career advice......please!

[mjf981]

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I'm a first time poster here but have been lurking for a while, very impressed (for the most part!) with the advice given.
My situation is a bit unusual. I have been accepted to vet school and will start next month. However, i can't seem to squash those nagging feelings of doubt that keep crossing my mind about whether this is the right profession for me. I know I will enjoy it but I think I would get more satisfaction from an MD than a DVM. Helping people just seems a lot more noble and worthwile than helping a 15 year old cat. I love animals but sometimes i wonder what the point is. Also, the low salary is kind of a turn off. $50,000 per year is not bad, but after 8 years of school.....................
Anyway if anyone else has been in the situation i'd appreciate some advice on what you did. Deferring is not an option at my school so it is now or never.
I'll also post this in the vet forum, but not many people seem to frequent that one.
thanks a lot. 😳

 

[bbake87]

I'm a first time poster here but have been lurking for a while, very impressed (for the most part!) with the advice given.
My situation is a bit unusual. I have been accepted to vet school and will start next month. However, i can't seem to squash those nagging feelings of doubt that keep crossing my mind about whether this is the right profession for me. I know I will enjoy it but I think I would get more satisfaction from an MD than a DVM. Helping people just seems a lot more noble and worthwile than helping a 15 year old cat. I love animals but sometimes i wonder what the point is. Also, the low salary is kind of a turn off. $50,000 per year is not bad, but after 8 years of school.....................
Anyway if anyone else has been in the situation i'd appreciate some advice on what you did. Deferring is not an option at my school so it is now or never.
I'll also post this in the vet forum, but not many people seem to frequent that one.
thanks a lot. 😳

mjf981, hope this letter finds you well. In my humble opinion being a doc and a vet are both quite noble professions as you will likely touch many lives in both. Anywho, along time ago my very wise, cool, money, etc. grandfather told me that if you are going to be doing something for the next 30+ years of your life do something you will love. He further stated that many people don't realize what they love until later in life. so whenever you do realize what you want to do go for it. He is a smart dude. He has a street named after him in my hometown.

 

[bwells46]

I'm a first time poster here but have been lurking for a while, very impressed (for the most part!) with the advice given.
My situation is a bit unusual. I have been accepted to vet school and will start next month. However, i can't seem to squash those nagging feelings of doubt that keep crossing my mind about whether this is the right profession for me. I know I will enjoy it but I think I would get more satisfaction from an MD than a DVM. Helping people just seems a lot more noble and worthwile than helping a 15 year old cat. I love animals but sometimes i wonder what the point is. Also, the low salary is kind of a turn off. $50,000 per year is not bad, but after 8 years of school.....................
Anyway if anyone else has been in the situation i'd appreciate some advice on what you did. Deferring is not an option at my school so it is now or never.
I'll also post this in the vet forum, but not many people seem to frequent that one.
thanks a lot. 😳

First of all, congratulations on getting into vet school. With the small number of vet schools in the U.S., this is no small feat.

That said, I think you need to think about this one. Why did you want to go to vet school in the first place? What has changed since then?

There is potentially more to being a vet then caring for people's pets. You could go into exotic animal medicine and work with tigers, lions, etc. I don't know what the salary is like but I would assume it's better than $50,000. Also, there's nothing dishonorable or worthless about being a vet. Many people consider their pets as part of the family. I have a friend that has spent literally thousands on drugs and surgery for his dog. I know I spent a lot keeping my dog healthy because I loved the little guy 🙂

I will say one thing - if you're planning on going into medicine, don't go into it for the money. There are far easier jobs that require a lesser investment in time and resources and can pay a great deal more than medicine.

Either way, I'm sure you have what it takes to get into medical school. You just need to decide if that's really what you want to do.

 

[obgyny]

I'm a first time poster here but have been lurking for a while, very impressed (for the most part!) with the advice given.
My situation is a bit unusual. I have been accepted to vet school and will start next month. However, i can't seem to squash those nagging feelings of doubt that keep crossing my mind about whether this is the right profession for me. I know I will enjoy it but I think I would get more satisfaction from an MD than a DVM. Helping people just seems a lot more noble and worthwile than helping a 15 year old cat. I love animals but sometimes i wonder what the point is. Also, the low salary is kind of a turn off. $50,000 per year is not bad, but after 8 years of school.....................
Anyway if anyone else has been in the situation i'd appreciate some advice on what you did. Deferring is not an option at my school so it is now or never.
I'll also post this in the vet forum, but not many people seem to frequent that one.
thanks a lot. 😳

mjf981,
I was sort of at the same crossroads you are at now. I haven't been accepted anywhere (congrats by the way), but at first, I wanted to be a vet. I was sure it was for me until I couldn't stop playing with the possibility of becoming a physician. Over time, I began to want to be an MD more than a DVM. I love animals, but I couldn't really stand the thought of euthanizing animals for the rest of my life. Not all people will go through great lengths to save their pets, although some do. I think I would get angry that I would've learned so much in vet school but not be able to use it because the pet owners don't want to cough up the dough. Of course I know I will have to do this as a physician with people, but it's not the same, I don't know how to explain it.

Like you, I also considered the money issue. But the money wasn't what changed my mind. I can honestly say if I were to win the lottery, and have enough money to be set for life, I would still become a physician. Besides, I have heard not all MDs make as much money. If you specialize in the veterinary field, you can make much more than $50,000 a year if it really concerns you. But as bwells46 pointed out, don't make your decision based on money.

In the end, I decided to become an MD. But that's my opinion. It's up to you to decide which field suits you. Putting aside money, think of why you wanted to become a vet, and why you would want to be an MD. Just because some people view MDs to be more noble than DVMs, doesn't meant it to be so. I still admire DVMs for what they do. They save those who cannot speak up to save themselves. I don't think any creature deserves to die or suffer. SO would you rather spend the rest of you life helping people, or helping animals (and their owners)? Whatever you decide, make sure it is for the right reasons.

 

[jophe]

mfj981

having those doubts are pretty normal. I think most everyone, no matter what their field of choice is, question why they are doing it or if it is right for them. Choosing a profession and pusuing it is a complex thing - with many factors involved that determine if you will be happy or not. I mean I LOVE graphic design, I love creating - but the rewards are personal in that field, the work is literally nonstop, and flexibility is limited. However, I am drawn to medicine because of the challenge, the learning, the discipline, the camaraderie, and of the niche areas of medicine that I like - plus, it is a career with alot of opportunity, and its nice to know that money will never be a serious issue. so you have to find out what is more important to you (which can take some soul searching), and figure out why you want to be a vet or doc. and you may find that answer really quickly, or it might take some time (4 years : ) ) but my search has been longer because I have had to deal with personal issues before even confronting the career thing. don't stress out about it - life is a journey that should be enjoyed, even in medicine : )

 

[mjf981]

hey, thanks for all the responses. I've talked to a few people and am going to go with vet. THere are +'s and -'s with both professions, but after weighing both i think I will be happy doing either. I am in canada, so if i were to pursue the MD, I would have to take more classes and not be able to apply until 2007, assuming i could do ok on the MCAT. Then it would be four years,plus residency. With vet I will be out by 2009 and straight into (hopefully) buying my own practice. Although I am not old (21), I believe I am making the right decision (well, right now, anyway!).

I think what swung it for me was when i thought about what i would miss about vet. I grew up on a farm and enjoy working outside with large animals. I would definately miss this working in a hospital. I also relish the idea of building up a practice and getting to know clients and their animals. There is tremendous opportunity in this area of vet med right now as most (80%!) of vet students are girls, who for the most part, want families without the hassle of running a practice and the hazards of large animal medicine. No offence meant there.

I will miss the satisfaction that many doctors get from saving lives and having a profound impact on someones life, and the big paycheck. However, material things have never interested me, and i get by quite happily on $10,000 a year right now. Even with a family, $50,000 still seems like a lot!

Anyway i realize i'm rambling now so thanks again for the help, and best of luck to everyone.

 

[mjf981]

🙂 🙂 🙂

 

[mshheaddoc]

I know a few people on here that wish they did vet over MD/DO. 😉 Its all about what you want. There is actually starting to be a shortage of vets here in the US and you can make decent money and survive doing what you love. Best of luck