the odd prescription, giving a 30 minute consultation to a person, but at least where I work it's not like that. Maybe other places are, who knows, maybe I started out in the gutter, lol.
To be honest you'd probably do better getting into audiology or better yet, physiotherapy. At least with the latter the NHS pay for your degree, and there is better scope to change careers if you must (personal trainer, sports massage etc).
The repetitive nature of optom might put some off, it has me. A job you do every day needs to have some variety. I can't see myself saying, 'Which is better, one or two?' In a dark room day in day out for the next 40 something years because my degree is no use for anything else.
Do your own research first and make an informed decision.
Original post by ALittleLost25
I held off uni because i didn't know what i wanted to do. I figured it would be a waste of time and money and i know i wouldnt do well if i didnt enjoy the course with no set career path in mind.
I've just worked in various different sectors including IT, retail and management while saving approx 30k in the process.
I'm now at a point where i want to focus on something long term, not forever but for the next 5-10 years. I get itchy feet after a while because nothing keeps my interest long enough.
I dislike the corporate white collar world and i require a decent work/life balance to be kept happy. I'd never work more than 45 hours a week absolute maximum, no one should.
Having been to the opticians a lot in my life i've recently become interested in it as a career, as the pay is good and every now and then you might save a persons sight. Its also low stress and a fairly good work life balance.
Instead of accepting everything OP said like he is an all knowing master of optometry, i instead questioned him which lead to some very sketchy responses.
All i'm saying is do your own research like I am doing myself. However when you do, you should keep it to yourself as OP will just keep moaning his false points.
We also know nothing about OP, how do we know he hasn't just graduated with a 2.2, is now struggling for a job and doesn't want any competition hence the first post?
Or more likely, he has just been sacked for being bad at the job and in a hissy fit came here to vent.
Do a past search on optometry on TSR and find me at least 3 other optom grads with the same opinions as OP? If it were that bad and they were all lied to by the uni, they'd come here to tell the truth.
Food for thought



LOL mate you are clearly a TROLL with too much time on your hands

"Maybe he doesn't want any competition" - Why would I be worried about competition from prospective students who wont be qualified for at least 4-5 years anyway - that makes alot of sense ?- NOT

Your probably just a little butt-hurt that someones come out with some actual EXPERIANCE as opposed to just rose tinted university prospectus.

Also LOL at saying I have a 2:2, I got a 2:1 but to be frank it doesent matter whether you have a 1st 2:2 whether you do the BSC or the Masters - it makes no difference to job prospects at all in Optometry - again showing you have absolutely no clue about what your talking about

WORTH NOTING - since creating this post 4 qualified optometrists have joined TSR and private messaged me thanking me for making this post and saying it how it really is.

You want to go start a career in Optometry be my guest I could care less about a little TROLL like you, come and see me when you have 7 years experience and we will talk. haha
(edited 7 years ago)
OP very interesting and informative post.
I've seen another thread warning people about pharmacy. Out of interest what professions wopuld you have gone into instead? Ofc taking into account your abilities and grades.
Reply 94
Everyone needs to calm down, no point ****ging each other in rage, you won't achieve much.

ALittleLost25 - My best advice for you is to try out optometry to see how its like, and I mean a whole day shift, not just 10 minutes. It will be even better if you can get work experience in it.

OP- May be best to find an employer who isn't a dickhead, even if the job is crap, a good employer can make it significantly better. Or even switch career, you can always go down the PhD route and go into research. I once knew a pharmacy locum who had a PhD and hated pharmacy, he found a job in business development at accenture.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by asif007
I know exactly what it's like to despise all the low points about your job but feel an obligation to stick with it because it's what you've started training for and have nothing if not for this. I read the whole OP but I think it's important to mention that this kind of mistreatment from your seniors, low pay, poor working environment etc is common in all the healthcare professions. You mention Medicine a lot but the grass is definitely not greener on the other side. Doctors have no control over their working hours and now (especially hospital doctors) will be forced to work weekends virtually for free. It's also horrible to see the value of your profession being constantly undermined by the government who slander doctors in the newspaper, lie to the public and create these BS "Physician Associates" who earn twice the pay of doctors for half the study time and a fraction of the work. Locum rates are also going down for doctors like they have for pharmacists and optometrists. Basically if you want a well-paid job with decent hours, it looks like it's only Finance and corporate jobs that allow you to do that. Or, like someone else mentioned, I would strongly suggest you become self-employed with your own optometry practice and then you can escape your bad experiences with retail. There's always a light at the end of the tunnel. I might have had a horrible experience with Medicine - first making it halfway through the degree, getting screwed over by my uni and now having to go to Eastern Europe to finish it - but I think I'll regret it if I don't finish what I started. There's always a decent job waiting for any healthcare professional, it's a shame we all just have to wade through a load of **** to find it in the first place. And if not, if you really want to escape, then you have a decent career to fall back on. If it's not in the UK, optometrists will surely be valued much better in other countries like doctors are, so maybe you should consider moving abroad too. The world is your oyster - I salute you for having finished your degree already and got through 7 years of work. That's an enormous achievement - move on if you have to, but keep your head high and be proud of what you have so far. :smile:


Just wanted to make a quick correction, please don't be offended. The Physician Associate courses are actually PgDips or MSc, which means you need to have a BSc before doing it. Total time in Uni after finishing the PA course is 5 years

:smile: hope thats ok
Be interesting to see if any students taking optom this year read this thread and post their thoughts. They've been pretty quiet despite OP posting the same thing in the 2016 optom thread...
Reply 97
Original post by ALittleLost25
Be interesting to see if any students taking optom this year read this thread and post their thoughts. They've been pretty quiet despite OP posting the same thing in the 2016 optom thread...


University is like a speculative bull market. I'm quite an avid fan of investing and finance, so have a look at this quote from the legendary warren buffett...

"The line separating investment and speculation, which is never bright and clear, becomes blurred still further when most market participants have recently enjoyed triumphs. Nothing sedates rationality like large doses of effortless money. After a heady experience of that kind, normally sensible people drift into behavior akin to that of Cinderella at the ball. They know that overstaying the festivities that is, continuing to speculate in companies that have gigantic valuations relative to the cash they are likely to generate in the future will eventually bring on pumpkins and mice. But they nevertheless hate to miss a single minute of what is one helluva party. Therefore, the giddy participants all plan to leave just seconds before midnight. There’s a problem, though: They are dancing in a room in which the clocks have no hands."

So people go into university and they are told all these stories about how great their career prospects are and they all feel inflated. They tell their friends to come do optometry, how great the course is....creating a massive bubble

and then it pops

And the stock market crashes, like their perception of optometry. The proffessors vanish and students are left in 27k of debt with poor job prospects being overworked.

This is universities in general, but more so for optometry and pharmacy. I can vouch for pharmacy for sure from stories from locums.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by j_vicente
Just wanted to make a quick correction, please don't be offended. The Physician Associate courses are actually PgDips or MSc, which means you need to have a BSc before doing it. Total time in Uni after finishing the PA course is 5 years

:smile: hope thats ok


OK I stand corrected. But I still don't agree with it. All medical students spend at least 3 years of their degree training in clinical medicine to be able to practise as a doctor - it's ridiculous that PA's can be allowed to do it in 2, without all the necessary pre-clinical training all medics have to do. What about all those poor students who did at least 3 years of a BSc and/or Masters and now 4-5 years of Graduate Entry Medicine on top of that? That's at least 8 years for them. I think it's unacceptable that PA's are being trained to do exactly the same work as doctors for higher pay and less responsibility. It all reeks of an organised effort by the Tories to undermine and devalue the work of doctors. Same as what they did to teachers by bringing in TA's who need no qualifications to do the same work as a teacher. It's disgusting.
Reply 99
Original post by asif007
OK I stand corrected. But I still don't agree with it. All medical students spend at least 3 years of their degree training in clinical medicine to be able to practise as a doctor - it's ridiculous that PA's can be allowed to do it in 2, without all the necessary pre-clinical training all medics have to do. What about all those poor students who did at least 3 years of a BSc and/or Masters and now 4-5 years of Graduate Entry Medicine on top of that? That's at least 8 years for them. I think it's unacceptable that PA's are being trained to do exactly the same work as doctors for higher pay and less responsibility. It all reeks of an organised effort by the Tories to undermine and devalue the work of doctors. Same as what they did to teachers by bringing in TA's who need no qualifications to do the same work as a teacher. It's disgusting.


Welcome to Capitalism. Someone has to help the stock price out.

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