Am I too old?☹️

[tjh1988]

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I wish I wouldn't have wasted my years going to school for something that I'm not even doing. So, here I am, 30 years old. Would it be stupid of me to start school for a veterinarian? I already have some of my basics, so I guess that takes a couple years off.. still, it seems a little crazy to me. Also, I won't even be making my full salary because my seizure medicine is $2000 a month. However, I hope to have good insurance once I'm licensed.. that's my main goal. So, is this crazy?? Thanks!

 

[PrincessButterCup]

I collected some previous posts for you that seem relevant! There is a little arrow to the right of each person's name. If you click it, it will take you to the original thread it was posted in. Some posts are from the same threads.

I'm 37 now and will be 41 when I graduate! I'm very curious to see if I'm the oldest in my class...and I feel super old reading this thread right now 😵

Or older...

I'll be 41 when I graduate too, and I'm the 3rd oldest in my class at the moment.

Hey.

I went back to school and entered vet school at ... um ... 42? I think? 41? Fairly similar story - had a successful career, comfortable financially. My wife did not / does not work, though, so we had just the one income.

The biggest question you should ask is not whether you can get in and regarding the cost of pre-reqs -- you can manage that stuff, I promise. And even if you spend the money and don't get in, that's a much less big deal that the lifestyle change you're talking about if you DO get in. You can recover from the pre-req debt and the emotional distress of not getting in - but once you get in you're committed financially.

-- Really sit down and think through the cost picture. Think about how much debt, what the payments will be versus the income, etc. There are some good debt calculators and other info. Here are a few links to start:
o Student Debt Center Landing Content
o Student Debt Center - VIN
o Personal Financial Planning Resources
o Financing Your Veterinary Medical Education
But you need to consider how you'll maintain your lifestyle (or a lifestyle you find acceptable) during school and after school and you need to be brutally realistic about the debt given the payments and the income for a new vet.

-- Consider what life will be like IN school. Lots of married people are in school, and most do just fine, but it can be super stressful. You will be very, very occupied time-wise with school, and your spouse has to be ok with that. When you get out into practice your schedule will stabilize some, but expect to be still pretty highly occupied with work for a year or two while you get your feet wet. My wife basically single parented for most of vet school, and it was hard for her. She's only now starting to feel like she has a life again, so don't underestimate the impact to your partner/spouse.

-- I wouldn't work as a vet tech if you want to be a vet. The job is different. They are underpaid drastically for the work they do. And, the time you take to gain the credentials to do that job (unless you mean taking a job as a non-credentialed vet assistant or whatever the equivalent is in your state) and the money it costs take away from your future earnings that you'll need to get good financial footing back. If you want to be a vet as an 'older' second-career type, you need to find the most direct path possible.

-- Given your academic background, I personally would do the pre-reqs as cheaply as possible, ensuring that wherever you take them will meet the requirements of schools to which you plan to apply. Some people will tell you to avoid a community college because of perceived 'less rigor'. Ignore them. You already have proven yourself (and the 'rigor' thing isn't really necessarily true to begin with). But do make sure that wherever you take them, they meet the requirements where you will apply. Some schools care, some don't.

-- Start getting experience and find out if you really want to do it. You shadowed and whatnot in your younger years - you may have a different perspective now. Get back out and start shadowing again and making contacts and see if it's still something you want to do.

Best of luck. Feel free to PM me with specific questions. Do not be offended if I don't reply right away, I tend to go through very available vs vs busy life cycles depending on whether I'm working.

Hi @krupajl ! I'm a first year at UGA and I'm 34 (and an old soul). It's definitely an interesting situation and honestly, the thing I struggled the most with entering vet school was not the course load or content, but finding my place mostly due to my age and background. I had to open my mind to the fact that my friendships in vet school would not be the same as the friendships I have at "home", BUT there is great value in that. UGA has a 10 year rule on classes and gave me a waiver due to the work I was doing - so I knew going in that there would be a big gap and it would be hard, but knowing it and experiencing it are two different things.

I have made strong friendships with some really fantastic people 10+ years younger than I am and it has really enriched my life. I still rely on my friends from home (read: "my age") to fulfill certain needs in my life, but I feel that vet school and being "forced" out of my comfort zone has been a really positive experience. I think no matter how well prepared you are for it, there will be an adjustment period - so my advice would be to prepare to be kind to yourself and know that it's ok to struggle to find your place...as opposed to trying to prepare to fit in right away and being disappointed if that doesn't happen. If you have any other questions or want to commiserate at any time, feel free to PM me!

I'm in my 30s, and to be honest, it kind of isn't ideal. Everyone is friendly and welcoming, but it's more of a challenge to fit in, especially if you're not really into parties and going out drinking. You'll still make friends, but IME it's not quite the same. The hardest thing about being older for me has been what that means in terms of opportunities at school, though that's not necessarily about age but about family obligations and other priorities in general. The average "traditional" or non-traditional but under 30 student is typically much more flexible and available to do things like overseas summer spay/neuter trips or summer research stints at schools all over the country. I feel like there's a lot that I just can't manage to do because of my situation, and that can be frustrating at times.

Two of the things I found most difficult in being older in vet school (I graduated when I was 38) was that I had been used to being in the real world with different priorities, and earning money -- and I lost both of those things in school. By "not being in the real world" in school, I mean that I no longer had time or company for the things I found interesting......I don't mean big things like hobbies or sports, but the little things like taking an interest in world affairs (everyone was too focused on school to care about the idiot leader in South Africa, or the girl's soccer team in India). And even though I thought I was ready to be lean and frugal during my school years, I really didn't understand the emotional effect that not earning money would have on me after 10 years earning a reasonable income. Those who'd almost always been in school of one sort or another before vet school didn't have that same feeling.

Hi OP. I was 34 when I started vet school and will be 39 when I graduate next month. You can certainly be successful in vet school (and more importantly, as a practicing veterinarian) in later life, but the decision to start in your 30s comes with its own subset of challenges. My age factors into every decision I make about career- with respect to salary (and projected ability to pay down the debt), potential for injury (if I'm kicked and severely injured by a horse at 45, my earning potential may be irreparably damaged with comparatively little of the debt paid down), fatigue with the ordeal of uprooting my life and relocating for the sake of the job, repeatedly (already done this myself 5 times), and desire/ability to enjoy my life outside of work. Many of these issues aren't unique to older students. I'd argue, however, that their effects/importance are exacerbated in later life- they take on greater weight. I was far more willing to sacrifice for the sake of the job at 25 than I am at 40, especially given the fact that I sacrificed significantly between 25 and 40 as well. The effects are cumulative. I, personally, do not have infinite staying power. I've got loads of grit, and ability to 'suck things up,' but the font doesn't spring eternal. Every person is unique. The key is deciding when the level of sacrifice outweighs the reward- this is easier said than done, especially with multiple factors at play (and significant time/money invested). I struggled in veterinary school. Initially, I attribute that to having been away from the traditional classroom for about a decade before returning for my first year. I re-acclimated in short order, but had to work incredibly hard to do well throughout the remainder of vet school (this came at the expense of tending to other aspects of my life). It's relatively easy to endure a hardship for a temporary period of known duration. It's much harder to keep sacrificing for unknown periods of time- especially without a clear guarantee that you'll end up where you want. Some of my classmates loved veterinary school. I was not one of those folks. There were aspects of vet school that I enjoyed, but generally I found it to be very hard. Succeeding in vet school occupied a large percentage of my time/energy budget. Unfortunately for me, vet school did not have the fairy tale ending that I expected it would (given the time and money invested), and I'm currently in the midst of some very difficult career decisions. It's not fun to be in this position. That being said, I'm glad I went to vet school. I'd likely do it again, even knowing how things turned out at this stage. I learned a lot, and met some wonderful people, but I'm unclear how things will work out for me in the end. My goal isn't to discourage you, just to think long and hard about the decision to enroll.

Late to the party... I'm a second year in my 40's, and this year more than first year is kicking my tail! We are told that third year is better. For my part, I have a very clear vision of where I want to end up, and I spent some time today chatting with a couple of our wonderful profs to better clarify the path to get me from here to there. I know what I need to do, and I'm confident that I can, but it's hard. It's really hard. I question my decision to put myself through this fairly often, but I keep coming back for more. I remind myself at those times that vet *school* was never the end goal... it's a step in the process... but it's a sucky step sometimes!

In your position, I'd see if I could defer to get the mental health aspect better managed. Vet school will still be there, and it's not worth your health!

Others have done it before you (and many of them have been older than you) but there's a lot to consider. Have you shadowed or spent much time with a vet? Why do you feel vet med is right for you? The debt to income is crazy: be aware of that and go into it with a plan. Burn out, compassion fatigue . . . You really need to know what you're getting yourself into before committing to this career, so getting experience is always the first step.

 

[SportPonies]

There is a woman in my class (an anatomy lab partner of mine) who turned 39 during our first year. She fits right in and is mega successful academically. She also is the second oldest in our class- there's another woman who was 41 when first year started.

The biggest factor for you should be whether you're willing to take on the stress (both financial and emotional) of the schooling and career. Everyone says that vet school is hard, but you really don't realize how hard it is until you're in it... no matter how prepared you think you are. Crunch some numbers, look at alternate careers... and if you keep coming back to vet med as feasible and desirable, then your age shouldn't be limiting you.

 

[JustPaws]

I'm 34 and start in 6 weeks. I'll have a 6 month old as well. Is it ideal? Prob not. Does it work for my family and I after we weighed our pros and cons? Yes. Will it be hard in ways that my 22yo classmates won't understand? Yes, but my classmates will have struggles of their own that I likely won't understand

 

[vethopeful_2]

I wish I wouldn't have wasted my years going to school for something that I'm not even doing. So, here I am, 30 years old. Would it be stupid of me to start school for a veterinarian? I already have some of my basics, so I guess that takes a couple years off.. still, it seems a little crazy to me. Also, I won't even be making my full salary because my seizure medicine is $2000 a month. However, I hope to have good insurance once I'm licensed.. that's my main goal. So, is this crazy?? Thanks!

I don't think you're "too old" at all. I think the average age of first year vet students is actually somewhere around 24ish? (Someone correct me if I'm wrong). I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're not that far off. Mid twenties isn't THAT much different than early thirties, IMO.

When I was a freshman in college and debating my life decisions it basically came down to this- do you take an "easier"/ more secure route and always wonder what it had been like to pursue your dream? Or do you just go for it and never have to wonder? So I put all my eggs in one basket and here I am. No regrets. 🙂

Id rather be dead tired and slightly insane for 8ish years than to be miserable doing something else for the rest of my life.


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[Lab Vet]

I wish I wouldn't have wasted my years going to school for something that I'm not even doing. So, here I am, 30 years old. Would it be stupid of me to start school for a veterinarian? I already have some of my basics, so I guess that takes a couple years off.. still, it seems a little crazy to me. Also, I won't even be making my full salary because my seizure medicine is $2000 a month. However, I hope to have good insurance once I'm licensed.. that's my main goal. So, is this crazy?? Thanks!

No. I graduated at 39 years old. People do it 🙂

 

[britzen]

If you graduate at 35 you'll probably spend 30+ years as a vet before retiring

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[dpmd]

I think the bigger concern than age is the fact you require a 2K per month medication. I know vets don't make a ton of money and I don't know how common it is to get a job with benefits when you get out. Not sure if you are considering leaving a job that provides you with those benefits currently or not.