I've been an OD for over 20 years. As I look back over my career I can honestly say that I have no regrets with my choice. The profession has been good to me and I would say my success is attributed to hard work, recognizing opportunities and taking advantage of them. I think those core things are applicable regardless of your profession and what it means in the end is that you yourself will always play a major role in your success. Someone once told me that the most worthwhile things in life are often the most difficult and it's so true.



What do I enjoy most about being an OD? It's a job that can allow BALANCE in your life. This job has allowed me the opportunity to achieve professional success and to own a successful business and still have time to do other things. My kids are nearly adults now and I proud to say that I did have the time to spend with them. I can have time to enjoy hobbies and other interests. In fact this was the reason I chose this route because like so many of us, I was was pre-med when I entered college. After talking with medical students and MDs from all different specialties I came to realize that it just wasn't for me. Every job has its ups and downs and although I admit there is some monotony to it, there are many things that are very fulfilling.



I am concerned about the future of the profession and many of the comments made here are related to that worry. In short my concerns revolve around the high cost of an OD degree, lack of opportunities for new grads, upcoming changes with the affordable care act, the end of the traditional private practice model, online glasses sales and ever increasing competition from the discount warehouses, demand for quality service but not wanting to pay for it. I still think there's a future but it will be vastly different and require a different approach.