I'm confused

[slleipnir]

I thought I had decided what I would do with my life. I would try and get into a Vet Tech program next year. It's a 2 year program. A man came into my work today and I got talking to him about it. He is a vet, and apparently helped launch this vet tech program I'm interested in. He asked me why I don't go for a vet instead. I told him how I heard you needed excellent marks through school to get in. But I guess you need a degree in university with an 80-90% average to be accepted into vet school. So this is where I'm confused. Getting a degree in university keeping that average will be really hard, and likely take 4-5 years. Then IF I get in, it will be around 4 years to go through vet school. So I'm figuring I'll be doing nothing but school for the next 8 or 9 years...I don't think I could handle that. I love having time to myself where i can relax, spend time with pets, friends or whoever. I never liked school so I can't imagen how I will be able to focus myself for that long (especially since I NEED excellent grades) I'm not really smart. I did average in school. I've already taken 1st year biology in university and it was tough. However, the plus side is I get to stay home to go to school and not have to move away from my pets for 2 years. AND I'd make a great deal more money if I make it.

The vet tech program will be hard too, but it's only 2 years. I can do that. I'd move away, but I think I can do that too. I'd only make 20k a year though. I hear some can get paid 40k. But it seems more managable.

I'm sort of unsure what to do. I'd LIKE to be a vet, but I wonder if I'm smart enough and/or have the motivation to keep at it. I have nooooo idea how I'd pay for it. If I go to college I can get goverment funding to help pay for it. What do you all think? Why is life so confusing :p

[Catty1]

First - do you WANT to be a vet?

If you do, how about training for vet tech, work for several years - and maybe take a few vet courses at a time. Are any VT courses transferable to veterinarian?

Can you do any of them online?

If you took one or two courses at a time, you could keep working - maybe do some of the easier ones that way...then have your money saved, take some time off and tackle the rest.

Doesn't have to be all or nothing! :)

[Cataholic]

I would encourage you to pursue a DVM. I remember thinking, "oh, heck, law school is 3 long years"...and, I had already completed what I thought was my education- 4 years of undergrad. And, frankly, I was NOT that good of a student. Not by anyone's grade. But, the time flew by, I do what I love, and because of my advanced education, I *do* have more flexibility, income, confidence, "time for me"(well, I did...he he he).

I would totally go for it. I loved law school. Yes, it was incredibly hard, and I put a lot into it, and I had a very solid B+ average, the difference was it was stuff I really, really enjoyed.

ETA- do it NOW, while you are young.

[slleipnir]

I'm not 100% sure about anything I want to do...but I have to do something. I'm already 22 (almost 23) years old. If I do decide vet school is for me then I will be 30 atleast before I'm finished. I don't want to keep putting it off. I'd like to get a start of my life. I'd like a good job so I can move out on my own and afford a nice place with a fenced yard for my dogs. I'm not sure I could do everything a vet dogs...like eye surgery....that REALLY freaks me out and I don't know that I could do it. Also, putting animals to sleep for no reason other then the owner doesn't want it. I don't think I could do that either. Telling people I can't save their dog without breaking down in tears, etc. I've worked in a vet clinic which is why I originally decided I didn't want to be a vet. However will a vet tech give me enough money for things I want? I'd like to travel. I'd like a place I can keep my pets with a big run. I'd like to save unwanted pets and foster them till they find new homes....I don't think I could afford that with VT salary....

I understand what you mean Johanna about enjoying it. I thought of that too, but the 4 years BEFORE I get into school I KNOW I will not enjoy. I've done it before and got really stressed and did very poorly. I'm not that smart so it takes me forever to remember things...and even then I only remember it long enough for one exam. All this I need to get 90% average in D:

[Laura's Babies]

he, he, he! I use to tell the kids that came to the school I worked at not to be in such a big hurry to grow up.... being an adult is not all it is cracked up to be and this is one prime example of that. Decisions YOU have to make and bear the responsiability for... Wasn't life so much simpler when it was your Mom & Dad making all the decisions?

Don't worry thought, you will find your place in the world!

[critter crazy]

I'm not 100% sure about anything I want to do...but I have to do something. I'm already 22 (almost 23) years old. If I do decide vet school is for me then I will be 30 atleast before I'm finished. I don't want to keep putting it off. I'd like to get a start of my life. I'd like a good job so I can move out on my own and afford a nice place with a fenced yard for my dogs. I'm not sure I could do everything a vet dogs...like eye surgery....that REALLY freaks me out and I don't know that I could do it. Also, putting animals to sleep for no reason other then the owner doesn't want it. I don't think I could do that either. Telling people I can't save their dog without breaking down in tears, etc. I've worked in a vet clinic which is why I originally decided I didn't want to be a vet. However will a vet tech give me enough money for things I want? I'd like to travel. I'd like a place I can keep my pets with a big run. I'd like to save unwanted pets and foster them till they find new homes....I don't think I could afford that with VT salary....

I understand what you mean Johanna about enjoying it. I thought of that too, but the 4 years BEFORE I get into school I KNOW I will not enjoy. I've done it before and got really stressed and did very poorly. I'm not that smart so it takes me forever to remember things...and even then I only remember it long enough for one exam. All this I need to get 90% average in D:

I can tell you this, Do what you want because you LOVE it, not for the money. I decided to go to college for a career that would make me more money, and it was horrible!! I was miserable, my grades sucked. so finally I just quit! I felt like a failure! So finally i decided to go back to school, for what i originally wanted, and got my degree! I felt so much better, I enjoyed everything, and I might not be making as much money, But I am tons happier with myself!

[Catty1]

If I do decide vet school is for me then I will be 30 atleast before I'm finished.

How old will you be then if you DON'T go to vet school? ;)

Hey, if you would love being a vet tech, then go for that. I have heard of vets that have a policy of finding homes for unwanted pets, not just having them PTS. A vet tech is really valuable in cases like that.

There are things you don't like about becoming a vet...so don't even go there. :)

[Freedom]

You had the time in the clinic and made an informed decision.

Just because someone questions you, and asks why not x, does not mean you have to toss out all your thinking and start over! It just means you explain WHY; not so much to make that person see things your way, as to
re-enforce to yourself what YOU want and why it makes sense for you.

Unless you had already been second guessing yourself, I wouldn't let just one question throw you out into the ocean!

You are not asking should I do 4 years of this or 4 years of that; you are asking should I do 2 years of this or 5 to 6 years to get to that, when I am not even sure I want THAT. (whatever it is)

[slleipnir]

Well he also told me I likely wouldn't find a job where I live now as a VT...I really don't want to move away. I have no family anywhere else, and my family is very important to me. I know my dad will look after my dogs if I go some places. I wouldn't have that if I lived somewhere else...I don't even know how I could get them to live with me if I moved. :rolleyes:

[Catty1]

This guy can't read into the future two or three years! He doesn't even know you.

And he doesn't know everything.

You follow your heart, do what you love, and it will take you places that man can only dream of. ;)

[Cataholic]

Why don't you at a minimum complete your undergrad degree- 4 year program- in some hard science that would ALLOW you to go to vet school, IF you so choose. You can ALWAYS decide not to go to vet school, and if you feel strongly, obtain your vet certificate then. At least after the end of 4 years you would have allowed yourself the opportunity to grow some, mature, think things through, etc. (I am NOT saying you are immature, A!).

But, 4 years can do alot. 4 years, in school, can help you learn other things, be exposed to other things, etc. You might find after 4 years you don't want vet school or vet tech certification. You will then be much better positioned for transitioning into the work force, or further education with a four year degree, not limited to doing vet tech, as you might be with a vet tech certificate, and still able to get into vet school if that is what you want.

If you are uncertain NOW, try to buy time (i.e., entering a 4 year program) that keeps your options open.

I know not everything thinks obtaining a degree is the end all/be all that I tend to think it is. I do know that not many people say, "Oh, heck, I am so mad I went to college, it was a waste of time for me".

Good luck. Growing up isn't easy, but, usually, it is fun.

And, btw, I was 29 when I finished law school, and can tell you, it wasn't the end of the world. :)

[Freedom]

I've already taken 1st year biology in university and it was tough.
. . . .
I never liked school . . . .

I've done it before and got really stressed and did very poorly.

I say go to the 2 year program! Just listen to yourSELF.

I LOVED school; the thought of ending the school structure and working terrified me. I went to college and majored in something I LOVED (Mathematics). It was SO easy; I seldom had to spend time beyond the homework. Then I went to law school. From 4th grade, I wanted to be a lawyer. I never really went through the thought process as I grew up.

It was NOT for me; even though I stuck it out, it was and still is the worst 3 years of my life. I spent ALL my time studying, didn't understand a lot of it, dropped from a straight A student all my life to a c+ / c- (that in itself was a shock to my self esteem!) Once out of law school, I worked in a law office and hated THAT, too! I was pretty stubborn, and stayed on a course when it would have been better for me to stop law school after that first semester and go back into Mathematics for a Masters. Bull headed; that's me. (Oh lordy, does this mean I'm gonna add a bull to my pet menagerie? :D )

The one and only way I could rectify the mistake was to RETURN to school and get a Master of Laws in Taxation (loads of Math in Taxation! People often are surprised to learn the advanced algebra involved in capital gains tax theory; and the geomtric timing theories involved in tax collection from the governments' viewpoint). I LOVED it, returned to being an A student and fell into work I enjoyed. It took lots of time, money and personal "pain."

So to me, reading what you have written, you TRIED the bio stuff, didn't like it, and knew to leave. Stay with what you have learned about your likes and strengths!

[Marigold2]

Vet school is very very difficult. My niece is a vet and all her life she was the smartest in school, nothing less then an A for her. Once she got to Ohio State she was no longer the smartest she was riding the middle of the pack. Only 3% of the population are as educated. It takes incredible drive, strength, intelligence and will power. She would often stay up all night studing for exams with her classmates.

She started to work for a vet as a teenager and went to school to teach seeing eye dogs. Not till she was older did she decide to become a vet. She graduated a day after her 35 birthday. Since she was 15 she had been working with animals either as a vet tech or training seeing eye dogs.

I think becoming a vet tech is an excellent idea, you can always go to school later as she did. This way you see how things are run in a practice and you get a feel for handling the animals and their owners.

Good luck to you. I am sure you will be a sucess in whatever you do.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I can tell you this, Do what you want because you LOVE it, not for the money.
I agree 100%. Money aside it doesn't really sound like you want to be a vet.


I know not everything thinks obtaining a degree is the end all/be all that I tend to think it is. I do know that not many people say, "Oh, heck, I am so mad I went to college, it was a waste of time for me".
My husband is one person who definitely feels College was a huge waste of time for him. He dropped out after 3 years and it was one of the best things he's ever done. Justin has a great job and no one ever even asks if he has a college degree. If he could he would take back those 3 years he spent in college. College doesn't guarantee you'll make a lot of money either. I know a lot of people who make more without a college degree that their graduate friend.

[Cataholic]

I think Bill Gates is one of the people without an education, and of course, he is quite successful. I just wouldn't want to take that risk. By and large, an education opens more doors for you than not having one. I wouldn't have landed my first job without one, and of course, having a law degree was a neccesity for my current job. :)

Having a college education does not guararntee you money. I am not sure where people come up with that idea. However, statistically speaking..and I am not a stats major by anyone's imagination, one does stand to earn more with an education than without. Again, sure, it works the other way, but, that is not the normal course of events. And, more education generally opens your mind more, if you are one of those people open to having your mind opened. Frankly, some people aren't into that. Change, even positive change, is difficult for some people. Plus, many don't like the 'little fish in a big pond' environment many colleges foster. Many people were super bright in high school and then, when challenged by higher learning, were quite taken aback. This young lady that I know was one of her high school's top students. That was so far from the situation in college, and sadly, she dropped out of two schools rather than rise to the challenge.

Education is as much about figuring yourself out as it is about figuring out what you want to do with your life.

Kblaix- I don't know your husband's age, nor what he does for a living. BUT, if I had to guess, I would say he is probably younger than many of us that would post more strongly about the importance of an education.

Freedom, you have an LLM in tax? And, you found law school hard? WOW. I remember one thing about tax from law school, and that is that section 61 defines income. He he he...math, tax, biology, I couldn't do second grade level in any of those subjects.

A- do what you think makes you happy. If you also make money at it, it is a bonus.

[slleipnir]

This is really hard...but honestly I don't want to be a vet, I just wanted to make good money. There is a lot to it that I wouldn't like to do, but I imagen some I would. I went to the see what the VT program was about last year and pretty much everything they mentioned I thought "I'd love that!" I'd likely only make like 10-13 dollars and hour which honestly isn't much more then I get now and I definetly can't afford to move to a small house with a yard. I refuse to move out into a small apt because my dogs would hate it. I guess I will try my best to get into the VT program (which isn't easy either!) Maybe later in life if I'm completely miserable I can upgrade to something else and perhaps be more motivated to do it. I really doubt I can get a degree in uni with high average. I tried it before and I did really bad and HATED it.

Thanks everyone for the input it helped a lot

[RedHedd]

Do what you love; the money will follow. Follow your heart and your passion. You don't have to do it all right now. Just take it one class at a time. Trust me, the time will fly!

I spent three years taking night courses to get my paralegal certificate. It was hard - I was working full time too, but now I'm doing what I love.

Stop telling yourself those negative messages like "I can't," "It's too hard," "I'm never good at school," "It will take too long," "I will be too old" (30 isn't old! I went back to school at 42). Your head and heart follow what you tell it. If you want to be a vet, be a vet. It all starts with just taking the first step, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to you. Do the footwork and leave the results up to a higher power. If it's meant to be, it will happen.

[carole]

You have stated that you really don't want to be a vet, so if it were me i would not pursue that career, it will take a long time, lots of hard work, and if it is not really what's in your heart, i think you would find it not very enjoyable, i do think the vet tech sounds the best bet for you,however only you can make that important decision in your life, and 30 is not too old to be qualified, my girlfriend qualified as a lawyer when she was 35 as a solo parent with two children, so never think you are too old.

I know the money for a vet tech is not as good and you might have to move away,but if you enjoy the work and are happy in it, that is the main thing,of course making money is important, but so is your happiness too.

As for the college degree, personally i would still push for my children to complete a degree, my youngest hopefully is endeavouring to do both a teaching and media arts degree, but she is only 15 and that could all change, my son who will be 26 soon, never stayed on at school,although he was a bright lad, he wasted his time there, he really regrets it now, but having said that he is now earning more than is cousin who has a computer degree, what really makes the difference here is your motivation and determination to get on with life, which is what my son now has, i feel he will still go along way without his college education.