Changing careers and going back to school

[makbike]

GLC1968 be sure you talk to the vet school you will be applying to and make sure your previous course work will be valid. I know when I gave some thought to vet school years ago I found out all my course work for my degree in Biology was not valid as they only honored course work taken within the past ten years.

[GLC1968]

GLC1968 be sure you talk to the vet school you will be applying to and make sure your previous course work will be valid. I know when I gave some thought to vet school years ago I found out all my course work for my degree in Biology was not valid as they only honored course work taken within the past ten years.

I actually checked already because I was worried about my original biology that I took 20 years ago. They said it was fine (probably since it was only basic bio and not something more specialized). And my engineering stuff was only 8 years ago, so most of it is pretty recent. I'll be taking more specialized stuff as prereqs (like biochem and animal nutrition), so those will obviously be very recent. And even though I already have an MS degree, I'll still have to take the GRE for the third time in my life to demonstrate my ability to handle graduate level work. Makes sense, right?

[Deborajen]

Are scholarships out of the question? Back when I was in college (it's been awhile - ) the usual advice was "don't go to grad school unless you can get someone else to pay for it." Now, I never knew for sure if that meant there were lots of scholarships out there, if you can't get someone else to pay then you're not grad school "material," or it's best to build a network first and the network should include the financial backing. But I didn't go to (or haven't gone to) grad school.

I've tossed around the idea of changing careers, too. I don't think it's crazy at all. Variety is the spice of life, right? And dreams are good! My thoughts are to take a prerequisite or two and just ease back into it - see how it goes.

[GLC1968]

Are scholarships out of the question? Back when I was in college (it's been awhile - ) the usual advice was "don't go to grad school unless you can get someone else to pay for it." Now, I never knew for sure if that meant there were lots of scholarships out there, if you can't get someone else to pay then you're not grad school "material," or it's best to build a network first and the network should include the financial backing. But I didn't go to (or haven't gone to) grad school.

I've tossed around the idea of changing careers, too. I don't think it's crazy at all. Variety is the spice of life, right? And dreams are good! My thoughts are to take a prerequisite or two and just ease back into it - see how it goes.

That's a really good point. I need to look into it. That's why I have no student loans from my first masters degree - 80% of it was covered by a research grant. The remaining 20% was covered by a fellowship. All I paid for was books and living expenses and I worked part time to cover that. When I was at a conference as a student, I was approached by two different PhD programs who offered me free ride if I would attend and then teach at their schools. Being a an american born woman with good communications skills really served me well in EE. I didn't take either one up on their offer and I'm super thankful that I didn't. I'd feel way too guilty to ever leave behind a field if I had a PhD in it!

I have no idea how this all might work for the medical field. There are a list of scholarships that I can apply for based on things like my ethnicity, my specialty, my grades, etc...so there are options. I'll have to do some research. Thanks for the idea!

[tulip]

Start at the financial aid department of the university. They ought to have tons of information and guidance for scholarships. I used to work at the financial aid office of a large state university, and I was amazed that the scholarships that were out there. That was pre-internet, so they are probably easier to research now.

Crankin, I'm very familiar with Lesley. I lived around the corner from it for much of my childhood (well, four or five years--which IS alot of childhood!). It's an excellent school, and you undoubtedly got a very good education there. Vet schools, however, are usually state schools/land grant universities. Tufts, of course, is not, but I really see no reason to go to a private vet school because there are so many excellent public ones. I considered pre-vet as an undergrad (but ended up in art history!?!)

GLC, it's so great what you are doing! Biciclista is right--we will regret what we don't do...so go do it!

Makes me want to go watch All Creatures Great and Small...I love the border collies.

[Possegal]

I started out wanting to be a vet, then worked for one for a year and realized it wasn't for me. That was a long time ago (dang it hurts to admit that) but at the time, the deal was that if there was a vet school in your state, it was virtually impossible to get accepted to another vet school. No idea if it is still like that, but for me it meant that my only real choice was Penn. There are not that many vet schools in the US (28 I think), where as there are 150-some medical schools. The joke was always that a lot of MDs you know, started out wanting to be vets but couldn't get into vet school.

I say good for you and go for it! The one debt I do not regret is the payment on my PhD. I joke that when I retire I'll stop paying and let them repossess the degree, but in fact, I should be done with it in a couple years. YAY ME.

[GLC1968]

Oh, and as an update:

My husband said he was willing to support me in this quest, but I could tell that he was really hesitant. He said he wanted me to be happy, but I was getting the distinct impression that he didn't believe that this particular path would make me any happier than my current one.

We had a talk last night (no idea how we got on the subject in the first place as this was not an intended 'talk'). I was finally able to explain exactly why I didn't like my current career, how I ended up choosing it and why I'd never excel at it. I could totally see the light bulb light up over his head! I'm thinking of putting my words in writing so that I can remember what I said. It would probably be helpful to use the same explanation when I tell my parents and someday, my boss. Anyway, end result is that he is definitely 100% on board with this decision (and in some ways, is even more appreciative of his own career choice).

[NbyNW]

GLC, I think it's wonderful that you are doing research towards doing something you love.

I just remembered another idea for you -- I don't recall how close you are to Portland, but maybe volunteering at the zoo could be good stepping-stone experience? Many years ago, a colleague of my husband's took a sabbatical to do exactly this: she basically shoveled poop and helped feed the animals for 3 months while applying to vet school. She ended up never going back to work at her old job!

[Kerry1976]

Another possibility in terms of funding your education is assistantships. When I got my first master's, I had an assistantship that covered my tuition plus paid a stipend. That left me with fees and books. Every school is different, of course, but an assistantship could both pay for your education and give you valuable experience in the field, if available.

I wish you the best of luck as you move forward! You can do this - if you want!

[jobob]

I'd feel way too guilty to ever leave behind a field if I had a PhD in it!

Oh, it's not that hard to do ...

[GLC1968]

Oak - that makes a ton of sense. My friend Steph did the exact same thing when we were both recent grads. Her legal assistant experience was invaluable to her. While I don't want to waste my time with a vet tech degree, if I could work as one on a volunteer basis over the next two years, I totally will.

In fact, getting the vet experience is the one thing I haven't researched yet and the one thing I'm most worried about! What if no vets want to take on a 43 year old volunteer? Ugh.

Assistantships - good to know. I think every field calls these things something different! One advantage to doing this now as opposed to when I was 22 is that now I have the confidence (read: balls) to seek out these opportunities where as I wouldn't have back then.

[Crankin]

Yes, younger people may think career changing is nuts past age 40, but, really, I know myself a lot better now than I did at 22.
It's true that vet schools are all state schools, except Tufts... I think. I know that if your state does not have a vet school, they usually have an interstate compact with the closest vet school. The person I mentioned in my above post went to Texas A&M, but paid in state tuition, since AZ has no vet school.
And finally, I agree with Oak that any experience in the field is going to serve you well when you are in school or when you start your career. Tuesday I got to my clinic, and every admin person pounced on me; everyone knew that one of my clients had been transferred to Medicaid from Mass Health, which meant I couldn't see him anymore (gee, the government cares about someone seeing an intern?). I had to get a paper signed by the clinic director or 2 other designees and I had to tell the guy, who was coming in in like 45 minutes. I couldn't find the clinical director, so I got the paper signed, found another therapist to take over the case, and I did the paper work. The client didn't show up, so I called him and took care of that. Then I got an email from the clinic director, to "see him" about the issue. I wrote him back that it was all taken care of. He was kind of shocked, but this was an occasion where my experience of dealing with the red tape in a school system served me well. I think they thought I was going to fall apart, which pretty much is never going to happen to me in a work situation.

[ny biker]

In fact, getting the vet experience is the one thing I haven't researched yet and the one thing I'm most worried about! What if no vets want to take on a 43 year old volunteer? Ugh.

Assistantships - good to know. I think every field calls these things something different! One advantage to doing this now as opposed to when I was 22 is that now I have the confidence (read: balls) to seek out these opportunities where as I wouldn't have back then.

No, you have the ovaries to see out those opportunities now.

I agree that being 43 is not necessarily a handicap in finding a volunteer position. Plus you have experience with animals that most younger people probably don't have, unless most folks in your area live on farms.

[badger]

I am so envious of you!! About 10 years ago I had made a decision to go back to school to become a veterinarian. However, my very weak math skills came back to haunt me in that I really struggled with even the basic math and couldn't continute to even do anything like calculus or physics, which I would have needed to even apply.

There was only 3 vet schools in Canada then (I think there's 4 now), which meant I would be competing for one of 15 spots with those who have 5.0 GPA. It would also have meant I'd have at least 7 years of school (my BA in anthropology would have only counted for maybe 1 year of prerequisites) and god knows how much in student loans, I gave up. I even had a tattoo of a vet insignia put on me, but I had to hang my head in shame and have it covered up with a humming bird.

So, I'm hoping you'll pursue your goals in becoming a vet, that would be SOOOOOO exciting!! I'd say live your dreams, chase them and go for them. 2 years of undergrad is nothing, and then just 4 years of vet school. It will just FLY by, and you can live your dreams. If I were even remotely capable of even being accepted into a school, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

[Selkie]

You definitely have what it takes to be a great vet. The very calm way you handled Sass's delivery of a stillborn baby---getting the baby away from her quickly so as not to upset her---and helping Oreo and the other baby into the world. Well, that pretty much proves that you can do it.

You'll be a compassionate, smart, talented, competent vet with a great hayside/floorside/cage side manner. Enjoy the journey earning your DMV!