The first and foremost of these options is of course medical school. Medical school is the most time consuming...expensive...risky....and just plain demanding of the three options. It will test my organization skills, commitment, endurance, and just sheer ambition. The financial burdon will be great.....but in return the financial gain will be more than adequate if successful as well. The time constraint is probably the most daunting of the issues with medical school. The idea of moving somewhere than devoting 15+ hours a day to my medical career for at least 4 years...at minimum...is a fact that is just a bit intimidating. And Im not sure that the time spent during the prime years of my life will be worth the outcome... I mean it is that much time away from my "life" and my loved ones. That being said I am fully aware that the outcome would be everything Id hope it to be and more.....its just a matter of toughing it out.
The second option is Optometry school....I know this one is from left field but hear me out. Every since Highschool physics I have been interested in optics...I have taken an interest in photography...and I am pursuing a bachelors in Radiological Technologies which is solely based on optical physics and light waves. The eye is an important organ and what a better way to give back to people than to give them the gift of sight. The profession makes for a great balance in family life and work life and the financial component is sure to make for a more than comfortable life style. That being said...optometry school costs almost indistinguishably the same as medical school....with less pay off in the long run. I mean $200,000+ of debt is not something to take lightly when you may only be promised $90,000-$100,000 a year following that education. But with Optometry it is the education itself that is also alluring, whilst medical school requires 15+ hours a day at the job...optometry school offers a more balanced school schedule (not to say it is any easier..just more balanced). Also it would allow me to partake in a SVOSH mission trip to an underserved country...which has recently been a dream of mine. Something about giving a child, who has never seen before, a pair of glasses and watching their entire world change is just a goal that is appealing. For those of you who don't know what SVOSH is, it is a student organization in OD schooling that organize trips to underserved countries to screen thousands of people a day for eye care and needs. read more about it here.My third option is the safest and most cost efficient option...becoming an R.R.A. or Registered Radiologists Assistant. And R.R.A. is essentially the equivalent as a PA for your family practice physician...just an RRA works under a Radiologist. It pays quite well, about $90,000-$100,000 and the masters degree itself is relatively cheap compared to the other two options...about $150,000 cheaper.... that being said it is unfortunate that it holds the least amount of appeal of the three for me personally. It would just be an extension of my bachelors degree knowledge and it would provide a safe work environment. There is just one flaw with this career option...it is not yet legalized in some states..including mine. Over the past 10 years it has increased in popularity and will continue to do so...the question is will it become a more common place career once it is my turn to roll that roulette. With this option it is really just a matter of waiting and seeing.
I guess it will just take time for me to choose one...and it will take a lot of effort. What I do know is I have wonderful support from my loved ones...and I cannot falter as long as I have them at my side.
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