Okay I've read many of the gloom and doom posts on this board, but I still like the idea of being an optometrist. I will explain what attracts me, and hope someone can give some tips for an alternative to this field. Whenever I walk into a hospital and get my eyes checked I think it's a cool job. Friendly laid back doctors, working with cool equipment and it doesn't look too hard to shift dials and ask "1 or 2?"
Some people say that's boring doing the same thing all the time, but honestly I have a fantasy prone personality and want a simple, routine that will let me pursue other interests in my free time. I also want to earn an honest living that brings actual value to society, not like a parasite of society selling widgets or pushing useless paperwork, not as an economic thief, at a low-medium stress job I can walk away from at the end of the day. I am a recently graduated business major.
I have thought about being a nurse or PA, but I've heard the employment chances are dwindling for the former (and I don't like wiping butts, or hanging out in emergency wards when I've visited sick relatives.) In short, I like optometry because it seems clean.
I should also note I don't have an interest in most of medicine. Just reading about disease syndromes make me fret nervously (I seriously clench my fists) and I often have to skip paragraphs when they enter details of suffering or show pictures of horrible mutations.). I also find much of it boring at this point, like I dont care about how lungs function, ligaments, or the abstract diagrams of proteins, much of biology seems like something removed from my day to day life. I can't tinker with what I learn, it's not like how learning the skills to program would also let you make fun things in your free time (like games), or how studying business teaches you to start a company and steal more from people. Its neither practical nor poetic. At least astronomy is cooler than the small things in biology because of all the pretty shiny orbs, the vast mysteries of the cosmos, and the fun science fiction pulp. No offense to doctors, but I have nil interest. Entering a medical area other than eyes would probably be either because I liked the job description, the stability, or the money, but definitely not the subject matter.
Eyes seem to be an exception for me. Eyes have always been the most interesting body part for me to look at (other than certain nether regions due to my natural biology), and I enjoy reading about how the eyes work on Wikipedia, eye diagrams, or drawing pretty irises. I wouldn't mind looking at thousands of eyes and maybe learning to draw them in the process. This field lets you stare at people's faces a lot.
So that's the appeal. Any suggestions? I should note my GPA for my BA was 3.2ish, and I want to move away from Southern California, hopefully abroad to Canada or the UK, or at least someplace with a different culture (I know this part of America and need room to grow) and much, much more nature to look at. I had a case of wanderlust and traveled Asia after I graduated for half a year, and my conclusion was I'd be happier living just about anywhere other than within 100 miles of the Los Angeles. ( There were nicer people abroad, more trees, less concrete jungles on the whole, you can go hiking in the hills and see snow and make discoveries rather than choking on gasoline fumes and seeing infinite blocks of cookie cutter houses, etc.). America is huge though, so I haven't discounted int entirely, and I wouldn't mind trying to live somewhere like Colorado, Washington, or Alaska for a few years.
Some people say that's boring doing the same thing all the time, but honestly I have a fantasy prone personality and want a simple, routine that will let me pursue other interests in my free time. I also want to earn an honest living that brings actual value to society, not like a parasite of society selling widgets or pushing useless paperwork, not as an economic thief, at a low-medium stress job I can walk away from at the end of the day. I am a recently graduated business major.
I have thought about being a nurse or PA, but I've heard the employment chances are dwindling for the former (and I don't like wiping butts, or hanging out in emergency wards when I've visited sick relatives.) In short, I like optometry because it seems clean.
I should also note I don't have an interest in most of medicine. Just reading about disease syndromes make me fret nervously (I seriously clench my fists) and I often have to skip paragraphs when they enter details of suffering or show pictures of horrible mutations.). I also find much of it boring at this point, like I dont care about how lungs function, ligaments, or the abstract diagrams of proteins, much of biology seems like something removed from my day to day life. I can't tinker with what I learn, it's not like how learning the skills to program would also let you make fun things in your free time (like games), or how studying business teaches you to start a company and steal more from people. Its neither practical nor poetic. At least astronomy is cooler than the small things in biology because of all the pretty shiny orbs, the vast mysteries of the cosmos, and the fun science fiction pulp. No offense to doctors, but I have nil interest. Entering a medical area other than eyes would probably be either because I liked the job description, the stability, or the money, but definitely not the subject matter.
Eyes seem to be an exception for me. Eyes have always been the most interesting body part for me to look at (other than certain nether regions due to my natural biology), and I enjoy reading about how the eyes work on Wikipedia, eye diagrams, or drawing pretty irises. I wouldn't mind looking at thousands of eyes and maybe learning to draw them in the process. This field lets you stare at people's faces a lot.
So that's the appeal. Any suggestions? I should note my GPA for my BA was 3.2ish, and I want to move away from Southern California, hopefully abroad to Canada or the UK, or at least someplace with a different culture (I know this part of America and need room to grow) and much, much more nature to look at. I had a case of wanderlust and traveled Asia after I graduated for half a year, and my conclusion was I'd be happier living just about anywhere other than within 100 miles of the Los Angeles. ( There were nicer people abroad, more trees, less concrete jungles on the whole, you can go hiking in the hills and see snow and make discoveries rather than choking on gasoline fumes and seeing infinite blocks of cookie cutter houses, etc.). America is huge though, so I haven't discounted int entirely, and I wouldn't mind trying to live somewhere like Colorado, Washington, or Alaska for a few years.
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