Vet Clinic Question

[twelvetigers]

I hate posting new threads like this, but I really need a little insight on this.

Some of you may remember my original post about trying to get a vet clinic job here in Stillwater. Well, I *still* don't have a vet clinic job. I finally branched out from Stilly a bit, and I found a clinic in a nearby town that was looking for help. I drove out there today to give them my resume. It's 25 miles away, or half an hour.

I really liked the clinic and the veterinarian. However, I have two concerns about the job.

First, it's in a small town. Very rural. I don't think she gets a whole lot of business, and I'm not sure exactly what kind of business she gets - it's a mixed practice, and she probably sees lots of "country folk." I'm okay with that, considering I have no idea how to restrain a dog, let alone a PIG... but if she can teach me, I can learn. I just always thought that it would be cool to work at a big, fast-paced high-tech clinic with emergencies and cool cases and lots of clients. This is basically the exact opposite of that.

Second, driving 50 miles every day with gas prices as high as they are could be a bit hard. (Those of you overseas or outside of the continental US, don't get mad that I'm complaining - I know gas costs more for you. I just mean that the prices here keep going up, and it takes $45 to fill up my car hen I remembe it taking $20 when I started driving, all of 6 years ago.) So, with my poor old car's gas mileage and the daily trek of 50 miles, I'd be filling up once a week. So an extra $200 a month. That would be okay if I got paid an extra $200 a month compared to my current wages, but I'm not sure what I would be paid and I really hate to ask that. Also, I would really hope that my car didn't die at some point... it's a '91, about 150k miles on it.

So, what are your opinions on this? How far are/were you from your vet clinics, and what sort of practice were they? (Rural, city, emergency, etc.) And, jut because I'm curious, how many years did you work there?

I appreciate any help or advice, of course. Thanks, guys!

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[david594]

I live 5 miles from both my jobs. One is a small 4 doc clinic that I do 24ish hours a week at mostly during the week. The other is 16 hours in the ER of a larger "fast-paced, high-tech clinic with emergencies and cool cases" on weekends. And for as much "fun" as the ER is(seen a bunch of bloat cases, hit by cars, other crazy emergencies) I definitely feel I gained more experience and learned more from the smaller clinic.

We had the cool cases in the ER, but it was always crazy and I could never just ask the doc questions about why they were doing specific things. On the other hand at the smaller clinic, the docs were much more interested in teaching me things. They would have me come and palpate things they found, or listen to different things. I would come in for surgeries on my day off just to see whats going on, and the doc would occasionally slow down to explain things to me if I had specific questions.

I guess I am trying to say don't discredit the smaller clinic, if you can make the money work, its possible you would learn tons there. But the reality is without experience, the pay isn't not going to be very good.

 

[HeartSong]

I was lucky in that I grew up in Enid so it wasn't that hard to get a vet job. Though my first one was outside of town and a bit of a drive. Plus, for the first few months it was volunteer work and my mom drove me back and forth since I didn't have my driver's license yet. If it's for the experience and I couldn't find anything closer, I'd drive quite a ways for it. Actually, I had a vet job that was a lot like yours. Probably about 30 minutes away in another town. At that point I already had plenty of experience but just wanted a vet job so I was willing to travel. Of course, back then gas wasn't quite as crazy as it is now.

As for the type of clinic. I really think you'll learn more at a rural type clinic. Emergency type clinics a lot of times will leave the more hands on stuff to their more experienced/ licensed workers. I learned the most at the clinic I worked at that was mixed and in the country. There were no vet techs on staff and most of the time it was the vet, the receptionist and me - no one else- so I got to do a whole lot of stuff that I wasn't allowed to do in more staffed clinics. Drew blood, gave shots, prepped for surgery, assisted in surgeries ... everything. We went on house calls too which you won't get at an emergency clinic.

You might be surprised at how much business a small town/ rural vet gets. Plus there's usually more of a personal feel in a clinic like that which I really love. You'll actually start to recognize some of the clients and their pets. And if there is down time, you might be able to pick the brain of the vet you work with if they are willing to let you. You might not be able to see a really weird case, but I bet the vet you work for would be able to describe a strange case if you ask them "what is the strangest thing you've ever seen in practice?" or something like that.

All in all, I'd say go for it. I wouldn't be afraid to ask about the pay either. Just mention it casually, explain that you are driving quite a distance and was wondering what your pay would be. Afterall, it is your right to know how much you will be paid before starting a job.

 

[twelvetigers]

I get eight bucks and hour for Antech. I've been there two years with no raises. That's part of the reason I'm ready to leave there... I really know my stuff and I haven't gotten much recognition for knowing account numbers and codes off the top of my head, how to answer any question imaginable, knowing who to call in what departmnet to get specific answers... I'm pretty knowlegeable. That, and I'm just tired of it now.

So, with minimum wage sitting at about $7.25 here (I think) I should probably be able to get about the same pay... I hope?

 

[CalpardNY]

Just to reconfirm what others have said - there is priceless knowledge in small practices...

Just for a personal anecdote - fall of my senior year i had NO large animal experience (ok I rode horses for like 5 years...) so i decided to shadow a large animal vet who owns a small animal clinic with his wife (mostly he does the farm calls and she does the clinic but they both help out with both - and hes got a special interest in ortho). I would ride with him all day on friday from farm to farm him and me (and just so you know this was in NJ - so its not known for being a huge farm country with lots of clients!) . Anyway, to make a long story short after only 2 days riding with him he was handling me 60cc syringes, needles, a bottle of lidocaine, and the cuarterizer to dehorn cattle he had just sedated while he did pregnancy checks. The same soon followed suit with castrations. By the end of the semester i was helping with births and even got to assist on a DA surgery (steralized, made the incision, felt around, and even sutured up the cow - and btw we checked on her a week later and she was doing wonderfully with just a tiny healing scar ). I spent most of the day with just me and him and we spent a lot of time talking, explaining, and him showing me things hands on. The farmers were always aware I was to be helping out and they never said anything but encouragement for me! Not only was this a great experience in terms of animal experience, but I got a great mentor whose trust pushed me to deal with independence, I learned to ask when I was unsure or needed help on a procedure - hey doc, um i can't seem to get this nerve numb and I've given her 10 ccs of lidocaine...can you help me!-, plus he wrote me a fabulous letter of rec (or so I was told) and even sent me a copy of the Merck Veterinary Manual as a gift upon hearing I got in! Oh yeah - and I also had a few really great PS topics to chose from!

Not only that but now I work at the Animal Medical Center in NYC in the clinic. And while i do get to work with the interns, residents, and clinicians, and see/hear about some interesting cases, it was a shock to me (tho I completely understood) when I was told my duties involved doing admissions, holding, temping, and occasionally running a PCV and stuff (I mean we do a few more things but this was a big jump from making incisions and sutures!).

So that was my long winded way of saying while the gas and the car might be a drawback - i think the experience you will gain will be priceless. Plus if you like the vet that can make the job both enjoyable and rewarding! Also you can always use this to get more on your resume and continue to search for either closer things or something more big clinic like you were hoping for!

 

[lailanni]

First, thank you for the carrot cake recipe! I will be trying it soon!

Second, I agree with the above posters. Just cause it's smaller and sort of out in the sticks, it could still be a great experience for you!

I'm at a smaller clinic (5 doctors, usually only 2 on staff at a time) My hometown is around 8,000 people with many more in the outlying rural area. We're near some larger towns though.

Anyhoo, I've learned a ton from this place. They've been incredibly supportive and I've gotten to think of them as my second family. I can ask the doctors about the cases and they'll gladly tell me. The techs let me look at things under the 'scope, I can observe the surgeries and get to scrub in at times. They let me palpate, listen to, smell, and see most anything I'm interested in. I'm very lucky to be at such a supportive clinic.

It's a smaller town but we're well equipped and practice good medicine (AAHA certified, proud to say!) we even get specialists visiting for ultrasounds, tricky dental work, and even an echo-cardio guy.

The pay isn't great. I could be making more as a waitress or whatnot. But I'm learning a lot. I work my butt off as part of the team and they help me grow into becoming a doc. It's well worth the pay cut for me.

 

[twelvetigers]

Let me know how the cake turns out!

FYI guys, this is a one-vet practice. There aren't any vets here in town that have more than two, even... two is the norm. But the one I'm considering only has one.

 

[Pomona2006]

While I'm relatively new to working in a vet clinic, I will offer my 2 cents as well.

I work at a Humane Society / SPCA clinic. Most of what we do on a daily basis in the clinic is spay & neuter. However, there are always other things that come up which is really interesting. Because it's not a terribly fast-paced place, I am able to ask questions, get answers, and the vets let me do things that they probably wouldn't even think about if there was a fast pace. That being said, emergencies do happen and the humane society I work in accepts any and all animals regardless of their condition - - - that being said, we do get emergencies. When emergencies happen, there is stress the vet techs and the vet can't afford to be as patient. I always make a point of asking my questions and such after the emergency has passed, but I know that during the emergency, it is far more important for them to be concentrating on the animal in front of them and not me. That being said, I would not be turned off by the fact that it is a seemingly small practice. You can always call them up and ask them some questions about what types of animals do they usually see in a day and what types of cases. I am sure they can answer those questions rather easily.

The other issue you expressed is the car / gas issue, which I can understand. Gas prices are high and rising, which is why I am so happy that I am able to take my bike to the humane society I work at rather than drive (and then waste time trying to find parking). If you are working for free, there's not much that can be done other than maybe asking them to compensate you for just your gas. If they expect you to work for free, then that's something you might want to ask about and see how they respond before you make a decision.

As for the car situation - I am also drive an older car. I have a '90 with about 120K on it. I know it's a great car, so I don't really anticipate it breaking down on me in the near future as other cars of it's make have been known to go well over 200K. I am not aware what the make & model of your car is, but you might be able to do some research to see what is normal for your car - or take it to a mechanic and ask them for an opinion on the car's "health" - most mechanics will look at your car & give you estimates for free.

 

[VAgirl]

I know discussing salary/compensation is the most uncomfortable part about starting a new job. And it's not the first question you want to ask in an interview situation (tends to send the wrong message). Nevertheless, this is a totally fair question to ask a potential employer either before they have offered you the job or when they are offering you the job. No employer should ever expect someone to accept a position without knowing ahead of time what the compensation will be (this includes benefits, vacation time, etc. as applicable). No matter how cool the job is or how much you think you need it for experience, remember that this is a reasonable question and you should feel fully justified in asking it. (Remember, they're not doing you a favor, they're hiring you.)

It's also not unheard of for companies to offer some compensation for commuting/parking etc. This tends to happen in bigger companies and in situations where the potential hire is extremely sought after (whether because the position is hard to fill, the employer needs to fill the position ASAP, or because the candidate has specialized skills). I doubt a one-vet clinic would be able to support this kind of thing, but if you feel comfortable asking about it, you could.

Or another idea would be to use it in negotiating a salary. (Yes, you can negotiate!) For instance, if she offered you $8.50/hr, you could go back to her with the fact that, given the distance, you think you really need to be making $9.50/hr to be able to comfortably take the position. She might not budge or she might counter you at $9 (all theoretical #s). But the idea with negotiating is that, when you're first taking a job is the only time that you really have any control over your salary. For anything in the future (raises, promotions), you're already an employee, and beyond making your case to your employer for why you deserve the raise, the only thing you can really do is seek out other employment.

Good luck! It sounds like this might be a nice opportunity for you!

 

[Kara31191]

I work at a one doctor practice.

Our "experienced" tech just quit, so now we have a college student (vet assistant), me (tech assistant), and another girl (high schooler-animal caretaker.

No receptionist. No "real" techs. Nothing... Just the doctor.

I've been working rediculous hours again (since the tech quit). This one doctor new clinic (1 yr. old... started with 12 staff members) is rediculously hard to learn in. No one can answer my questions, because the only one who can is the vet. I'm thrown into things and told "figure it out", and it gets bad if I'm wrong. I love the veterinarian, but when she's stressed out, which has been lately, she yells and throws everything on us, the only staff left.

So if they're too understaffed, watch out.

And I drive 1/2 hour to ge there. It's worth it though, because in college, I can say to another clinic that I've worked there 3 yrs. I can finally restrain some cats, most dogs, birds, ferrets, lizards, etc. I'm more of a "room tech". I help with surgery prep, medicating animals, giving fluids to dogs/cats/ferrets, rehabbing "rehomed" parrots, etc. I get to do a lot, mostly because there's no one else. Not to mention the floors, the reception area (which is where I am a lot of the time). During the day I'm told if I'm going to reception, being a room tech, or cleaning (which I now only do if necessary). I got a raise (barely) , but it pays for the gas price iincrease.

On friday, two techs are interviewing there and I HOPE TO GOD they work out. One's experienced (hopefully, for real) and one is a college student who was previously an animal caretaker at a clinic. I hope they work out!

Well, anyways. TMI... but don't get caught in that. Is it worth it for me? Possibly. Maybe I'll spend four years of college actually doing tech work and be a real tech before vet school.........

Good luck.

 

[HeartSong]

Hmm, actually minimum wage right now is $5.85, going to go up to $6.55 in July and not up to $7.25 until next year. I wouldn't count on a vet paying much more than minimum wage. Could you maybe work there just a couple days out of the week and have another job that is better at helping cover the cost?

 

[Pomona2006]

Wow - minimum wage is really that low. I'm so glad I live in CA - minimum here is 8.00!

 

[NoleDevil]

Maybe you could consider getting a job not related to vet med and make a lot more $$, yet volunteer at this clinic a few times a week for the experience... or volunteer at a clinic in Stillwater so you could really save $$!

 

[Electrophile]

The majority of my vet experience was with a rural mixed practice in a place called Versailles, Missouri (said "Vur Sails," not "Ver Sai" like in French). I didn't get paid anything (except the vet usually offered to take me out to lunch to the Amish/Mennonite restaurant down the highway) and it was 150 miles round trip. This summer, I'm going to be working with the nutritionist (and hopefully one of the vets occasionally too) at the St. Louis Zoo a few times a week. 200 miles round trip a day and no pay either. So...don't complain too much! Hopefully the experience will at least partially pay for itself.

Just about all the vet schools these days are looking for folks with rural large animal experience. It is a little different lifestyle and you get a lot more dogs HBCs, shot, got into dog fights, etc cause the owners think it's like Lassie and because you're out in the country, the dogs should run free (I think we got one of those in just about every day I was there). But it was a good experience.

 

[CookieBear]

If you can't negotiate more with Antech, and you wish to leave there to work at this clinic, I would definitely be honest and up-front with the doc and see if she will compensate you enough so that driving and gas will not be a loss.

Let her hear how dedicated you are, and how much you wish to learn and, hopefully, if she sees you as a 'keeper' perhaps she will up the ante for you. You don't know unless you try/ask...

She may be a dynamite solo practitioner who you will learn tons from, so it's worth a shot.

Good luck

 

[david594]

Let her hear how dedicated you are, and how much you wish to learn and, hopefully, if she sees you as a 'keeper' perhaps she will up the ante for you. You don't know unless you try/ask...

How much of a keeper can any of us really be when if they ask us about our future plans, we would have to honestly say "If all goes to plan, I will be leaving in a year to go to vet school".

If the clinic has a pretty low turnover, then only sticking around for 1 year can be a major turn off to employers.

 

[twelvetigers]

Yeah, I realised today that the minimum wage is not going up to $7.25 until next year. Oh well. Sure, $8.00 is great... but with the CA cost of living, I think it might even out. Gas here, right now, is $3.65 a gallon. I guess that's not too different from anywhere else. Bleh.

I'm not applying for vet school this year, so a vet will potentially have me for more than two years. I think that's reasonable.

I have limited work experience too, so... I'm not sure what I would do to "cover the extra cost." Hmm.

I'm going to call the vet tomorrow and ask a few questions... we'll see how that goes. I'll probably ask what I would get paid, and maybe a bit more of what I would be doing exactly.

I just want you all to remember that I've applied to every clinic within a 10 mile radius four times over in my last four years here... summer freshman year, Christmas0ish freshman year, summer sophomore year, and recently. I'm pretty jaded now, and I'm tired of getting the run-around from the local clinics. I know I'm supposd to be persistent, but sheesh. I don't think I'm *that* horrible of an applicant.

 

[twelvetigers]

Well, it would pay $6.50 - $7.00 an hour. I didn't ask her to budge because A) I'm not hired yet, anyway - she's running an ad for two weeks, and B) she followed the pay with the phrase, "Because it's a rural practice, you know, there's not a lot of money involved, so the pay is what it is." It stinks to consider taking a $1/hour pay cut plus paying an extra $200/month just to get out there.

But then I asked what I would be doing, and she said, "Everything." She needs help up front, cleaning, examining, vaccines, and surgeries. So I'd be in on the whole shebang, so to speak. That's pretty cool.

Point is, I think I can float the price of gas, especially if I work full time. I'll make more doing that than I do working part-time for Antech. Subtract $100 per check for gas and I think I'll have about what I'm making now, maybe a bit less... but experience. And a desire to go to work in the mornings, perhaps! It's sad that I go into work at 10 or 11am and I still find it really hard to get up and GO. I do stay up until 3am reading the emergency medicine forum... but still. I'm just tired of it, that's all. So, I think that if she chooses me, I'll be going for it. If she doesn't, I guess I'll just stick around and see what opens up in Stillwater by August. I might try the Humane Society too, though shelter work isn't appealing compared to a clinical setting. Beggers can't be choosers!

Thanks for all of the advice guys... and if anyone reads this while in highschool and thinks they might want to be a vet someday, GET A JOB AT A VET CLINIC. Do it now. Make it happen. It'll be worth the effort later on.

I'll let you all know if I get hired... or not... eek.

 

[Whirr]

Good luck to you!

Just wanted to weigh in on the shelter work not being as appealing--I work at a shelter where the staff are trained to do physical exams, vaccines, behavior tests, etc. in addition to the cleaning and such that goes on, and I can tell you it's been a great experience as well, even if it won't count as vet experience (since we don't have a full-time vet on staff; just one who volunteers from time to time). I especially value the chance to understand shelter medicine (which has its own challenges) and the opportunity to get to work with people who have a lot of insightful questions relating to medicine, general animal care and health, and so on. All I'm saying is don't overlook a shelter job if you do have to go that route... that being said, I'd love to get the kind of job you're talking about and if I were in your shoes and were offered the position, I'd take it in a heartbeat, drive notwithstanding.

I'm crossing my fingers for you!

 

[CookieBear]

How much of a keeper can any of us really be when if they ask us about our future plans, we would have to honestly say "If all goes to plan, I will be leaving in a year to go to vet school".

If the clinic has a pretty low turnover, then only sticking around for 1 year can be a major turn off to employers.

Agreed. It's a risk. Some employers are willing to take it.

Sometimes, depending on circumstances, it may be that the potential vet student will/MAY return during summers or breaks.

Definitely agree that many employers may not take the risk. But, there are some out there. Even ones (employers) who pride themselves on low turn-over.

It doesn't apply to the original poster's practice in question (small one-doc show in rural area) but if you have a larger hospital, you can have a core group of full-timers, and a few/couple part-timers, and sometimes you can take the risk on a potential vet student.

(Why? Because they're often dedicated, they care about animals, they're interested in learning, may be willing to work long hours while with you, and they may indeed return -either summers as a tech, or potentially as a new grad in later years. I used to look at the big picture as an employer, in my previous so-called life ).

 

[clawsbeatskin]

Wow - minimum wage is really that low. I'm so glad I live in CA - minimum here is 8.00!

Please remember the cost of living in California is infinitely higher than that in Oklahoma. You can definitely get by on $8/hr in OK; is that even possible in CA?? It's pretty silly to compare the two like that.

Twelve Tigers, I'm not saying you don't deserve a raise, though

 

[Pomona2006]

Don't get me wrong, I know that there are extreme differences in the cost of living all across the country. I am more astonished that the federal minimum wage is so low in a time when gas is +/- $4.00 a gallon. Gas prices are relatively uniform across the US (sure it varies slightly by region, but it is still relatively uniform). Face it, no one here is paying the 1.25 a gallon that I was paying when I got my license.

Also, realize that CA is a huge state - and other than LA, San Diego, and San Francisco, there are a LOT of hugely rural areas that do compare to places OK in terms of cost of living. The people in those areas have the same minimum wage as the people in the cities. Is it likely for a person to live on 8.00 an hour (much less 5.25 or whatever it is per hour) in a place as expensive as San Francisco - - probably not seeing as the cost of living is sooooo high. Can people living in the middle of the state in some of those rural areas make it by on 8.00/hour? I would say it is more likely, but let's face it, minimum wage in this country is not exactly at a place where people can survive easily, at least in my opinion.

In case you or anyone is interested, check out the book Nickel & Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich - it's a short fast read but I found it quite interesting.

 

[clawsbeatskin]

That's why it's called the minimum. It's not meant to be a living wage. 95% of the people working at minimum wage are A. part time employees B. in high school and live at home or C. are just starting out without any job skills. The minimum wage is meant to be a starting point. It was never designed to be a "living" wage sufficient enough to support an entire family.

Keep insisting on increased minimum wages. Be prepared to pay more for every product, service, or consumable that you buy. If you don't like working for minimum wage, go work for WalMart or McDonald's, who, despite media reports to the contrary, pay a minimum of $8/hr regardless of the local minimum wage. Plus, they have career training and upward mobility to help rise above lower wages. Work hard, reap the benefits. Stop supporting handouts.

I personally make less than the minimum wage here in Texas (currently $5.85, I make about $12,000/yr before taxes working full time as a grad student), and I feel I do pretty well for myself. I go out with friends, catch movies, see shows, go shopping. Do I have kids? No. I'm not financially secure enough to do that. Would I try to have kids on that kind of salary? Heck no. That's a choice you make for yourself. Want to be able to support a family? Work hard and be promoted. Having kids isn't a right. It's a privilege. If you're in your 30's or 40's raising a family and still making minimum wage, you've obviously made some questionable desicions in your life and haven't applied yourself. Why should they receive more special attention than someone like you or me, who have worked hard to make a comfortable living?

Sorry for hijacking your thread, Twelve.

 

[OSJ]

I love small, rural vet practices!! I think the experience you get is very valuable. If she does not see alot of patients, that good very well be a great thing. More time to spend on each one individually and more time to teach you what is going on.
One thing that I loved about working at a small rural vet practice is that you get a little bit of everything. With only 1 or a few doctors, those doctors have to do everything from reading radiographs to vaccines to surgery. It is hard to be an expert at everything, so those vets spend alot of time researching and going back to text books. It is a great way for you to learn along with them. It's also really fun to see a couple horses, cows, sheep, dogs, cats, etc all in one day! Makes things alot more interesting! I miss working at the little country practices!

 

[Electrophile]

That's why it's called the minimum. It's not meant to be a living wage. 95% of the people working at minimum wage are A. part time employees B. in high school and live at home or C. are just starting out without any job skills. The minimum wage is meant to be a starting point. It was never designed to be a "living" wage sufficient enough to support an entire family.

Keep insisting on increased minimum wages. Be prepared to pay more for every product, service, or consumable that you buy. If you don't like working for minimum wage, go work for WalMart or McDonald's, who, despite media reports to the contrary, pay a minimum of $8/hr regardless of the local minimum wage. Plus, they have career training and upward mobility to help rise above lower wages. Work hard, reap the benefits. Stop supporting handouts.

I personally make less than the minimum wage here in Texas (currently $5.85, I make about $12,000/yr before taxes working full time as a grad student), and I feel I do pretty well for myself. I go out with friends, catch movies, see shows, go shopping. Do I have kids? No. I'm not financially secure enough to do that. Would I try to have kids on that kind of salary? Heck no. That's a choice you make for yourself. Want to be able to support a family? Work hard and be promoted. Having kids isn't a right. It's a privilege. If you're in your 30's or 40's raising a family and still making minimum wage, you've obviously made some questionable desicions in your life and haven't applied yourself. Why should they receive more special attention than someone like you or me, who have worked hard to make a comfortable living?

Sorry for hijacking your thread, Twelve.

I feel like such a Democrat for responding (I'm technically a registered Republican, but I'm actually pretty moderate). Anyways, 95%? Where'd you get that data?

By the way, I do agree with most of your last paragraph (I likewise have worked very hard in grad school and in vet school and would like to live comfortably), but in practice, it doesn't work for everybody. As much as I personally support people taking responsibility for their actions, unfortunately not everyone makes wise decisions when they are young. It's just the way the world works. Especially the teenage pregnancy thing. Furthering one's education and even working full time is very difficult when you decided to have kids for whatever reason when you're young. I'm not at all a fan of abortion, but it is somewhat saddening when young moms "do the right thing" and don't get an abortion, but then they have no support from their parents, no job, no education, and no way to work their way up beyond a WIC check. Then we have a never ending cycle of having the children of unwise decisions living in poverty and broken homes as well.

The way I see it, we have several things going on. For example, kids are not taught anything about financial planning, often by their parents (as money is a taboo subject and the parents themselves may be broke) or by middle or high school. The concept of compound interest was very abstract and boring to me. It wasn't "this is how much money you can make by investing!" It was "do some problems on a work sheet and turn it in." As a history minor, I thought a Roth IRA was some guy in the Irish Republican Army before I got informed in financial planning in grad school by about 23 years old. Kids are taught by the media and entertainment that consumerism is the way to be. Saving money and working hard isn't sexy.

We also typically don't like taking personal responsibility for our mistakes, be they financial, relationship, whatever. Baby mama drama, whatever. But at the same time, everyone needs a little boost every once in a while of support (both emotional and financial). No man is an island. Whether or not you agree with his training style, Cesar Millan is a great example. This is a man who worked very, very hard as new (illegal) immigrant and is now a multimillionaire. But I think it was Jada Pinkett Smith who gave him that little extra something to get him going. That's why I really like programs like http://www.kiva.org where it's not just a charitable handout to some faceless people in third world countries. It's investing in people who are small business minded who need a micro loan. Plus once they repay, you get the money back to keep or to re-invest in someone else. Pretty cool!

Anyways, sorry to bring religion into this (wow, bringing in religion, money, abortion, welfare...what else?!), but as a Christian, I called us to help the poor and destitute both human and animal, whatever their reasons for being in that condition. I think that's good advice for anyone in any religion, especially in a country where in many others, 12K a year would make you quite wealthy indeed!

One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, And He will repay him for his good deed.--Proverbs 19:17

The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'--Matthew 25:40

Okay, I too apologize for the hijacked thread!

 

[nyanko]

Also, realize that CA is a huge state - and other than LA, San Diego, and San Francisco, there are a LOT of hugely rural areas that do compare to places OK in terms of cost of living. The people in those areas have the same minimum wage as the people in the cities. Is it likely for a person to live on 8.00 an hour (much less 5.25 or whatever it is per hour) in a place as expensive as San Francisco - - probably not seeing as the cost of living is sooooo high. Can people living in the middle of the state in some of those rural areas make it by on 8.00/hour? I would say it is more likely, but let's face it, minimum wage in this country is not exactly at a place where people can survive easily, at least in my opinion.

Even in the rural areas surrounding Davis, I wouldn't see how it is possible to live on $8.00/hour. The cost of living out here is universally higher than in OK, or anywhere else in the South or Midwest for the most part. Even the rural areas are not comparable to those areas. We paid $200/month less in Orlando for a 3 br/2 ba house that was a lot bigger than our 2 br/1 ba duplex here. Our grocery bill is 1.75/2x higher than it was in Orlando, buying the same things.

 

[twelvetigers]

It's hard to compare prices unless you've lived in both places. Gas is $3.69 in Tulsa right now. OK usually has some of the cheapest gas prices in the nation because I suppose we have a supply of our own? Right now it seems evenly high in most places - of course more in San Francisco, etc.

Minimum wage isn't $8 here, it's going up to $6.55 this July. Right now it's still $5.85. $8 is okay, but I'd hate to live on it. My job is just there for experience as it is - I get about $250 every two weeks. So I figure that working full time for $6.55 an hour and spending $200 a month on gas vs. working part time for $8 an hour... and not really liking my job... eh. I hope I get the rural vet job, and I'll probably call Tues to check up on it.

Don't worry about the hijacking - this thread was a bit inactive anyway.

 

[nyanko]

It's hard to compare prices unless you've lived in both places. Gas is $3.69 in Tulsa right now. OK usually has some of the cheapest gas prices in the nation because I suppose we have a supply of our own? Right now it seems evenly high in most places - of course more in San Francisco, etc.

$4.07 at the cheapest place near me. Luckily I commute by bicycle.

 

[Electrophile]

$4.07 at the cheapest place near me. Luckily I commute by bicycle.

That is lucky, I am envious! I guess I *could* ride my bike, but it's about 7.5 miles from our house and some of it is 50 mph with no shoulder. I think in my future job wherever that may be, I'd like to live close enough to work to walk/bike or have like 50+ acres and grow/raise some of my own food to offset the need for gas. I've got a veggie garden going this spring and I can't wait to be drowning in 3 varieties of tomatoes and 4 kinds of peppers! I'm also going to try canning too. Salsa anyone?

I swear, if and/or when we get in dire straits for gas or some kind of nuclear holocaust or zombie invasion or something (hey, movies tell me it could happen! ), we'll probably have to go back to the same transportation we've used for thousands of years before cars: horses. Just gotta get me a low emissions, 4 wheel drive, power steering with AC horse. Do you think they'd mind being hitched outside the vet school for 8 hours a day?

 

[OSJ]

More need for equine vets then if everyone is riding horses!! Maybe the equine vets will then be only ones able to afford to drive!

 

[SillyFilly]

OSJ - Brilliant! Maybe then equine vets would actually make money. Perhaps this is a conspiracy the AAEP has signed up to help with....

 

[twelvetigers]

So... an update here... the clinic that I was considering was apparently looking to hire because another worker had broken his arm. When I called to ask about how things were going (read: if I had a job or not), she said that the broken arm guy was "able to come back to work after all." Umm, okay?

Since that fell through... I'm officially volunteering at the clinic I really want (and have wanted) to hire me. They've continually said that they aren't hiring, so I'm just going to volunteer until, I guess... someone leaves... and then I might have a chance? Sheesh, this has been insanely hard.

In the meantime, I have a weekend job lined up as an animal caretaker at the teaching hospital. Not vet experience, but good animal experience. It's 7am to 5pm, yuck. Oh well. I think it'll be worth it.

Man... has anyone else had anywhere near this much trouble? Bleh.

 

[david594]

Man... has anyone else had anywhere near this much trouble? Bleh.

Yup! I had to go to like 12 clinics before I could find one that would even take me as a volunteer, never mind a job. I volunteered there for like 3 months before a position opened up for me. Sounds like your situation might be for the best. Saves you the long drive and some volunteer opportunities can be better than jobs.

I've been working at my job going on a year now and I still spend a good amount of unpaid time there. I show up for any cool surgery I can to watch. The vet will always ask "you on your own time?", and if I am he will usually ask me to scrub in and assist. When I am on the clock, there is usually other work for me to do.

 

[twelvetigers]

I'm glad I'm not the only qualified, eager applicant to get the run-around.

However, if they don't hire me by August... I'm not sure what I'll do. I kinda need to make a transition by then. Blahhhhh....

 

[Pomona2006]

Twelvetigers -

Sorry to hear that one clinic didn't work out - - that's a bummer seeing has it was looking good. On the other hand, volunteering at the clinic you prefer is probably better in the end. Sure you won't be making money right up front, but it gives you an opportunity to show them how much they really should hire you because of your hard work and abilities, etc. I know at the shelter I volunteer at, a lot of people who are employees started out as volunteers, and then were hired as soon as someone was needed (or not!), just because they were really good and well liked. Another bonus is that you get to feel out the work environment. I've found that people are more honest about the work environment when I am a volunteer vs. a new employee.

Much luck! I hope it all works out for you!

 

[HeartSong]

Too bad you aren't in OKC or Norman right now. There are a few clinics that are practically begging for vet assistants or receptionists. Pay starts anywhere from $7.00/ hr to $9.25/ hr at an after hours emergency clinic. Hmm too bad I don't want to work at an after hours emergency clinic .