I plan on becoming a Vet and start school in about 2.5 years (hopefully Colorado State University or Davis). I want to use my Vet Tech education to eventually pay for Vet School....
I am just nervous that I am taking too much on and that things aren't going to go according to my plan. So my question is that are there any others that are in my position or something similar and what their opinions are? I have no financial support so I obviously am going to need a job from now all the way to the end of Vet School. I also plan on wanting to specialize in surgery (not sure if I wanna do soft tissue or orthopedics).
A couple things...
I was a vet tech for three years before getting into vet school. I lived in California in a major urban area. I did everything the RVTs did except, obviously, the things only RVTs can do (inducing, suturing, bandaging, dental extractions)--but I monitored critical patients, anesthesia, dental cleanings/x-rays, managed emergencies, every kind of medication administration you can think of, fluids, IVs, blood draws, restraint, etc etc, and after two years I was making 16 dollars an hour. After three years I was making 18. The RVTs were making 25. Literally every person I worked with had two jobs (usually at an emergency overnight hospital because the shifts paid more), had a spouse who made way (like 4x) more money than they did, lived paycheck to paycheck, were on food stamps, or some combination of the above. You will not make money as a tech, not in any significant capacity, and certainly not enough to save for or make a dent in your student debt for veterinary school. So first and foremost that's a problem with your plan.
Second, you will not be able to keep a job during vet school that will make you enough money. You certainly won't be doing it in your 4th year or part of 3rd year, depending on the program type. Veterinary medicine is your job at that point, though you're paying to learn. I know a lot of students who work about 20 hours a week, but it's hard, and it's for living expenses, not for student loans.
Third, a 3.0 is a great GPA for pre-med just on it's own. I want to be clear about that. I was ridiculously proud of my 3.4 GPA when I graduated because I worked for that. However, vet schools will not see it that way. I applied three times, and it wasn't until my last 45 GPA hit 3.80 (I kept taking classes after graduation) that I got interviews. Davis is one of the most competitive schools in the country to gain admission to, if not the most competitive, and this is especially true for out of state students. If you don't have a 4.0 or dang close you better have an amazing, diverse background and an absolutely top of the line GRE to get an interview, and you have to interview well because they base your admittance solely on the interview once you get one.
Four, I second what the earlier poster said about surgery being super competitive. A vet I worked for told me of a friend he had that wanted to be a veterinary surgeon, and it took him ten years (post-vet school) to achieve that. It was multiple internships, working, and a residency, and it was tough. It was his dream, but still, 10 years after vet school is a long time to get to the "start" of your career. And this person graduated from a top school, both undergrad and vet. And frankly, if you're going to get straight-As in vet school or dang close, working a lot (to try and pay for it) is just not going to jive with that plan.
I don't want to depress you, but I do want to caution you that your plan--work as a vet tech for a while--is fine, but only if you understand that vet tech will not pay for vet school, that a job during vet school will not pay for vet school, that if you want to do surgery it's competitive and you'll need top grades, and frankly the only thing that will pay for vet school is a winning lotto ticket, a fat inheritance, or loans. 99.99% of us go with loans. I'm lucky in that I have a partner to help with living expenses, but I'm still looking at 110k of debt by the time I'm done, and that's in-state tuition, and that's best-case scenario.
So, I'll be honest, I freaked out a little when I realized how much vet school was going to be when I was first applying three years ago. There is help--there is loan forgiveness, some states will forgive certain amounts of loans if you work in needed areas, in some cases you can work for non-profits and get loan forgiveness. It made me feel a little better, but I still spent several sleepless nights worrying over ruining my financial future by going to vet school. It's not a small decision. But the more you know now, the more you can plan. Good luck, and I hope our advice hasn't totally depressed you!
