By Jacob Cannegieter
Southern California College of Optometry Class of 2029
Student Ambassador
jacobcannegieter.scco29@ketchum.edu
Ahh…it’s already that time of year again. New Year’s Resolutions. Fresh starts. New beginnings. Planet Fitness will be overcrowded and 2026 Target planners will be flying off the shelves. For many of us, it’s a yearly check-in. We compare ourselves to our peers, and even to ourselves. It’s easy to fall in the trap of trying to “keep up” with others.
The purpose of this blog post is to tell you that there is no “behind” or “ahead” when it comes to your personal journey through life, including your career. Your journey to your desired profession will be unique to you. I will be sharing my path towards optometry in hopes that it encourages you to keep following your own, even if you don’t know what it is yet.
I graduated high school in 2019. Instead of pursuing college right away, I spent 2 years in South Texas serving a mission for my church. By the time I got home and started my undergraduate education, I was already 2 years “behind” most of my friends. I had an interest in eye care so I started working at an optometry clinic while going to school. However, a few years into my degree, my depression and anxiety surged to a point where I was unable to keep up in school, and I was forced to drop out of college. It was scary, because it was the first time in my life, I had no idea what lay in my future. I thought my dream of optometry had slipped away and I was totally lost.
I decided to step away from my home and move to Arizona. I focused on healing and taking care of my mental health. I was blessed with a job working full-time at a Glaucoma specialty clinic with some of the best ophthalmologists and optometrists in the state. This was pivotal in my determination to continue pursuing eye care. For me, this work experience was far more beneficial than any physics or humanities class. During this time, I learned many optometry schools such as SCCO admitted applicants without a bachelor’s degree. I was shocked. I thought I was “behind” my other peers for dropping out of school. But when I did the math, I realized I could return to my undergrad, take the OAT, and finish my pre-requisite courses within a year! Taking one step backward allowed me to take 2 steps forward. This became my new path.
There are so many diverse students in my class of 2029. Some of us took a gap year or two…or five. One graduated college at 19 years old, others are in their late 20’s or older! There are students that already took classes at SCCO and then deferred, and one even transferred from a different optometry school. Some students like me don’t have a bachelor’s degree, while some already have other graduate-level degrees!
As you continue your own journey, I have 3 pieces of advice:
1. Focus on your own journey, don’t compare yourself to others. Life will all work out. As my favorite band Coldplay says, “Nobody said it was easy”.
2. Gain as much experience in the field as you can. Working in different offices or with different specialties is helpful too. The people you work with can be valuable mentors to you.
3. Don’t let setbacks scare you. You may have moments where you feel like you’re going down the wrong path but trust your gut. Opposition is good because it forces you to see how passionate and committed you really are.
A good friend and mentor of mine once told me, “Life is a strenuous hike up a steep mountain. But don’t forget to look around and enjoy the scenery along the way.” The right path is the one that you are on. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us, we’ll cheer you on!