Actuary vs Optometry (1 Viewer)

[gmsidaros]

Hey all,
I'm choosing between Actuarial Studies/IT at Macquarie and Optometry at Geelong/Queensland (I received both offers.) I live in Sydney and have an ATAR of 95.35. I love maths and science/physics so both courses really appeal to me. I've given this a lot of thought throughout the year and what attracts me to both careers is (yes) the potential salary, the working hours and conditions and the type of work done. I'm having a tough time making a decision and what's mainly going to tip me over is the job satisfaction and time spent studying (the professional exams for actuaries are notoriously hard).

I can envision myself in both careers and I think I'd enjoy both however I was just worried about the jobs afterwards, optometry having a ceiling of working in a clinic and performing the same job daily; I think I'd get bored. On the flip side, with actuary I can work my way up from an analyst to a senior actuary without being bored much.
A big factor I'm taking into account is also that I'd have to move from Sydney for Optometry which would be much less than ideal but manageable if required.

Just asking for a bit of advice on what to do that's all

 

[sida1049]

The skills you pick up from actuarial studies/IT are much more transferable than those from an optometry degree. If you get bored of being an actuary or realise halfway into your degree that the actuary path isn't for you, completing that degree can still net you jobs in quantatitive roles.

Whereas with optometry, you kind of have to go all in - at the end of your degree you're only really geared as a optometrist, and if you get bored with being an optometrist down the line or realise halfway though your degree that being an optometrist isn't for you, you're gonna kinda have to do a 180.

I would only recommend the latter if you're very confident that you won't regret becoming an optometrist.

 

[LoanWoolfq]

what did u decide?