Should I still be working in vet med while in school?

[vampyrica]

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Hi all. I start the MPH portion of my dual degree program this year and I have my schedule organized as follows: M,F no class. T,W,TH classes in the middle of the day. I am hoping to get a part time job this year to help save some money and help with the cost of rent, food, car etc so that I can put a good chunk of my loan refund in a high yield savings account. I wanted to ask if it's "bad" to not work in vet med? Should I be continuining to build relationships and make connections in this field by working for hospitals and clinics? Or does it really not matter that much at this stage in my program?

To be completely honest, while I adjust to living in Colorado and being totally alone for the first time, I wanted a low-key job as a cashier or hostess. Just something to help me subsidize the cost of living alone in FoCo. Should I not be doing that and still aiming to work in clinics to build connections and gain further experience?

Any advice is much appreciated as I have already started looking for positions and will begin applying within the next week! 🙂

 

[JaynaAli]

I think you’ll be fine either way. I mean you’d probably learn something working in a clinic and it never hurts building a network of connections in the field…so much in life happens because of who you know. But it’s also important to save money, and if you would prefer that to be in an unrelated job, I think that’s fine too.

 

[WildZoo]

I think you should do whatever you think will make you happiest at this stage. It also depends a bit on your career goals, so you might consider that somewhat, but ultimately I don't think it will make too much of a difference in the grand scheme of your life. It's okay to do what feels right for you in the moment.

 

[vampyrica]

I think you’ll be fine either way. I mean you’d probably learn something working in a clinic and it never hurts building a network of connections in the field…so much in life happens because of who you know. But it’s also important to save money, and if you would prefer that to be in an unrelated job, I think that’s fine too.

That's what I'm worried about. Since 99% of my connections are here in PA, with a whopping 1% in Kansas, I feel like I should get my toes wet and work at a clinic for the sake of building relationships and making strong connections in a new place.

 

[WildZoo]

That's what I'm worried about. Since 99% of my connections are here in PA, with a whopping 1% in Kansas, I feel like I should get my toes wet and work at a clinic for the sake of building relationships and making strong connections in a new place.

Are you wanting to stay in Colorado after school?

 

[vampyrica]

Are you wanting to stay in Colorado after school?

Yes, should everything work out, I would love to stay

 

[MixedAnimals77]

Yes, should everything work out, I would love to stay

Hi you have a CO connection already! What are your after school plans? I don't know a ton of ppl in NoCo but depends what you're looking to do. That being said I think you should do whatever you want job wise. You might find it's nice to do something 100% not vet related and a nice brain break

 

[vampyrica]

Hi you have a CO connection already! What are your after school plans? I don't know a ton of ppl in NoCo but depends what you're looking to do. That being said I think you should do whatever you want job wise. You might find it's nice to do something 100% not vet related and a nice brain break

Hiii! As of right now, I would love to go into Public service and public health. My MPH concentration is Animals, People and The Environment so I would love to be able to utilize both my degrees in my career. With that being said, I am absolutely open to trying new things and won't be ruling anything out until I know for certain that it's not the right fit for me.

 

[MixedAnimals77]

Hiii! As of right now, I would love to go into Public service and public health. My MPH concentration is Animals, People and The Environment so I would love to be able to utilize both my degrees in my career. With that being said, I am absolutely open to trying new things and won't be ruling anything out until I know for certain that it's not the right fit for me.

Sounds like maybe usda is in your future? I've got contacts in springs and a regional guy I think he's in Denver-hes in charge of the springs gal I know. Lots of opportunities (or at least there used to be) through the usda and fda that usually got you placed post schooling. Im sure the state office also has something for students as well. Anyway always feel free to pm me later down the road if you need!

 

[katiemcat]

I have worked at a GP clinic part time all of vet school. The extra money and free/discounted pet school was my main motivation. I have made some connections, which has been nice, but as I am going into SA speciality it’s not like I NEEDED them. My connections with specialists at school I made in class/clinicals were a lot more valuable in obtaining a rotating, etc. A lot of my classmates have worked non vetmed jobs on the side (serving, bookstore, barista) and have loved the mental break they got from it.