Switching out of pre-vet...HELP

[Anon E. Moose]

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First time posting on this site! Bear with me...

I am a Junior majoring in Animal Sciences. I started with the pre-vet option but have recently come to realize vet school isn't for me. I'm now trying to decide whether to stay in Animal Science but take a different track, or switch majors completely. Any insight would be appreciated regarding the following possibilities...

1. Pursue a BS in Animal Science production & management (would be the 'easiest' option because I am already at least halfway through my course work, but need more info on possible jobs in the industry)
2.Switch to Ag Communications (I have always been skilled at writing, and I hear Ag Comm is a growing field)
3. Double-Major in #1 and #2
4. Major in Animal Science but add an Entomology minor (this seems like a unique and interesting option...but are there good jobs in Entomology? In pest control, research etc? I mean we'll always have to live with bugs, right?)
5. Get out of Agriculture completely and switch to Forestry/Wildlife. Sometimes I wonder if this was my true calling because I've always loved the outdoors and wild animals, whereas Animal Science is 90% about food animals. However from what I've heard there is less job security in Wildlife than in Agriculture, and I would like a job....

A few more things about me:

-I feel like I'd prefer a job that allows more "hands-on"/ outdoors work to sitting at a desk all day, but I am flexible
-I am certainly not opposed to grad school, but I'd rather get some 'real world' working experience first. Or maybe join the Peace Corps or something like that to take a break from school and broaden my horizons
-I know some of the options above would require me to stay in undergrad more than 4 years. I AM NOT OPPOSED to staying in school an extra few semesters!!! And neither are my benefactors.

I would love information/advice/ perspectives on any or all of these ideas. I've been talking to faculty at my university but figured there'd be no harm in outside opinions. I feel like I'm having a quarter-life crisis!

 

[EngrSC]

I don’t think anyone can answer this for you. I’d just point out that many people don’t end up working in the field of their bachelors degree. My thought would be to go with whatever interests you the most and find a way to do it without accumulating unnecessary debt.

 

[that redhead]

First time posting on this site! Bear with me...

I am a Junior majoring in Animal Sciences. I started with the pre-vet option but have recently come to realize vet school isn't for me. I'm now trying to decide whether to stay in Animal Science but take a different track, or switch majors completely. Any insight would be appreciated regarding the following possibilities...

1. Pursue a BS in Animal Science production & management (would be the 'easiest' option because I am already at least halfway through my course work, but need more info on possible jobs in the industry)
2.Switch to Ag Communications (I have always been skilled at writing, and I hear Ag Comm is a growing field)
3. Double-Major in #1 and #2
4. Major in Animal Science but add an Entomology minor (this seems like a unique and interesting option...but are there good jobs in Entomology? In pest control, research etc? I mean we'll always have to live with bugs, right?)
5. Get out of Agriculture completely and switch to Forestry/Wildlife. Sometimes I wonder if this was my true calling because I've always loved the outdoors and wild animals, whereas Animal Science is 90% about food animals. However from what I've heard there is less job security in Wildlife than in Agriculture, and I would like a job....

A few more things about me:

-I feel like I'd prefer a job that allows more "hands-on"/ outdoors work to sitting at a desk all day, but I am flexible
-I am certainly not opposed to grad school, but I'd rather get some 'real world' working experience first. Or maybe join the Peace Corps or something like that to take a break from school and broaden my horizons
-I know some of the options above would require me to stay in undergrad more than 4 years. I AM NOT OPPOSED to staying in school an extra few semesters!!! And neither are my benefactors.

I would love information/advice/ perspectives on any or all of these ideas. I've been talking to faculty at my university but figured there'd be no harm in outside opinions. I feel like I'm having a quarter-life crisis!

Go with the easiest, least expensive option. A B.S can get you a job in agriculture, forestry/wildlife, entomology, research, etc and the difference between Ag Comm and AnSci is not great enough to merit additional schooling and expenses.

 

[PrincessButterCup]

First time posting on this site! Bear with me...

I am a Junior majoring in Animal Sciences. I started with the pre-vet option but have recently come to realize vet school isn't for me. I'm now trying to decide whether to stay in Animal Science but take a different track, or switch majors completely. Any insight would be appreciated regarding the following possibilities...

1. Pursue a BS in Animal Science production & management (would be the 'easiest' option because I am already at least halfway through my course work, but need more info on possible jobs in the industry)
2.Switch to Ag Communications (I have always been skilled at writing, and I hear Ag Comm is a growing field)
3. Double-Major in #1 and #2
4. Major in Animal Science but add an Entomology minor (this seems like a unique and interesting option...but are there good jobs in Entomology? In pest control, research etc? I mean we'll always have to live with bugs, right?)
5. Get out of Agriculture completely and switch to Forestry/Wildlife. Sometimes I wonder if this was my true calling because I've always loved the outdoors and wild animals, whereas Animal Science is 90% about food animals. However from what I've heard there is less job security in Wildlife than in Agriculture, and I would like a job....

A few more things about me:

-I feel like I'd prefer a job that allows more "hands-on"/ outdoors work to sitting at a desk all day, but I am flexible
-I am certainly not opposed to grad school, but I'd rather get some 'real world' working experience first. Or maybe join the Peace Corps or something like that to take a break from school and broaden my horizons
-I know some of the options above would require me to stay in undergrad more than 4 years. I AM NOT OPPOSED to staying in school an extra few semesters!!! And neither are my benefactors.

I would love information/advice/ perspectives on any or all of these ideas. I've been talking to faculty at my university but figured there'd be no harm in outside opinions. I feel like I'm having a quarter-life crisis!

I had an internship in a forestry lab. It was a lot of field work, which sounds up your ally! I was accepted into my internship with 0 prior experience (I was an animal sci major too), so it's possible you could get into a lab without needing to change your degree. Does your school have a forestry or wildlife program? Talk to profs and PIs there and see if you can shadow/volunteer and get your foot in the door, and see how you like field work. It can be a good in-between job: the lab manager I worked under did that job for several years before deciding to go to grad school. She was hired by government groups to go out and do field sampling, and worked in the university lab doing field work and bench work. She decided to go to grad school because there's not a lot of room for movement with just a BS, but her job outlook (post grad school) doesn't look bad, from what she's told me.

 

[themuttonmidwife]

First time posting on this site! Bear with me...

I am a Junior majoring in Animal Sciences. I started with the pre-vet option but have recently come to realize vet school isn't for me. I'm now trying to decide whether to stay in Animal Science but take a different track, or switch majors completely. Any insight would be appreciated regarding the following possibilities...

1. Pursue a BS in Animal Science production & management (would be the 'easiest' option because I am already at least halfway through my course work, but need more info on possible jobs in the industry)
2.Switch to Ag Communications (I have always been skilled at writing, and I hear Ag Comm is a growing field)
3. Double-Major in #1 and #2
4. Major in Animal Science but add an Entomology minor (this seems like a unique and interesting option...but are there good jobs in Entomology? In pest control, research etc? I mean we'll always have to live with bugs, right?)
5. Get out of Agriculture completely and switch to Forestry/Wildlife. Sometimes I wonder if this was my true calling because I've always loved the outdoors and wild animals, whereas Animal Science is 90% about food animals. However from what I've heard there is less job security in Wildlife than in Agriculture, and I would like a job....

A few more things about me:

-I feel like I'd prefer a job that allows more "hands-on"/ outdoors work to sitting at a desk all day, but I am flexible
-I am certainly not opposed to grad school, but I'd rather get some 'real world' working experience first. Or maybe join the Peace Corps or something like that to take a break from school and broaden my horizons
-I know some of the options above would require me to stay in undergrad more than 4 years. I AM NOT OPPOSED to staying in school an extra few semesters!!! And neither are my benefactors.

I would love information/advice/ perspectives on any or all of these ideas. I've been talking to faculty at my university but figured there'd be no harm in outside opinions. I feel like I'm having a quarter-life crisis!

My first question is...are you sure the vet track isn't what you want? I'm asking because I went through a similar 'crisis' after my first year of undergrad (also major in An Sci). I felt/decided being a vet wasn't for me so I made course choices that eliminated vet school as an option. After graduation, I worked in primary production (on a dairy research farm) for 6 months and in ag communications for a year before realizing none of that was what I was actually happy doing and being a vet was the career I should have pursued from the beginning. Now it's taken me an extra 3 semesters to get the courses I was missing to finally apply to vet school! Long story short, I totally get wanting to switch gears, but my advice is make the effort to take the pre-reqs for vet school anyway if you can, because you may find yourself back down that road! Good luck with whatever option you choose, you'll do awesome!

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[PppermintTwist]

I vote gap year! You can learn and grow so much during a gap year. Get work experience, volunteer experience, something worthwhile.

Schools will still be there, and better to feel more confident in your path than racking up debt in the wrong field...

 

[hygebeorht]

Peace Corps sounds awesome. It's a really unusual experience...don't discount the idea. It also give you the time and space to think more about what works for you.

 

[britzen]

Peace Corps sounds awesome. It's a really unusual experience...don't discount the idea. It also give you the time and space to think more about what works for you.

The people I know who have done Peace Corps really loved it!

But, also, word of warning: if you think you might want to work for the government someday, or any government-adjacent type work, it can prevent you from passing certain required security checks. I know two people who weren't able to do the job they wanted (one for the State Dept and one for the military) because they had done Peace Corps after college.

I know you didn't indicate you wanted to do that, but it's something not a lot of people know about and it caught both of the people I know by surprise.

 

[LetItSnow]

Peace Corps sounds awesome. It's a really unusual experience...don't discount the idea. It also give you the time and space to think more about what works for you.

QFT.

I didn't do PC, but I did something similar (a medical relief organization in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro) for a year in my early 20's. Life-changing experience.

 

[SkiOtter]

But, also, word of warning: if you think you might want to work for the government someday, or any government-adjacent type work, it can prevent you from passing certain required security checks. I know two people who weren't able to do the job they wanted (one for the State Dept and one for the military) because they had done Peace Corps after college.

Do you know why that is? Just curious

 

[LetItSnow]

Do you know why that is? Just curious

Probably would depend on what countries you were in and potential connections made there, if it's true. Worth investigating, though.

 

[britzen]

It's because you end up with too many close connections with foreign nationals.

Disclosure of foreign contacts/relationships is part of the security clearance process. (See: the big stink about Jared Kushner in the news lately and people calling to revoke his security clearance for failing to disclose foreign contacts.)

The people I know who did Peace Corps basically lived on their own, just them and another Peace Corps person or two in a remote village. So, lots of connections, day-to-day contact, and close relationships with local nationals. As far as I know that would apply to every county that Peace Corps puts people in.

Time eventually helps mitigate this - depending on what you are trying to do they investigate your life back 7 or 10 years (with some "have you ever" type questions). Even if you have no ongoing contact with people from your time overseas, you'll probably have to wait it out for at least several years with no contact until an investigator will okay your clearance. The person I know who had applied to work for the State Dept was essentially told to apply again in a few years once his Peace Corps time was further behind him.

 

[britzen]

I will also add, it is going to depend on the type of contacts you had (a romantic relationship is more concerning to an investigator than a co-worker, for example), and a million other things. Like the general disposition, attitude, and case workload of the person investigating you, or how easy some of your known contacts are to track down.

And, it should certainly be said, two anecdotal cases aren't necessarily a hard rule. It just so happens that the only two people I know who joined the peace corps couldn't be cleared for government work during the 5 years following their service. It's certainly possible they are pot-heads or gamblers and I just have no idea...

Vet med and related careers don't necessarily have a lot to do with the type of work where that would matter, but if you have any inkling of wanting to go that route, it is something to consider and ask around about.

 

[SkiOtter]

ahhh yeah i didnt think about that, makes sense.

 

[britzen]

ahhh yeah i didnt think about that, makes sense.

Now that we're venturing far off topic... somewhere online you can read the investigator reasons for rejecting certain security clearance applications (I think it's considered public information so it's buried on some government website).

Most of it is pretty run of the mill (young applicants who did drugs in college, etc), but there is some truly wacky, entertaining stuff in there. Highly recommended as a procrastination tool if you can find it.

Sent from my SM-G920T using SDN mobile

 

[SkiOtter]

Now that we're venturing far off topic... somewhere online you can read the investigator reasons for rejecting certain security clearance applications (I think it's considered public information so it's buried on some government website).

Most of it is pretty run of the mill (young applicants who did drugs in college, etc), but there is some truly wacky, entertaining stuff in there. Highly recommended as a procrastination tool if you can find it.

Sent from my SM-G920T using SDN mobile

brb