Vet school??

[blknt18]

Ok this may be kinda long so bare with me if you will.

So I am trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. I know in the end I need to make my own decision but maybe someone can help me out. I have talked to many people about this but here it is. My grandpa and my dad are vets and I grew up most of my life wanting to be a vet also until I was in my later teens. I wasn't really into it anymore but loved working with cars. I decided to go to Iowa State for a year in Business just because I did not want to go undecided. Towards the end of that year I decided to go to Wyotech in Wyoming for auto body and auto upholstery. I really enjoyed it ended up back in Ames working at an upholstery shop but it got very slow I felt like I wasn't fullfililng my life. I really wanted to get into classic restoration and didn't really want to work in a body shop. I am now back at ISU going for Animal Science/Pre-vet and enjoy the animal science classes and chem isn't too bad but really don't care for biology. I have always been really good at math so I think that's why I do ok in chem. I never had to study in high school and got good grades so it is hard for me to study now. I don't know if my heart is really in it but idk if I want to work with cars when anyone with or without a high school diploma can do. I feel I need to do more with my life but I just don't know what to do. I'm afraid I won't even get in with my grades. Plus, I am married and it sucks not having money.

I know that is a lot of info but I am just so confused right now. I think I would enjoy being a vet it is just hard for me to motivate my self. Just give me some advice maybe lol. Also I am 22 if anyone cares to know.

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[bunnity]

I think the best thing for you to do at this point would be to spend some time shadowing a vet or working at a vet practice. I'm sure you've been exposed to the field a lot since there are vets in your family, but now that you're older and trying to figure out if this it the right profession for you, I think it would be useful. You're going to need lots of hours of experience to apply to vet school anyway, so you may as well get started in that respect too. Maybe your dad can set you up with a colleague?

My fiancee went through a similar thing with the cars, although he didn't end up going to school for it. I think a lot of people go into it hoping to be able to do restorations / mods and end up realizing that doing tires and oil changes over and over is closer to the reality of most jobs. That said, it's not a bad job as far as job security and there is good money if you can get a job with a higher end place or a good dealer. You mentioned money, and just remember that vet school can be very expensive and even then most vets aren't going to be making too much more than experienced mechanics.

Anyway, my advice would be to either get a job in a vet office or to keep your car job at the moment and do some vet-related volunteering on the side, which will help you figure out if vet med is something you want to do. I would also say see if your school has a career services / career counseling type of center that could help talk you through some of your options - maybe there is a third option out there that you're not realizing yet.

 

[blknt18]

Thanks, and also I no longer work at that car place. I have been in school this whole year so now will be a junior. Kinda sucks because I would have graduated this semester if I would have stayed in school but whatever.

 

[bunnity]

Well, if you take a look through the successful applicants thread or the non-traditional thread you will see there are many people on here who took time off from school, went back to school after several years of work, changed careers... so don't worry about being a junior at 22! You have plenty of time.

 

[twelvetigers]

Classics restoration is a hard field to get into. My husband started auto & collision repair with that in mind, but ended up getting sick of the field (since he could never find a way to get into classics). Now he's a network technician.

 

[blknt18]

I know this too. Plus most say you will make a lot more money in auto body plus classics may not be around forever with people having less money these days. I really want to build cars for myself and be a vet. I just don't know if I would find the time. I know my dad is always busy but he does own two clinics and used to have four. I just have to get the motivation to study and the money to live on.

 

[VAgirl]

I am now back at ISU going for Animal Science/Pre-vet and enjoy the animal science classes and chem isn't too bad but really don't care for biology.

This is the thing that sticks out to me. Biology's a huge field, so it depends what parts of it you don't like, but if you haven't liked any of the bio you've had, I'd be worried about that. Vet med is very biology heavy. Maybe you just haven't gotten into the more interesting stuff, but if you don't like the biological sciences, I'd question whether vet med was the right choice. The science doesn't go away, it just gets harder.

You may already know this, I'm just putting it out there.

 

[1CellNtheSea]

This is the thing that sticks out to me. Biology's a huge field, so it depends what parts of it you don't like, but if you haven't liked any of the bio you've had, I'd be worried about that. Vet med is very biology heavy. Maybe you just haven't gotten into the more interesting stuff, but if you don't like the biological sciences, I'd question whether vet med was the right choice. The science doesn't go away, it just gets harder.

You may already know this, I'm just putting it out there.

Unfortunately for the OP, I have to agree with VAgirl. Biology is pretty much the cornerstone of veterinary medicine. Everything relies on you knowing basic biology and far beyond.

 

[blknt18]

Ya I know about the Bio thing. Well last semester was all plants which I really hate learning about. This semester has been more biochem. The thing is I don't see any of the Biology I have learned important really in being a vet. I mean I know it is important for people making vaccines and so on but I don't really need to know it completely. I also have a bad teacher, our averages are usually low 60's so good thing he curves. Well I wouldn't say he is a bad teacher, he is just really smart and usually teaches a higher course. I just have a short attention span in some subjects I guess.

 

[VAgirl]

Ya I know about the Bio thing. Well last semester was all plants which I really hate learning about. This semester has been more biochem. The thing is I don't see any of the Biology I have learned important really in being a vet. I mean I know it is important for people making vaccines and so on but I don't really need to know it completely. I also have a bad teacher, our averages are usually low 60's so good thing he curves. Well I wouldn't say he is a bad teacher, he is just really smart and usually teaches a higher course. I just have a short attention span in some subjects I guess.

I was careful in my phrasing because not all of biology is important to vet med. For example, plant biology isn't (not so far as I've seen, anyhow...). Some other intro bio survey courses probably fall into a similar category. But biochem is actually extremely important. How metabolism works and especially how it can go wrong is a basis for understanding disease processes. You definitely are wrong if you think that biology is only important to researchers. It is absolutely a cornerstone of vet med, as 1CellNtheSea said, and if it doesn't interest you, I'm willing to bet vet school would be a particularly painful experience for you.

Sure, some professors aren't great and can leave you cold for a subject. But surely you have some sense as to whether or not you find life sciences and biology interesting in general. Ever pick up a Science News/Scientific American/newspaper article and read about some new scientific discovery in the life sciences/biology/biomedical field and go, "wow!"? My point is that the prereqs (especially the life sciences) aren't an obstacle to get past. They're a really important tool to assess interest level in the field in general.

 

[jglovicz]

Definitely shadow some vets. See what it's really like. I have to agree with the above posts. Biology is incredibly important. Even if you aren't designing a vaccine, you have to have a very comfortable relationship with biology so (for example) you understand how medications work, and more importantly, what happens when they don't work. Why is it ok to mix certain meds and not others? What happens when there is an adverse reaction to something? Organ failure? The list goes on and on. The other thing that I noticed is your comment about having a hard time studying. Be aware that you will be taking at least 20 credits of hard sciences each term. I'm not saying you can't do it, I'm just saying you should be aware of the time you will have to commit to studying (in addition to spending most of your day from ~9-5 in the classroom).

Again, I'm not trying to deter you, just be sure you're informed about with what you'll be faced. Good luck with your decision!

 

[sumstorm]

Plant bio can be very important in animal nutrition.

One of the most important things for me is to find out how it relates to what I am interested in. I actually dislike molecular biology and biochem (I am just not always such a micro level person) but I did well in them because I can understand how relevant they are.

 

[cuitlamiztli]

There's nothing wrong with not liking biology or certain aspects of it--nor with not knowing what you want to do. But, to be honest, it sounds like you're making excuses for not liking the material ("it's not relevant," "it was all plants and they don't matter anyway," "the instructor's too difficult") and are brushing off the suggestion that maybe vet med isn't the right path for you. As others have said, a lot of the biology you've been exposed to is extremely important in veterinary medicine and the more advanced courses will build on that information.

I would stop and seriously think about why you're tentatively pursuing veterinary medicine--and who you're doing it for. Is it because your dad and grandpa are vets? Would they be thrilled if you followed in their footsteps? Is it because it was your goal for so long, and you figure you may as well give it a shot? Or is it because you feel drawn to the profession and are truly interested in it? What do you/don't you like about working with animals? Shadowing or working with a vet other than your dad and grandfather will probably give you the best indication as to whether the profession is right for you.

Like bunnity said, try talking to Career Services or to your adviser. With your interest in your animal science, math, and chemistry courses over your biology ones, perhaps a career in one of those (or something like engineering) would be a better fit for you. It never hurts to explore your options. Good luck!

 

[sumstorm]

I would also suggest exploring fields more near engineering, given your interest in autos.

 

[blknt18]

I thought about engineering but my friends in it say you get no hands on in the real world just design which isn't what I want to do.

My dad would be glad if I did the vet thing but isn't pushing it on me at all. I think I feel like I need to do it for some reason. I need to feel like I accomplished something larger maybe. Plus I now alot about animals and vet medicine being around it my whole life. I love cars but I think it is just a hobby because I don't think I'd be happy doing it for a career. I just have no clue lol. Thanks for all of the advice though.

 

[sumstorm]

Depends on the engineer/type. The higher up the seniority chain you go, the more hands off, but I think that is true in most business models. Husband is an engineer and was very hands on before taking a presidency in the past couple of years.

Just like you can shadow vets, you can shadow other professions to get a feel of what suits you. I often suggest going farther out than friends and friends of friends just because it will expand what you will encounter.

 

[VAgirl]

I often suggest going farther out than friends and friends of friends just because it will expand what you will encounter.

Also, if your friends are 22 like you (and likely fresh out of school themselves), they may not have a full appreciation for what a given field entails.

 

[nyanko]

I think I feel like I need to do it for some reason. I need to feel like I accomplished something larger maybe.

I'm sorry, but that seems like a really stupid reason to do something that requires this much schooling and commitment.

Go plant a tree or something if you want to feel like you made an impact and don't care what it is. If you want to accomplish something in vet med (which is a huge field absolutely filled with variety...) then go to vet school.

I also agree that hating bio is another good reason not to do vet (or any kind of) medicine. You don't have to love every single part of it, but you do need to see how it can relate to the big picture and be able to motivate yourself to learn it, even if it's just to learn it well enough to be able to relate it to something that does interest you.

 

[justinpaws]

Sometimes people give up what they want to do, or would rather do, in pursuit of a career that they think is sort of more...I don't know, morally charitable, or that it's more "accomplished"--like if someone were to ask you what you do for a living, you might rather say "veterinarian" than "auto mechanic/restorer." But making a decision on this basis is probably a big mistake if your heart always lies elsewhere, unless you find a way to balance the two (i.e. be a veterinarian and do auto restoration on the side, for example), which plenty of people do. So I guess the question is, despite your dislike for biology and possibly other aspects of vet school, do you want to be a vet badly enough that you are willing to work your butt off to get through school? Then are you willing to bust your butt trying to establish yourself in the field after? And are you willing to devote yourself to veterinary medicine for the rest of your life? It isn't just four years and then a decent-salary party. Things change fast, new technology becomes available, and you have to keep up. You'll have to read scientific journals in your spare time, for example. You'll have to deal with angry owners and maybe lawsuits. Etc.

I guess another tactic is to ask yourself that if every job out there paid the same, and no one had a higher or lower opinion of what you chose to do, what would you want to be doing? And if your first answer isn't veterinary medicine, are you willing to concede whatever it is that you want to do most? I know this is getting philosophical and preachy. But really, you can't do something because you think other people will respect you more for it; if you do what you like then they only have reason to envy you.

It's also never too late to change your mind. It may be harder if you have to re-take prereqs if you decide on vet school later in life, but you're still young enough (basically my age) to test the waters and figure out what you want...at least I think so. As others suggested, you can always volunteer at a clinic or shelter to see what it's really like. Maybe work on cars in the meantime to make money.

By the way, I consider animal science to be a branch of biology. I mean, biology is the study of life. So everything about animals fits in there and maybe you don't hate everything about bio. I agree that some things are pretty agonizing though, like memorizing reactions and cycles.