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  1. #16
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    Nov 2005
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    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.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Uncanny Valley
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    14,498
    Quote Originally Posted by GLC1968 View Post
    I know I would not be satisfied with vet tech. I just know it.
    I don't have much to add except good on yer for following your dreams, but I will say this: two years as a legal secretary got me head, shoulders and probably waist above my classmates in the first year of law school. And, I think, in my first couple of years after graduation as well.

    Granted that law school is much more about language than any other professional school, but I think a year or two of work in an allied or supporting field has got to be an enormous benefit for any professional entering school or starting a career.
    Speed comes from what you put behind you. - Judi Ketteler

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    IL
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    307
    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!
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  4. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    MD
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    1,626
    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.
    Last edited by Possegal; 01-12-2011 at 05:49 PM.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
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    Folsom CA
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    Quote Originally Posted by GLC1968 View Post
    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 ...


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  6. #21
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Hillsboro, OR
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    5,023
    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.
    My new non-farm blog: Finding Freedom

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
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    13,394
    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.
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  8. #23
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    MD
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    Quote Originally Posted by Crankin View Post
    It's true that vet schools are all state schools, except Tufts... I think.
    Penn is Ivy League, not a state school.

    I think a vet would love to have someone who is older and more confident in themselves. I don't think you will have any problem finding one that would love to take you under their wing. The one I worked for was so lovely and thoroughly enjoyed showing people the ropes of the field.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    May 2008
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    northern Virginia
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    Quote Originally Posted by Possegal View Post
    Penn is Ivy League, not a state school.
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  10. #25
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    May 2008
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    northern Virginia
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    Quote Originally Posted by GLC1968 View Post
    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.

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  11. #26
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    somewhere between the Red & Rio Grande
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    One caution, the smartest person I know is a vet (Aggie Vet). He had very little time and practically fell off the face of the earth. We had dinner with him recently and he said more than once during vet school he questioned if he could keep going. Mainly I bring this up to make sure your husband is ready for the sacrifice too. You will essentially be in med school. Other thing is maybe a shelter can help you get experience? They usually do shots and many things vet techs would do but are way more desperate for help.

    I am about to do the same thing, trying to say bye bye Office Space and hello nursing school. I thought corporate would was for me but it is not. I want to trade my heels for a pair of scrubs.
    Amanda

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  12. #27
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    foothills of the Ozarks aka Tornado Alley
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    GLC, your resume is impressive. Your EE degree may help your application float to the top for review by the committee. And since you will be considered a "non-traditional" student, the odds are in your favor that you will be a better student and less likely to drop, which will make the department stats look good.

    One thing comes to mind: How is the job saturation for your area? Are you prepared to move for a job?

  13. #28
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Hillsboro, OR
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    Quote Originally Posted by sundial View Post
    One thing comes to mind: How is the job saturation for your area? Are you prepared to move for a job?
    That's a really good point. I don't know what the vet situation is around here except as a pet owner. We had difficulty finding a vet on this side of Portland that would care for small ruminents (goats and sheep). I assume that's mostly because goat and sheep owners do their own vet work (we had to learn the hard way!). There is also somewhat of a lack of good quality pet care (small animals) in our area but again, that could be due to lack of demand. I'll definitely be paying attention to this as I get some vet-side experience before I actually apply.

    And I'm willing to relocate to a point. I've fallen in love with the PNW, but we aren't partial to our area specifically. Will I move to Dallas? No. Will I move to Seattle or even No. Cal? Sure. Luckily, my husband can do his job from anywhere, so he's highly mobile as long as we stay on the west coast (where most of his customers are located).
    My new non-farm blog: Finding Freedom

  14. #29
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Hillsboro, OR
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    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).
    My new non-farm blog: Finding Freedom

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Seattle
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    1,648
    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!
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