Is being a vet definitely for me?

Image © hriana / Fotolia

Is being a vet definitely for me? This is certainly a question you should ask yourself – even during your degree.

If you have considered becoming a vet, your passion for animals will be obvious, but you will also know there is a lot of hard work ahead, a lot of patience needed, and full dedication to this chosen career.

Career options

During your education, you may have told friends and teachers you like animals and they may have automatically asked “so, you want to become a vet?”.

Subconsciously, this may have led you along this path.

But, there are other careers within the veterinary industry and other animal health professions you should consider before making your final decision. Here are just a few examples:

Vet Nurse

A role as a veterinary nurse allows your love for animals to be demonstrated through administering treatments to those in your care, and permits the closeness associated with being a vet through the undertaking of nursing duties on a daily basis.

You will also be able to get to know the patient’s owners.

National charities and organisations, such as the RSPCA, regularly advertise vet nurse vacancies.

Pharmaceutical opportunities

If you complete a veterinary science degree but then decide being a vet is not for you, you may consider a career in the research and development of food and drug expansion.

An affinity for animals will clearly attract you to firms dealing with animal-related products and will allow you to combine your passion for both animals and scientific research.

Teacher

Your passion for nature and, in particular, animals could lead you to inspiring others.

At either primary or secondary level, your degree could enable you to become a teacher, allowing you to share your knowledge through educating young people, bringing them closer to nature and animals, and ensuring they secure a qualification in one of the core subjects on the national curriculum.

Ultimately, should you decide to not become a vet, your degree – not to mention your passion for the subject and scientific understanding – will hold you in good stead for whichever career you do decide to undertake.