Thinking about becoming a vet

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Mandon

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2014
Messages
344
Location
British Columbia, Canada
Everyone here on the Rat Shack are honestly the only people I know who would [fully] understand why I want to do this, so I'm coming to you to pitch this idea [and to fish for encouragement. Not afraid to admit that. :p] Sorry if this post seems like a guy thinking out loud. That's largely what it is - it helps to get my thoughts out in the open and discuss them with people I trust.

I'm 20 years old and I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't really gone anywhere in life. I didn't finish highschool and I've never had a job, and the years are ticking away which also incredibly sucks, especially since I'll be turning 21 in less than a week. I had challenges in school and in my homelife growing up and that contributed largely to that.. but I digress.

Since I started taking care of rats last year - I feel a lot better about myself and the progress I've made as a rat owner. I mean it's a night and day difference.. they've given me a reason to start balancing my budget, go out of my comfort zone to make sure they're happy and healthy - and numerous other things that I can't think of on the spot.. it's incredible. My girls have made such a profound difference in my life and I love them even more for it.

And it's also made me realize something. I LOVE taking care of animals. I love it enough to want to do it for a living. Granted, that's certainly not the only reason I'm considering becoming a vet. I'm sure a lot of you have noticed it in your towns.. there simply aren't enough vets who are educated on rodents and exotic pets. I want to be that vet for the people in my town.

But my self-esteem is incredibly low right now and my subsequent depression causes me to struggle with motivation. Finishing my highschool education, finding my first job, etc etc are all things you usually deal through a period of years - and I have to get them all done much quicker. It's overwhelming, especially when considering all the work to actually become a vet - and then of course figuring out where to start and how to muster up the confidence and motivation to do it is also a struggle for me. I just really need some advice, encouragement, pretty much anything you guys can throw at me to help me pursue this dream and get out of this rough patch in my life. As odd as it might say, you're truly the only people I feel I can turn to right now.
 
This is wonderful news! You just needed some good reasons to give you some direction . I think it doesn't take too long to get your GED, and you'll be in good company. Lots of people don't finish high school for similar reasons to yours, and then they do it when their circumstances change.

So if you take one step at a time, you may find that you enjoy the journey.

You are so right that the world needs more vets who understand rats. Is there any nearby animal rehab centre that you could volunteer with? Wildlife rehab places seem to be the starting place for a lot of vets.

Please keep us posted. We will all be cheering for you. 21 isn't as old as you think! I didn't find my real vocation until my mid-thirties, and I don't regret the extra time it took me to go back to school.

Good luck!
 
This is wonderful news! You just needed some good reasons to give you some direction . I think it doesn't take too long to get your GED, and you'll be in good company. Lots of people don't finish high school for similar reasons to yours, and then they do it when their circumstances change.

So if you take one step at a time, you may find that you enjoy the journey.

You are so right that the world needs more vets who understand rats. Is there any nearby animal rehab centre that you could volunteer with? Wildlife rehab places seem to be the starting place for a lot of vets.

Please keep us posted. We will all be cheering for you. 21 isn't as old as you think! I didn't find my real vocation until my mid-thirties, and I don't regret the extra time it took me to go back to school.

Good luck!

Thank you so much for your response <3 It really puts me at ease about my whole life situation as well as giving me added certainty that this is the right path for me. I certainly will keep you all posted, and I can't wait to make some serious progress on this journey!
 
I think it's great that you have found something that you love to do, and which motivates you to take steps forward. So many people don't love (or even like!) their jobs, and you are on the path to being one of the lucky ones. Good luck!
 
Are there any vets on here that can give me advice and help me understand the process a little easier? It all feels so overwhelming right now after inactivity for so long. Everything I read on it feels like a foreign language to me. lol
 
You're definitely still young enough to make a decision or change what you want to do with your life. People do it throughout their entire lives, you could be 40 and decide to become an engineer or an author or a vet or a politician. Age doesn't matter at all - what matters is how hard you work, how much you are willing to sacrifice and persistence/dedication.

Personally, I think it's better to wait a hot minute before you go down any road. I regret trying to rush into my life. I'm 24 now - I have a degree, a full time job (that I hate!) and I own a car and a home.
I was in such a rush, and don't recommend it! You get burnt out fast, trying to cram so much in when you're young.

I have a GED. And let me tell you, the GED and everything about it is completely different than what it used to be.
Before, a GED (for some reason) was considered more of a stigma. Now, it can be quite the opposite. When I got my GED, I scored higher than 97% of high school graduates in all categories. So, my GED made me look better than the average HS grad.
I had a strange HS experience (due mainly to a multitude of anxiety disorders), and ended up leaving when I was 16 to study independently. When I was 17, I started college. I was set to graduate with my AA when I was 19, and that's when I found out I didn't take the right steps to get my HS diploma (HA!). Anyway, I found out, took my GED and got my Associate's Degree with High Honors in the span of 2 months, getting the GED didn't affect my ability to get the degree at all.
The GED isn't hard, you likely could pass it without studying. It's easy to sign up to go take it and it only takes a few hours.
There are tons of free resources to study and practice, too.

So that's where you should start. Get the GED done, out of the way. It will probably give you the self confidence boost you need!

Read up on being a vet too. Can you handle the blood (and literal) guts of the job? It's important to think about how being a vet would affect you... Some people don't cope well with loss, death, etc. And there is nothing at all wrong with that. But it's important to think about how your job is going to affect your mental, emotional and physical health.
I regret not spending longer to decide what I really wanted to do. It is so much easier to pick something that you want and fight like hell for it is than it is to pick something you aren't fully sure of and have to start all over later. So take the time to really assess everything that comes with being a vet.
Maybe you can volunteer at a clinic? I know it can be very competitive, even without pay, but it'd be good to be around. Even if it's just at one of those PetSmart clinics or a humane society.

I believe we do have a vet tech or two on this forum, but I can't recall. I think there are some (human) nurses too?
The steps to becoming a vet are all pretty much the same in the States, but I don't know about Canada. You should look into which schools around you offer a Vet Tech Program, they should either have a list of courses online, or you can call and set up an appointment to just chat with a counselor.

I'd say definitely pursue it, in any way you can. Even if it's just reading about vets or finding scholarly articles, etc. You can often find free college level courses online. They may not be necessarily in the vet line of education, but even just taking some basic math classes can help stimulate your desire to learn. Or find some practice GEDs and study a little. Just take it a small step at a time - at least for now, it will add up fast.
Or, go read RatGuide. That'd be a good place to study up on the various ailments you would see as a vet.
And of course, the world can absolutely always use another great rat vet. ^~^
 
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