to want to be a vet at 30?

[Buddhasgirl]

posting here for traffic and honesty of course. I have a strong desire and determination to get myself a proper career, one that I not only enjoy but will allow me to provide a stable future for my kids and be a good example for them growing up also.

oops. posted by accident! long story short, am I off my head to want to do this at 30 year's old? I have a 10 year old and a 5 month old, also a dp. who is happy to be a stay at home dad to allow me to peruse a career. I need opinions and experiences more importantly please

YANBU to want it. Whether it's realistic or not I don't think anyone here can say. My mum went to university for the first time when she was mid 30s and had two children. We were/are proud but I would have been had she stayed in her unqualified job.

How academic are you? When I was a student (about 15 years ago) the vet students I knew all had straight As at A level. Have you looked into student finance and family finance more generally? I think it's at least a 5 year course even when you have the correct science A levels.

my worry is that I would miss too much home life. one if my main reasons is for ny children but it would defeat the purpose if they end up feeling like mum is never home

I studied with a 30-ish vet student. It was her previous experience prior to applying that helped gain her a place. Lots of farm work volunteering etc - if you can do this along with getting the grades then I think it is achievable. Good luck!

well that's the other thing, I don't know if I'm smart enough. I left school at 15 due to family break up, wasn't interested at that time. but since then I don't an hnc. in social science and was getting.g top marks in class, got an A1 for the big exam. but I would need to start from scratch, I don't have highers. (in scotland) haven't looked at finance yet either. we are currently on benefits

Do it! Vet school is damn hard work, both to get into and once you are there. But it is full of camaraderie. I am retraining to be a lawyer and I use the University Vet Library to study in - they all look happy with their choice. There's a real 'vet type' - they all look super healthy! Really exciting to be setting off on this. How are you with grades? Will you need to do A-Levels?

Have you done a degree before? Do you have a levels of the required subjects/grades? If it's a second degree you'll have to pay full whack. If you don't have a levels that's another year or two of no income.

If you can get on a course how will you fund it? It's 5 years, so it's all well and good your dp being a sahd, but you'll need to fund your families expenses and living costs, plus your tuition fees, course costs etc.

Bear in mind, contrary to popular belief, salaries vets only earn an average wage. The money comes when you get a partnership in a practice.

if you can afford it then no, yanbu.

Oh that was my next move actually, I've spoken to a vet locally that is willing to have me in and volunteer, I've also emailed a farm and I have a stable to call as well

I don't know where you are in Scotland but you might find that being on benefits/from a tougher background works in your favour. There are obligations on Unis to take local people onto their courses. However, that's no help if you can't actually cope when you get there so you will want to put in some pretty rigorous studying before you arrive. Sounds as though you will need to go to a local college to get your Highers.

Sorry, cross posts.

So you'll need to get your a levels, 2 years, plus plenty of work experience to even get on a course.

How will you being a student affect your benefits?

Lots of research!

That's good to know, my nearest uni that does it is Glasgow which from what I've heard is quite an affluent establishment but that could just be gossip. yes I think college first for highest. oh I'm so excited now I'm talking about it!!

I'm bot sure if we will be entitled to benefit, I may qualify for a bursary and my dp. has a small self employed business he can do from home from spring to Autumn so this is an option also. I've prepared myself for lo.g term hard work and no money, I'm thinking the next 10 year's roughly but will give long term gain. I've learned in life that this time will pass wether I do something with it or not so I should at least try. to do my best for our future

When you love the subject, it helps you to do well academically. I left school with mediocre grades. Returned to college a few years ago and did an access to university course, and scored top of the class!! All because I was so motivated. I got onto my chosen course and am halfway through and absolutely love it! I have been getting top marks so far, which is pure and simply down to my love of the course - not showing off, I promise!! My fees are funded by the NHS and I receive a small bursary. Leaving work also entitled me to tax credits to top up my husband's wage. I feel a little guilty claiming them, but I honestly work harder now than ever before, and half my time is spent on placement, so I try and not dwell on it.

I have three children and have found a way to balance everything, and still feel that I get to seem them plenty.

Good luck!!!

It's incredibly hard to get a place, I'll say that (I'm a vet nurse but work with newly qualified vets!) I worked with one student who had all A-A*'s at GCSE and it still took her 3 years to get a place on a course. It's very competitive.

I'll also say - the hours can be very long, it can be incredibly stressful (I've heard vets rank in the highest profession for suicide). The clients can be arseholes and you have to make some very hard choices a vet.

The pay isn't that good, contrary to what most people think (I am asked at least on a weekly basis how 'we sleep at night, charging what we do') I think our new grad is on somewhere between 25-30k, and that's after 6 years of studying and solid knowledge of several disciplines (clinical, surgical, diagnostic and many more). Only really slightly above national average across all professions really, for a role that is worth, in my opinion, so much more.

That said, some days are a joy, and I love my own profession, which has it's own ups and downs.

If you can afford the fees for uni, and you have the time and ability academically, then go for it. But I strongly recommend you get at least a year under your belt working as a kennel hand maybe so that you can see how it really is. Speak to new grads, specialists, nurses, older vets, practice managers, head nurses etc about their opinions on their profession.

Good luck :-)

Buddhasgirl

YANBU, do it! Isn't there that saying about the only way to certainly fail, is not to try?

30 is definitely not too old to start building a career and getting an education. I've met teachers, barristers, and academics who started their (lengthy) training at ages much older than that - and some of them were much, much better at their job for having that extra life experience than those who had started down that path at 18 or 21.

Thank you that's very encouraging, also the fact you have 3 kids as we want more. I think it's all about organisation, I may be naive here but I think if I allocate a certain amount of time each day or night to study then it will be manageable

You want to check if local colleges have a linked or at least suitable access course...they'll prepare you better than just doing the highers as stand alone classes, and if they're linked they'll be tailored for the entry requirements.

DH is a vet and DD is at Uni just now in her 2nd year. There's stiff competition for places at Uni, the entry standard is really high (they wanted straight A first time passes) and the coursework is intensive. A LOT of international students get places. You can also only apply twice to each Uni. DD was very lucky and got in the second time she applied. As I said competition is extremely stiff. I can only go by my own experiences but DH had no time to work due to the studying involved. DD is the same. DH did 5 years in total but DD is doing 7 which includes a PhD. We had no children when DH was studying but we were living together and time together was scarce. The hours can be very long, unsociable, and can be physically exhausting. I'm not sure how I would have coped with young children when he was studying. On the upside of it all the income is good.

Vet Nursing is another option you could look at there's loads of courses that you could start now ie NC in Animal Care and within 2 years have a guaranteed place at Uni. We have a few Vet Nurses in our practice that have taken this route and aren't school leavers.

I have a friend who started her veterinary degree at 36! She's still studying now but will qualify in 2 years. Before she started her degree she did a masters in equine science plus she has a lot of practical equine/veterinary practice experience which helped her get on the course. It might be worth bearing in mind that she wasn't able to get in to any of the UK vet schools so she took up a place on the course overseas instead. She also had to work her ass off to get funding. I don't know the figures but it's an expensive course and extremely full on work wise. I wish you the best of luck though, 30 isn't too late but you'll have to get cracking!

Outing myself here..

I think your best bet is to contact the vet schools and find out exactly what the entry requirements are for a mature vet student. It sounds like you'll need to do some biology/chemistry a-levels at the very least. Plenty of work experience as well. Local farms at lambing time. A slaughterhouse would be good as well. Not pretty, but these places need to be regularly inspected by vets. Perhaps work with a local animal charity?

One of my clients is a newly qualified vet. Her official hours are 7:30am-7:30pm Mon-Fri, however she is also on call overnight during the week, 1st on call every 3rd weekend (cannot leave the property), 2nd on call every 3rd weekend (can leave property, but must be able to get back within 30 mins at any time), and has every 3rd weekend off. Some weeks she doesn't get more than a couple of hours sleep each night if its been very busy.
She loves it, but it requires a huge amount of commitment.

In a recent poll on Vetsurgeon.org, "Would you do it again?" it was more or less a 50 / 50 split, those who would and those who wouldn't. That said, I am currently working with a 45 year old who qualified about a year ago, and he is delighted to have done it. I voted "Yes" because for me it has been very fulfilling, and I am fortunate enough now to be able to work part time so I can be with my children as well. The pay isn't brilliant (some info here: www.spvs.org.uk/content/salary-surveys )

It's an interesting job certainly. In addition, if you work in any urban area, the working hours are so much better now that when I qualified (back in 1991) due to the rise of the dedicated out of hours clinics. Most UK vets still work a lot of hours though, although I suspect that might be the same in any profession in the UK.

Competition for places is just as fierce as it was when I got in, but they might appreciate a more mature student who has had the get-up-and-go to go back to school and sit their 'highers', as those students are more likely to work consistently.

I'd say your best bet is to start with the work experience, and see if you like it. It's certainly quite a messy job and isn't for everyone. Whatever you decide, I wish you all the best.

Thank you to those who have given me their personal experience, this is the stuff I need to hear, harsh reality with a family in tow. I've got a lot of research to do then, one thing I'm happy to say is that I haven't been put off, which is a good start!

I would suggest you research the entry requirements first and then take the first step of doing your highers or an appropriate access course. Once you start studying for the highers you will have a better idea of how you can combine study and family life and whether vet school really is for you.
If you then decide not to proceed to study to be a vet you will have gained useful qualifications which would be useful for entry to other careers or maybe for another degree.
Best of luck!

I'm a vet. YANBU to go for it at 30, providing you do your homework, and aren't planning on going into it just because you 'like animals'.

In my year their were people in their 40's doing vet med as a second degree. However, none of them were Mums. I am a mum now, and I think I would have struggled with the course work and juggling motherhood. That's not to say you won't manage, but the work load is phenomonal. You will have lectures 5 days a week, plus practical classes and you may have 5 or 6 modules to be studying for at one time. There will also be Extra Mural Studies (i.e practical hands on experience) to be carried out during holiday time (At vets/wildlife shelters etc) UNPAID!!

There is massive competition to get a place, as one poster already mentioned. There are interviews at every vet school.You will also need to take a BMAT test to apply for London or Cambridge vet schools.

The course also takes several years to complete. If you have a prior science based degree you can a 4 year course in Edinburgh and Liverpool. If you have another non science degree, you may have to do a 5 year course. If you have A levels then you will have to do a five year course. If you choose to 'intercolate' during your course, it will add on another year. So in short, you will need to dedicate 4-6 years of your life to this.

Bear in mind fees too! If you are applying to scots unis then you don't need to worry if it is your first degree. If it is your second degree you are looking at the best part of £150,000 to fund it.

Also think about the cost of transport/accomodation when on placement.

Practical experience is key, and not just a few days/weeks. You will need to demonstrate experience with a variety of species e.g farm/equine/dog/cat so get as much as you can- wildlife centres/catteries/stables may all be willing to let you get hands on experience.

It is a demanding job, and I think it is even harder with children. You may end up working in a practice that does out of hours cover, and as such need to be on call at night for emergencies. This can be hard unless you have good childcare arrangements.

In addition we don't earn a bomb!!! As a newly graduated vet, expect to earn £20-25,000 (thats if you don't do an internship, which may pay as little as £15-16,000). Take from that repayments on student loans and it is even less!!!

On the plus side, clients like older vets! They trust us more, and dont automatically think you are a new grad, which i know my colleagues who are more experienced but younger than me struggle with! General experience and maturity allows you to approach cases differently. I also think older vets tend to be able to communicate with people from all walks of life. Actually getting on with humans is, suprisingly, a massively important part of this profession.

I don't want to put you off, but I do want to offer some realistic advice. If you want to ask anything else feel free to PM me. Good luck!