4th year Vet student at 40 years old

[Leespeci]

For all the people that question themselves on whether they should go back to school or not because they're too old. I will be 41 years old and have one year left of Veterinary School. Is it possible. Yes indeed. Go for it.

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[Whaweep]

For all the people that question themselves on whether they should go back to school or not because they're too old. I will be 41 years old and have one year left of Veterinary School. Is it possible. Yes indeed. Go for it.

I've been a DVM for 12 years. I'm going to start medical school at 51. I believe it will be a better choice for me. Hey if I'm wrong about career choice for the second big time I can always start my psych ward on fire with all of my diplomas! As far as age, forget it! Your brain doesn't stop until four minutes after you quit breathing. The only thing to fear, is debt itself. Hey it's only debt, O'Bama says debt is a good thing.

 

[Armymutt25A]

I'm just hoping that my knees and back will hold out for another 10 years after I'm 40. With my um..credentials from my past lives, I'd be very valuable to the special operations community as a vet. The mind set is there, just have to get the joints to follow.

 

[Maddiegirl]

For all the people that question themselves on whether they should go back to school or not because they're too old. I will be 41 years old and have one year left of Veterinary School. Is it possible. Yes indeed. Go for it.

Thank you for posting this! I'm 35 and just now starting my prerequisite classes. I've often asked myself if I'm crazy for thinking it's possible to live my dream. I'm so glad to see it is possible!

Thanks for the inspiration!!

 

[critterfixer]

I'll be graduating at age 45 next month! After a looong day on equine surgery, my body is screaming at me. But my younger classmates feel just as sore, so it's not age.

The only thing that bugs me about graduating at this age is that I have less years to participate in a career I love. I wish I'd done it years ago.

 

[lunajett]

The only thing that bugs me about graduating at this age is that I have less years to participate in a career I love. I wish I'd done it years ago.

I think the exact same thing. I should be graduating at 46, and will be lucky to have a good 20 year career, the first half of that spent paying off loans. My classmates will probably have 40 years yo look forward to.

 

[RN2DVM]

I also thank you for the words of encouragement. Currently at 37, I'll be applying for the first time when I'm 39.

 

[philomycus]

Critterfixer! I was wondering how you were doing!! Congrats on almost being done!!

 

[lunajett]

I also thank you for the words of encouragement. Currently at 37, I'll be applying for the first time when I'm 39.

Whippersnapper.

 

[yetze]

I've been a DVM for 12 years. I'm going to start medical school at 51. I believe it will be a better choice for me. Hey if I'm wrong about career choice for the second big time I can always start my psych ward on fire with all of my diplomas! As far as age, forget it! Your brain doesn't stop until four minutes after you quit breathing. The only thing to fear, is debt itself. Hey it's only debt, O'Bama says debt is a good thing.

oh, man! why you do that. Are you really enjoying torturing yourself?

 

[N1cks]

Thought provoking post.

I'm in my late twenties. I've wanted to be a veterinarian since high school (a farm Vet to be specific), & every now and then I feel compelled to give it a go. I then work through the thought processes in my head (like I've done before).


My key concerns are:

- Am I too lazy to study for another 5 years. I reckon I've the capability.

- Money. Veterinarians don't earn that much (strangley). In my current job my salary is in the same ball park as a vet (going from online research).

- Job satisfaction - the main reason for making the change. While I think I'd enjoy being a farm Vet, but as with anything, you don't really know until you try.


I'm not too worried about the age thing because I figure the retirement age will be 70+ when it comes my time.

I'm also encouraged by the fact that there's currently a shortage of male farm vets. Many veterinarian graduates are female and opt for inner city companion animal practices.


So, any advice, encouragement, and opinion is welcomed.

 

[LetItSnow]

I think the exact same thing. I should be graduating at 46, and will be lucky to have a good 20 year career, the first half of that spent paying off loans. My classmates will probably have 40 years yo look forward to.

Hey... thanks for the encouragement, y'all. I'll be graduating - if I make it through, I suppose - at 45. I have to admit to having moments of "am I just stupid crazy for doing this?" It's nice to hear from the rest of you.

 

[Armymutt25A]

Adjusted for age, I'm either just as crazy or crazier. The job I'm seeking also involves jumping out of planes here and there. My knees are pretty beat up right now - can't imagine they will be any better at 41. Just can't see myself being in a regular vet position.

 

[lunajett]

I'm in my late twenties. I've wanted to be a veterinarian since high school (a farm Vet to be specific), & every now and then I feel compelled to give it a go. I then work through the thought processes in my head (like I've done before).

My key concerns are:

- Am I too lazy to study for another 5 years. I reckon I've the capability.

- Money. Veterinarians don't earn that much (strangley). In my current job my salary is in the same ball park as a vet (going from online research).

- Job satisfaction - the main reason for making the change. While I think I'd enjoy being a farm Vet, but as with anything, you don't really know until you try.

I'm not too worried about the age thing because I figure the retirement age will be 70+ when it comes my time.

I'm also encouraged by the fact that there's currently a shortage of male farm vets. Many veterinarian graduates are female and opt for inner city companion animal practices.

So, any advice, encouragement, and opinion is welcomed.

If you really wanted it, I wouldn't see your age as being a major hurdle. You could theoretically be graduating in your mid-30's, which is reasonable (or even enviable, to someone like myself who will be graduating in mid-40's).

But based just on what you've written, personally I wouldn't encourage you because it just doesn't sound like you've got the "fire in your belly" to put yourself through this. You think you'd enjoy it, you think about "giving it a go", you think your smart enough. That's all well and good, but not enough to get you there. You've got to want it more than anything else, to sacrifice years of income and other opportunities, social life, sanity, etc., all for a job that will always be stressful, difficult, and not hugely financially rewarding.

If you're concerned about money now, that says alot. Most of us doing this probably SHOULD be more concerned about that, but our passion overules reason sometimes. Most of us will be hugely in debt for many years, while not making a great salary considering the investment of time and effort.

If you think you might be too lazy, well, then, yeah, you might be. It is years of hardwork, and there are many easier ways to make a decent living.

If you think the farm vet life appeals to you, check it out. Find a way to shadow or volunteer with some farm vets, that should either help light a fire or show you it's not worth it for you. And then if you do really like that life, there are other ways to make a living in that field without all the work, expense, and time involved with becoming a vet.

 

[N1cks]

If you really wanted it, I wouldn't see your age as being a major hurdle. You could theoretically be graduating in your mid-30's, which is reasonable (or even enviable, to someone like myself who will be graduating in mid-40's).

But based just on what you've written, personally I wouldn't encourage you because it just doesn't sound like you've got the "fire in your belly" to put yourself through this. You think you'd enjoy it, you think about "giving it a go", you think your smart enough. That's all well and good, but not enough to get you there. . . . . . . .

I appreciate your candour, and I agree with what you've said.

I won't make any decision without a huge amount of self-assessment. So when I know, I'll be sure and ready to take on the challenge. But I'd rather come to this decision now, rather than in ten years time.

Perhaps this was the case for you. You obviously have passion but it begs the question why you left it late in life.

You don't have to answer that. I realise there are a multitude of personal circumstances such as family, and career which accompany anyone's decision making process.

A little more about me. I grew up on a sheep and beef farm. I've been to uni. and completed a Master in Science degree. I've had jobs in research, & government.

To be cynical, government = people making work for each other. Research = chasing ones tail. What appeals to me about veterinary work is that if the animal is sick, you treat it. You help the animal, the owner, & the country (particularly in the case of a farm vet) all in one go. It's immensely practical, & I suspect that is hugely rewarding. Plus you get to travel around & meet lots of people.
I reckon my personality & temperament is well suited to vet work.

I'm currently on a world trip, working as I go. Hopefully by the end of it I'll have some resolve about what I want to do.

 

[lunajett]

Perhaps this was the case for you. You obviously have passion but it begs the question why you left it late in life.

You don't have to answer that. I realise there are a multitude of personal circumstances such as family, and career which accompany anyone's decision making process.

Yeah, that's a good question. I definitely wish I had reached this point about ten years earlier. For me, there was no one thing, or sudden decision. It was more a gradual realization, based on a few different things. I liked my previous career, it was rewarding both personally and financially (I worked my way up over about 15 years; I would certainly never get rich there but that was never a huge goal of mine anyway.) But I gradually realized that it just wasn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, the next 20-30 years. I wasn't quite burnt out, but I felt I'd gone as far as I wanted to go in that field and just wanted ... something more.

I'd always loved animals and had been volunteering for various animal welfare causes a lot over the previous years, and was realizing that was really more my passion. Originally, I wasn't looking at vet med, but more at shelter/humane society administration. I started to look more into medical avenues primarily as a way to get my foot in the door in the shelter world, but then the medical stuff really grabbed me more. Eventually came to the realization that shelter med was what I most wanted to do. Went down to part-time at the old job and got a new part-time gig in an animal ER/specialty center to fget the experience and find out if this was really what I wanted. Took three years of pre-reqs and two rounds of applications to get in, but here I am.

Also, I did have the childhood dream of being a vet, but was never good at math and science, and frankly wasn't all that motivated as a kid so never pursued it. My family wasn't big on taking risks, so I went the safe easy route, got an easy BA and went into that field. I think if I had had early exposure to being around vets, or parents that really encouraged me to "chase my dreams", I might have pushed myself harder and gotten hear sooner.

So I think your early exposure to being around animals and vets definitely is in your favor with making a good decision. But be aware, vet work is not necessarily as clear-cut as you might think. There are often very conflicting values and priorities. What you might most want to do to help your patient might not be what the client is willing/able to pay for. You might easily be able to save an animal or prevent dz, but someone has to be willing to pay for it, and often the client wants to do the bare minimum or nothing at all. Or there might not be any clear-cut best approach, and you essentially have to roll the dice. I think any vet will encounter frustrating conundrums like that on a daily basis, so don't think vet med is ideal compared to the other careers you mention.

 

[Mohandis]

I'm soon to be 31 & 7 years into my first career in the corporate world. Having grown up on a horse farm I thought a lot about a possible career as a vet but decided that I wasn't up to coping with euthanasia nor could I afford it.

Recently I've spent lots of time in vet clinics to treat my dog for osteosarcoma. It has been a real emotional roller coaster & I've worried many times that he was done for. 6 months since the diagnosis & he is still with us & doing well now. All this time I have been thinking how much more fulfilling it would be to devote my life to helping animals as a vet! Certainly more satisfying than my current role even though my salary isn't bad. I'm making a serious effort to investigate what I need to do to apply (like get all the bio & chem prerequisite courses) & what the hard realities are for practicing vets.

I am thinking I would like to specialize in orthopedics, regenerative medicine, prosthetics and/or rehabilitation. My undergrad degree is Mechanical Engineering so I'd like to be able to apply that expertise in my next career.

As the cost is pretty substantial (but I could go in-state) I'd really like to hear from those that have gone down this path. What unexpected obstacles have you come across? Do you feel confident in the job market for vets graduating in the next 5 years? Any advice or perspective would be great.

 

[alliecat44]

Since you asked about the job market, here are two recently-posted articles about it:



http://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=18590


http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm...tegoryId=47831

Also, you can do a search for "non-trads" in the pre-veterinary forum--there area bunch of threads about people pursuing vet med as a second career. Most of the SDN vet action is actually in the pre-vet forum--you can get all kinds of great info there from pre-application process stuff, job shadowing tips, non-trad advice, financial aid/tuition information (for instance, how likely is it that you will be accepted in-state? etc), all that kind of stuff.

Enjoy!

 

[StartingoverVet]

Mohandis -

I definitely second Alliecat's advice to check out the pre-vet forum, there are a lot of threads on this topic. Try the forum search tool. There is a specifically a few threads on older non-traditionals, and one for 40 and older people (which I unfortunately fit into)....

I didn't quite have the same passion when I was younger so I am perhaps a little bit of anomaly. The pre-reqs are a lot to do while working full time. It took me almost 3 years just to get those in. But I actually found I loved taking classes so that was a real plus. Also you will have to get some experience with a vet (probably shadowing), that is another time commitment to make. I also did that very slowly over 3 years. You will find out a lot about the biz that way. Don't worry about learning "skills", that is not what shadowing is for....

Also, going back to vet school at this age has not been particularly easy. It has taken most of 1st year to get myself up to the level necessary to do well. My wife always says the brain is like a muscle that needs to be exercised, and mine was definitely old and out of shape! Things improved as the year went on and I think I went out on a high note (well maybe not today, but recently)....

Finally, depending on your personal situation, you may find it a bit difficult to be with people much younger than you. No one really seems to care, or say much to me unless I bring it up, but still, it is not like the "kids" are going to hang out with you much (or perhaps vice versa).

It is definitely "doable", it is definitely hard, and you really have to think whether it worth it for you. You really do lose your life for a while, and my health was iffy for a while, and I am disgustingly out of shape right now physically (how much do i weigh??????).... I have no idea if it will be worth it, but if you are unhappy in your current situation, a change can do some good.

good luck, and definitely check out the forum.

SOV

 

[Cailyn Brown]

I'm soon to be 31 & 7 years into my first career in the corporate world. Having grown up on a horse farm I thought a lot about a possible career as a vet but decided that I wasn't up to coping with euthanasia nor could I afford it.

Recently I've spent lots of time in vet clinics to treat my dog for osteosarcoma. It has been a real emotional roller coaster & I've worried many times that he was done for. 6 months since the diagnosis & he is still with us & doing well now. All this time I have been thinking how much more fulfilling it would be to devote my life to helping animals as a vet! Certainly more satisfying than my current role even though my salary isn't bad. I'm making a serious effort to investigate what I need to do to apply (like get all the bio & chem prerequisite courses) & what the hard realities are for practicing vets.

I am thinking I would like to specialize in orthopedics, regenerative medicine, prosthetics and/or rehabilitation. My undergrad degree is Mechanical Engineering so I'd like to be able to apply that expertise in my next career.

As the cost is pretty substantial (but I could go in-state) I'd really like to hear from those that have gone down this path. What unexpected obstacles have you come across? Do you feel confident in the job market for vets graduating in the next 5 years? Any advice or perspective would be great.

Hi Mohandis!

Career in veterinary is great. The job outlook for veterinarians is expected to increase rapidly in near future. But since you are already in a job, I would suggest to go for some distance learning programs. There are lots of universities which are providing online veterinary programs. Without losing the existing job you can get veterinary certification. You need not worry about the cost also as they some universities are providing scholarships. The following link may help you by giving the details of some such universities and their scholarship programs.

http://veterinariantechnician.org/financial-aid-and-scholarships-for-vet-techs/

After completion of your veterinary course you can opt for some profession that utilizes the knowledge of both, mechanical engineering and veterinary.

 

[alliecat44]

Hi Mohandis!

Career in veterinary is great. The job outlook for veterinarians is expected to increase rapidly in near future. But since you are already in a job, I would suggest to go for some distance learning programs. There are lots of universities which are providing online veterinary programs. Without losing the existing job you can get veterinary certification. You need not worry about the cost also as they some universities are providing scholarships. The following link may help you by giving the details of some such universities and their scholarship programs.

http://veterinariantechnician.org/financial-aid-and-scholarships-for-vet-techs/

After completion of your veterinary course you can opt for some profession that utilizes the knowledge of both, mechanical engineering and veterinary.

A veterinary technician is NOT the same as a licensed veterinarian. To become a veterinarian involves four years at an accredited professional school and there are NO distance programs. The average debt from this education for 2011 graduates is $134,000. The job market for veterinarians right now is EXTREMELY competitive and shrinking rapidly.

The veterinary TECHNICIAN field is very different.

Just FYI.

 

[Vetgal11]

For all the people that question themselves on whether they should go back to school or not because they're too old. I will be 41 years old and have one year left of Veterinary School. Is it possible. Yes indeed. Go for it.

 

[Vetgal11]

I am career changing and will be starting Vet school at the age of 50!!! I figure I'll still have to work for another 20 plus yrs and I want to enjoy what I am doing.... Life is just too short....

 

[Cautiously Optimistic]

I am career changing and will be starting Vet school at the age of 50!!! I figure I'll still have to work for another 20 plus yrs and I want to enjoy what I am doing.... Life is just too short....

I am starting at Tennessee this fall, and I am 51. You can do it folks!

 

[sharonlily]

I'm 31 and just found out I got in

 

[Squeaksmom]

I'm interviewing for UCVM on the 22nd of this month (eek...). I'm 37, which will make me 41 at graduation. Going back to school is one of the best decisions I ever made!

 

[pipab]

I'm 38. I'm going to apply to Texas A&M vet school(IS) this year. If I don't get accepted to US school, not sure to wait for next year cycle or apply to Caribbean schools. Anyone has the same plan?

 

[pipab]

Sorry just realized that I'm in Veterinary forum, not Pre-vet. >_<

 

[N1cks]

I'm 38. I'm going to apply to Texas A&M vet school(IS) this year. If I don't get accepted to US school, not sure to wait for next year cycle or apply to Caribbean schools. Anyone has the same plan?

That's awesome pipab. I hope it works out for you.

It has been a couple of years since I've replied to this thread. I still think a lot about the Veterinarian course, but I'm more satisfied with my career at the mo, so the urge isn't quite so strong.

I don't know what the situation is like in the USA, but here in Australia there's currently an oversupply of vet students (there are seven Vet universities for a pop. of 23 million) and pay for both graduate & experienced Veterinarians is low for the amount of student debt.

This aside, the important thing is that you're doing something you love & are passionate about.

For me, while I'd love to be a farm Vet, I also love my snowboarding holidays. So I'll just have to remain envious of those who are bold enough to go down this path 30+ years old.

 

[GAH-47D]

I am starting at Tennessee this fall, and I am 51. You can do it folks!

Just saw your post in this forum. I'm 33 and starting at UTK this fall c/o 2019. How has your first year been going?

 

[Gemgrrrl]

I'm 41 and starting this fall. It's daunting to think that I'll be 45 when I graduate, but I'd rather be a 45 and a DVM than, well.... just 45.

This probably technically belongs on the pre-vet forum, but since it's an old thread... would love to hear how school has been for the other old timers around here.

 

[Squeaksmom]

I love it! But get back to me after finals....

 

[GAH-47D]

LOL! Guess our timing was off with hitting up the peers Re-hash in May?