My name is Ryan O’Connor, many people know me as Stag.

 

I’m from Invercargill, a place where possibilities are endless. As a result, my interests and passions are as broad as the Southland Plains I grew up on. 

When I was 12 years old my mum decided it would be a good idea for me to witness my brother’s eye exam; he had worn glasses since he was in kindy for astigmatism and long sightedness. Little did she know that this one experience would change my life. I sat there in amazement at how Richard Lobb (the Optometrist) twisted and turned all these instruments and all of a sudden my brother was able to see. This would be the last day my brother would actually wear glasses, but the start of my journey and the beginning of a dream that would guide my life.

 

I believe I am incredibly lucky and rare to have had certainty about my career path from a young age. Knowing from age 12 I wanted to be an Optometrist, I was able to choose subjects that aligned with my dream and choose the right University and degree. In a nutshell, I knew what my school and Uni life was going to entail.      

 

However, arriving at Auckland University to begin my Biomedical Science degree made me realise I was not ready for the responsibility. I received a huge wake up call in my first two tests about 6 weeks in; I got two results back, both worth 40% of the paper each and I got 49% and 50%. Needless to say, it was a massive “Oh Shit” moment. When you’re trying to get at least a B+ average, scraping through the first tests was not going to help.

 

It was a hugely challenging year but I completed it to the best of my ability and finished with a B average. I was waitlisted for Optometry and I did not get in. Seven years after witnessing my brother’s Optometrist appointment and I felt as though my dream was out of reach. I nearly changed to Engineering but somehow I had the drive to continue on my dream career path and graduated from a Bachelor of Science from the University of Otago two years later.

 

It’s not common knowledge that there’s sometimes a few different ways to get to your end qualification. Just because you are in a degree or major one year doesn't necessarily mean you can't change and cross credit what you have done.

 

Then came a moment I was waiting for - I got an interview for Optometry.

My interview was one of the most energising and nerve-racking moments of my life, I got off the phone in a sweat, feeling flushed and my heart rate was through the roof. I felt confident I had answered the questions well and a week later… I WAS IN!! For the following four years my life was prescribed to me once again.

 

Fifteen years from when the Optometry seed was planted in my brain, I write this from the Waikato, where I now work in a family owned practice, offering endless possibilities. My University experience was at times a challenge but one I enjoyed, I still enjoy learning and don’t think I will ever stop. I was lucky to know the industry I wanted to focus on and did not attend University “for the sake of it.” If you know your dream or have career path curiosity and it requires a degree, go for it. You always have options within University; it’s easy to go between degrees and if you do not get into your ideal degree the first time, don’t give up on your dream. Understand that University does not just teach you a specific skill but fundamentally teaches you the ability to learn, think and explore secondary to that, gaining a degree represents the ability to persevere and achieve goals.

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Part 2

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In the first blog I introduced a little bit about myself and who I was; more of course can be found on my blog stagryan.wordpress.com. In this second post I will discuss key lessons I learnt when entering the work force. Whilst mine is from an optometry perspective, I hope the lessons are things that can be applied in any sector.

 

My pathway through optometry was not straight forward and really showed that the path towards your goal doesn’t usually follow the one you have in your head. The same was said for finding work.

 

As Jagrut mentioned in his piece, in optometry there are two types of operators: the corporates (Specsavers and OPSM) and Independent practices. Corporates are very active and look to sign you up to their “graduate program” and promise you a job in one of their practices. As a postgraduate studying in Auckland, the prospect of job security and continued learning appealed to me. I was trying to salvage some money working at Specsavers on Sundays in my 2nd and 3rd years of Optometry school and I came across the Specsavers graduate program. It included a handsome sign on bonus, tutoring at University, work during University, and first dibs on jobs as a graduate. Specsavers graduate program also signed you up to personal development within the group, a good level of subsidy for Continued Professional Development, another bonus when you joined a practice and reimbursement for moving costs. Too good to be true, right?

Warning bells should have begun when in my final year of Optometry, the Specsavers practice I had been working in no longer offered me Sunday employment. Luckily I had the sign on money and money from another scholarship (side note: find the scholarships list and apply for them all, great way to gain extra funding) and with final year being extremely full on, no longer having my Sunday job was a blessing in disguise.

Secondly, the practice I wanted to go to in New Plymouth (where I completed my extern) was a franchise of Specsavers rather than a Joint Venture (where they own a portion of the practice) and so couldn’t offer me the graduate package (job offer number one). Following this, the next warning bells sounded when my classmate (not with Specsavers) was invited to an all expenses paid trip to their clinical conference and despite being a Specsavers member, was left behind. Also, I still had had no extra tutoring.

Following the break down with New Plymouth, I was offered a selection of practices to look into, most of which were rural Australia, although they offered good remuneration, they were in the middle of nowhere Australia. Eventually I went with Hobart, split across two practices at either end of the city and 3 flights home to Invercargill. Having signed on with them I had the summer to think over my decision. At the final hour, after having had the summer at home with my family, I pulled pin and was back on the job hunt (job 2). All of a sudden the New Zealand jobs appeared in late January when I was due to start working. It was a toss up between Wellington and Christchurch and Christchurch won out.

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The one major thing that this highlighted to me and something Jagrut mentions is: the person who gives you a solution to the problem that they present, often comes from an angle, in this case, Specsavers wanted to populate their rural Australia practices so they could gain a strong hold on areas not normally catered to with optometry. The corporates will present the money and the trimmings first and show little about the people you are dealing with, how it fits your way of life, your aspirations and how it will actually operate.

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The second part about finding a job as a graduate is: it’s never too late to change your mind, and often there is always another option. A key piece of advice that was given to me when weighing up my move to Hobart vs finding something else closer to home was; “will they (the business) remember or care in a months time?” Think about it - they run a business and you fulfil a role for them, whilst they will be disappointed that they need to keep looking for another employee, they will also find someone else and you will find something else that will be a better fit.

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Finally, what I learnt the most from my experience of gaining a graduate role is take your time and do not be rushed/pressured into signing the dotted line. Weigh up the things you never thought of; time will bring you into new mindsets and highlight new perspectives which, in the here and now, might not be clear to you. Ask your employer to be respectful of this, and if they aren’t then maybe this might highlight that they are not the correct fit for you.

As you know, I now work for Paterson Burn here in the Waikato and no longer for Specsavers. Luckily for me I have an employer who values my goals and aspirations, rather than packaging me up as a commodity and a participant who will help expand their empire. As was the case as a student, Specsavers did not deliver on the personal development and higher education offerings and everything was directed towards the bottom line of the company rather than who I am as an Optometrist and as a person. I am lucky that I get to spend each day helping people and pursuing my passion to educate people around eyes, how they work and how they relate to a persons overall wellbeing in a relaxed and self-led environment which allows me to express who I am and what I am passionate about.