Job opportunity... opinions?

[r00]

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I know for a fact that I will get mixed responses to this question, but I need the guidance of others in my shoes and others who have been in my shoes (if they happen to peel themselves away from their vet school studies to lurk here still)

I graduated in 2007 with a BA in Psychology, I went into business and worked for 2 years being a full service financial planner. I got married, I bought a house, and I have three beautiful furry children (2 cats and a dog). Things went well but I was never happy and through volunteering found my passion for vet med. For the past 7-8 months I have been busting my but volunteering at a clinic, volunteering at the SPCA, and working full time as a vet tech. I am basically "on" 24/7. To add insult to injury I started my first semester back at college this fall and thus far I have straight A's - so nothing to complain about there.

This week I got a call from a friend from college and she basically told me that she can get me a consulting job with her company starting at $50k. The catch is that it is a LOT of travel which means no steady volunteering schedule and no more school for a while. I would basically be putting my dream on hold for a year or two while I built up some much needed savings and paid off some of my current debt.

Is it worth it? Will ad-coms look poorly on my decision? help...

 

[cowgirla]

I know for a fact that I will get mixed responses to this question, but I need the guidance of others in my shoes and others who have been in my shoes (if they happen to peel themselves away from their vet school studies to lurk here still)

I graduated in 2007 with a BA in Psychology, I went into business and worked for 2 years being a full service financial planner. I got married, I bought a house, and I have three beautiful furry children (2 cats and a dog). Things went well but I was never happy and through volunteering found my passion for vet med. For the past 7-8 months I have been busting my but volunteering at a clinic, volunteering at the SPCA, and working full time as a vet tech. I am basically "on" 24/7. To add insult to injury I started my first semester back at college this fall and thus far I have straight A's - so nothing to complain about there.

This week I got a call from a friend from college and she basically told me that she can get me a consulting job with her company starting at $50k. The catch is that it is a LOT of travel which means no steady volunteering schedule and no more school for a while. I would basically be putting my dream on hold for a year or two while I built up some much needed savings and paid off some of my current debt.

Is it worth it? Will ad-coms look poorly on my decision? help...

I wish I had an easy answer for you either way, but unfortunately, I don't think it's a simple situation. Best I can say is weigh all your options, talk to your husband, and don't rush into anything that you might regret.
Money is very important factor in anything, and you might decide that it's more important to go into vet school having a good financial situation.
Would the travel affect your married life? Some couples don't do well like that. Would you be happy, or are you willing to be miserable for a year to "get ahead." Would you be able to walk away after a year, or would one year turn into two, or three, or four? Some people have trouble going back to school after a break like that.

If I was in your situation, I think I would choose to continue with what I had been doing. Right now, I'm a full time tech, barely paying the bills, but I love what I do. And to me, that makes all the difference in the world. But every person is different-- you need to do whats best for you. I dont think ad-com can fault you on that.

 

[r00]

talk to your husband

I can't fault anyone for assuming because the vast majority of vet students and hopefuls are female... but I am a man... and I am talking to my wife about the idea.

She (a pre med) isn't completely sold on the idea of me being away so much and putting my dream on hold, but would obviously appreciate the financial security.

 

[twelvetigers]

talk to your husband

...or wife. Lol.

I think that the opportunity to start vet school debt free is excellent... if the job won't drive you nuts and you really think you can do it for a couple of years... it's a pretty awesome opportunity to eliminate some debt or accumulate some savings. I that it won't hurt you for vet school if you can explain it well. Keep in mind that, when you get back, you would probably have to 'start over' a bit with the experience... just make sure that's something you would be willing to do.

I suppose it comes down to how important it is to you that you pay off your debt? Is it a lot of debt? Would you be able to handle it plus the debt of vet school? Is there no other way to pay it down?

ETA: jinx!

 

[cowgirla]

I can't fault anyone for assuming because the vast majority of vet students and hopefuls are female... but I am a man... and I am talking to my wife about the idea.

She (a pre med) isn't completely sold on the idea of me being away so much and putting my dream on hold, but would obviously appreciate the financial security.

Oops? Sorry!

 

[sumstorm]

don't forget though that there is a cost/benefit balance. 1 year making 50k is 1yr less making whatever income you will get as a vet. So the actual pay out may be neutral or even negative, depending on the field you are going into/interest on debt etc.

 

[Pointer1330]

I don't know whether it will help or not, but I'll give you my 2 cents. I am also a married man with a non-science degree who decided to go back and take all the pre-reqs part-time while getting experience. I just applied this semester so we'll see how it goes. Anyway, while I was in my first year back, I received a job offer with a pharma company for about double what the job you're talking about pays. It put me in a very difficult situation since I could also have paid off a great deal of debt and/or saved some money. I decided that I knew absolutely without a doubt that being a veterinarian is what I wanted to do and that I would only be prolonging that process by taking the job. It was difficult but I know it was the right decision. That being said, I am hoping to attend my in-state school, and am estimating about $70k in debt when I'm finished. If I knew I had to pay out of state tuition and go $200k in debt, then that would make a big difference. I guess the way I see it, if you know without a shadow of a doubt that you want to be a veterinarian, then why push things off? I'm almost 30 and can tell you the later you go back the more difficult it becomes (not academically, moreso with family life and other responsibilities building up). Either way you have to do what's best for your family, and good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[BlacKAT33]

I don't know whether it will help or not, but I'll give you my 2 cents. I am also a married man with a non-science degree who decided to go back and take all the pre-reqs part-time while getting experience. I just applied this semester so we'll see how it goes. Anyway, while I was in my first year back, I received a job offer with a pharma company for about double what the job you're talking about pays. It put me in a very difficult situation since I could also have paid off a great deal of debt and/or saved some money. I decided that I knew absolutely without a doubt that being a veterinarian is what I wanted to do and that I would only be prolonging that process by taking the job. It was difficult but I know it was the right decision. That being said, I am hoping to attend my in-state school, and am estimating about $70k in debt when I'm finished. If I knew I had to pay out of state tuition and go $200k in debt, then that would make a big difference. I guess the way I see it, if you know without a shadow of a doubt that you want to be a veterinarian, then why push things off? I'm almost 30 and can tell you the later you go back the more difficult it becomes (not academically, moreso with family life and other responsibilities building up). Either way you have to do what's best for your family, and good luck with whatever you choose.

I completely agree with Pointer about family life. I would base the decision on the fact that delaying your application means you will be getting older and older once you START vet school. and don't forget to add on an extra yr because you have to apply a year early. As of right now, I will be turning 24 this nov so i will be 25 when i start and 28 when I finish. If I don't get accepted and have to apply more times, i could be 30 once i graduate vet school. i still have no clue where i fit raising kids here. I just block it out of my mind right now. Additionally, you may need to spend an extra year after your job to gain more experience.

Secondly, 50,000$ is not THAT much money. it may seem like it coming out of college when we're all poor and i'm sure you can save a lot if you live a very simple life, but i wouldnt put on hold my family+dream for that much money. My bf basically did this, and hes still working because he kept saying "oh, but after my raise thisyear ill be making more!" and it kept going and goin. He is making about 20k more than when he first started, but he also put his whole life on hold. So much so, that he has agreed to "follow me" to vet school because he has no clue no which road he wants to take (lawyer, phd, med, or continue working). It is great for me, but at the same time it is obvious every day when he comes home from work that this is not what he wants to do, he just feels attached to the money and is scared about having debt if he goes back into school.

 

[TMinusZero]

$50K after taxes will probably mean you'll bring home a little more than $3k/month. Depending where you live, your financial responsibilities, lifestyle you're accustomed to, etc., it may or may not be worth it.
It may be good idea to pay down some of the loans you already have. However, if they are government loans, they are probably fairly inexpensive compared to privates and could wait.
Figure out how much you could be saving up per month, how much you can part with for loan repayment. Then think about how much vet school will cost, what type of money you will need to save or borrow for that.
What field of vet med are you interested in? If you will be making a lot more than $50K/yr on the other end of school, it would probably make more financial sense to matriculate sooner versus later.

I doubt that the ad coms would look down upon your decision if it is purely financial, not because you are undecided about vet met. If you are sincere, I'm sure that will come across in your applications/interviews. Plus it would probably make you a more interesting candidate since you have extra knowledge and skills that so-called traditional candidates won't have.