Do not study optometry it is a terrible/bad career (long)

Original post by TorpidPhil

Security work :wink:

Thanks for that, but I don't know if I could deal with aggressive people. Like once you catch someone stealing, they go all aggressive on you.

Reply 21

optometrist123

OP

3

Original post by ALittleLost25

OP why dont you open your own opticians and solve all your problems. A lot of unis say that thats what a lot of grads end up doing. Be your own boss.

To put it bluntly I dont do that because you would fail. For several reasons:

1. Optometry is dominated by big businesses (specsavers, vision express, boots etc etc) The majority of the general public would only go to one of these so if you open your own "independent" about 60-80% of the public wouldn't even consider you. Big businesses have immense buying power and can afford to sell frames /glasses/contact lenses very cheaply sometimes even at a loss (think tesco opticians). As an independent your buying power will be nothing comapared to that so you will have higher prices then the big boys. So as well as generally not trusting you anyway since your an independent, you will be more expensive then them too for the exact same products.

2. Its completely saturated anywhere apart from rural/country areas. Any where else has about 3-4 minimum opticians on every high street

3. If you want to buy a "big boy" franchise like spec savers it costs about £120,000 for the franchise licences who has that kind of money? Or who would be willing to take a loan in today's environment, where that spec savers will probably have 10+ other opticians in a 1 mile radius all competing for the same customers.

Reply 22

fefssdf

20

shame it isn't as highly regarded as other health professions :/

Reply 23

A321

20

Surely you get enhancements for weekends bank holidays?

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 24

TorpidPhil

Original post by fg45344

Thanks for that, but I don't know if I could deal with aggressive people. Like once you catch someone stealing, they go all aggressive on you.

Well yeah, there is obviously a certain sort of person that can do it. Although event security like road closures and music events generally don't have much issues at all. You're just getting paid for standing around.

At your age though if you had been doing security work casually since uni you could be a part time head door supervisor in nightclubs by now. And that would be a very nice bonus for you, presumably, given this thread, a lot more entertaining than pharmacy/optometry work too :P

Reply 25

Original post by TorpidPhil

Well yeah, there is obviously a certain sort of person that can do it. Although event security like road closures and music events generally don't have much issues at all. You're just getting paid for standing around.

At your age though if you had been doing security work casually since uni you could be a part time head door supervisor in nightclubs by now. And that would be a very nice bonus for you, presumably, given this thread, a lot more entertaining than pharmacy/optometry work too :P

Pharmacy is bulshit, you know something is wrong with your workplace when you start sweating.

I study economics as my PhD, i don't need that job tbh, it's just a bit of money. I only do the day for that very reason.

Reply 26

optometrist123

OP

3

Original post by A321

Surely you get enhancements for weekends bank holidays?

Posted from TSR Mobile

Of the 6-7 companies I have worked for, only 1 offered double pay for bank holidays.

NONE offer more pay for weekends as it is specifically written into your work contract, as far as they are concerned saturdays/sundays are just a normal work day which is a joke.

Reply 27

Original post by optometrist123

Of the 6-7 companies I have worked for, only 1 offered double pay for bank holidays.

NONE offer more pay for weekends as it is specifically written into your work contract, as far as they are concerned saturdays/sundays are just a normal work day which is a joke.

I agree, same with pharmacy, dispensers at my place get the same pay for weekends. Locums get like £2 more for sundays. Monday-Saturday is £19 an hour.

Reply 28

FXX

Interesting post. I can see it getting very repetitive but I'm surprised there is sales pressure. I've been going to the opticians since I was four and the optometrist has never, ever pushed me to buy anything. There are salespeople with zero clinical experience or training to try and sting as much money out of you as possible.

Your point about working weekends is pretty silly to be honest. Healthcare is 24 hours so optometry is probably one of the best professions for working hours. Virtually all other frontline staff have to man a 24 hour service.

I'm guessing your professional union is weak if the big boys have pushed down salaries and working conditions so much?

Reply 29

Emilycunningham

9

What about audiology?

Reply 30

Original post by FXX

Interesting post. I can see it getting very repetitive but I'm surprised there is sales pressure. I've been going to the opticians since I was four and the optometrist has never, ever pushed me to buy anything. There are salespeople with zero clinical experience or training to try and sting as much money out of you as possible.

Your point about working weekends is pretty silly to be honest. Healthcare is 24 hours so optometry is probably one of the best professions for working hours. Virtually all other frontline staff have to man a 24 hour service.

I'm guessing your professional union is weak if the big boys have pushed down salaries and working conditions so much?

Our place has no union, the staff have no voice. Have you ever worked in a fast paced retail environment?

Reply 31

ALittleLost25

1

Original post by optometrist123

Of the 6-7 companies I have worked for, only 1 offered double pay for bank holidays.

NONE offer more pay for weekends as it is specifically written into your work contract, as far as they are concerned saturdays/sundays are just a normal work day which is a joke.

I do find it odd that since 2009 you've changed company 7 times. Thats almost every year.
Why did you keep jumping from one to another? Surely staying at one would have made more sense, you may have even been promoted to a manager.

Reply 32

All the management care about is increasing profits so they can maximise shareholder value. They don't call them fat cats for nothing!

Reply 33

FXX

Original post by fg45344

Our place has no union, the staff have no voice. Have you ever worked in a fast paced retail environment?

I worked in Sainsburys while I was training. I can appreciate the problem you have. What's stopping you from working in a hospital environment? Presumably there you would be required to use your skills a bit more.

Reply 34

optometrist123

OP

3

Original post by FXX

Interesting post. I can see it getting very repetitive but I'm surprised there is sales pressure. I've been going to the opticians since I was four and the optometrist has never, ever pushed me to buy anything. There are salespeople with zero clinical experience or training to try and sting as much money out of you as possible.

Your point about working weekends is pretty silly to be honest. Healthcare is 24 hours so optometry is probably one of the best professions for working hours. Virtually all other frontline staff have to man a 24 hour service.

I'm guessing your professional union is weak if the big boys have pushed down salaries and working conditions so much?

Our union is a joke it is called the AOP -Association of optometrists. They represent optometrists AND ALSO REPRESENT OUR EMPLOYERS which is a joke a complete conflict of interest. They and the GOC know full well what is happening and do nothing. Many of their board directors are actually practise owners themselves and want it all to continue.

I dont know about optometry being 24 hours i mean most dentists i know work mon-fri and you are much more likely to have a dental emergency. Selling someone glasses is NOT an emergency. Even if someone has a true eye emergency/injury/infection we cant do anything anyway - they have to go hospital anyway so its pointless.

The only reason opticians open on weekends is for PROFIT - nothing else no bs health reason

Reply 35

ALittleLost25

1

Original post by fg45344

All the management care about is increasing profits so they can maximise shareholder value. They don't call them fat cats for nothing!

Not to be rude but you're derailing the thread a bit, this is about optometry not pharmacy, there is already a big thread on pharmacy.

Also OP what made you interested in optom to begin with, and what would you have done instead?

If you dont want your own practice, how about further study to be an ophthalmologist, would be a much more varied role treating eye diseases in a hospital setting.
You may as well become a master in your profession, starting scratch in a new career would be an epic waste of time put in already

Reply 36

Original post by FXX

I worked in Sainsburys while I was training. I can appreciate the problem you have. What's stopping you from working in a hospital environment? Presumably there you would be required to use your skills a bit more.

If you read before you'll see I'm not a pharmacist, but a dispenser who works 8 hours a week. I'm an economics PhD student (don't ask why i'm in a pharmacy, it's some side income).

In the future we won't have this retail problem, as robots will replace the humans on tills. Or just self checkouts.

Reply 37

FXX

Original post by optometrist123

Our union is a joke it is called the AOP -Association of optometrists. They represent optometrists AND ALSO REPRESENT OUR EMPLOYERS which is a joke a complete conflict of interest. They and the GOC know full well what is happening and do nothing. Many of their board directors are actually practise owners themselves and want it all to continue.

I dont know about optometry being 24 hours i mean most dentists i know work mon-fri and you are much more likely to have a dental emergency. Selling someone glasses is NOT an emergency. Even if someone has a true eye emergency/injury/infection we cant do anything anyway - they have to go hospital anyway so its pointless.

The only reason opticians open on weekends is for PROFIT - nothing else no bs health reason

My point was you can't argue the working hours are rubbish when many health professions have to work more unsociable hours. I get your point that you aren't needed for emergencies. In which case, £40k after five years is quite good going - although I assume there's no progression after that?

The union situation sounds pretty poor though. I can see why you'd be pissed at that.

Reply 38