Is Anyone Here A Vet?

[The Spotted Devil]

I'm an animal welfare scientist - special interest in cat behaviour and cat and dog welfare in shelters. I assist with projects involving other species, lecture and tutor a bit as well. On the home stretch of my PhD and then hope to continue academic research and teaching. Travelled interstate and overseas for conferences, teaching and research. It hasn't been the easiest career path but I'm really glad I'm doing it.

Edited August 7, 2013 by The Spotted Devil

[megan_]

If you are a good vet (not just a time server) you can move on - as practice manager in general practice, or get your masters and concentrate on one area (ie, surgery, emergency etc). Being a specialist takes a long time, but if you are on your way, and a good vet, you can earn $90,000 up. very good vets and specialists can earn 6 figures. It just takes time.

Yes, but for similar qualifications you can earn a good six figure salary with a lot less hours of study and a lot less stress. The HECS debt for a specialist would be use.

I work in IT. The vast majority of people I work with only did 4 years of uni and are on six figure salaries. Contractors would earn double (at a minimum) than what a good, highly qualified vet would.

Of course they aren't in it for the money, but the pay is pretty crap when you consider their skill set, the amount of study and their hours (and the abuse that you'd cop almost every single day). How many times have vets been called greedy on this forum of dog lovers?

[corvus]

I think some of it is supply and demand as well. When I started environmental consulting I was getting about 40K (BSc with hons). They wouldn't really consider people without honours. It took me 6 months to get in, but I got there in a boom time and I knew people who it took 6 years of trying to get in. Lots of us who got in on the boom were retrenched when the GFC hit. By the time I left 2 years later I was on about 54K. We did a lot of work for free. We complained about it and were basically told there were people who would give their eye teeth for our job so we should just be quiet and be thankful we are where we are. I'm in the vet science department at USyd now, and there are a lot of people doing vet science. One wonders where they all go when they graduate. Generally jobs with animals are in high demand. People will accept lower salaries so they get to do what they want to do.

I am submitting my PhD thesis today (woot!), and facing what will hopefully be only temporary unemployment while I wait for my thesis to be examined etc. When I left the work force I was with the government and earning about 70K. I will be pretty bummed if I can't get at least that after another 3 years of study, but then again, I didn't leave consulting because I wasn't happy with the pay. I wanted to do something with my life that wasn't compromising my values so much! At this point I would settle for a pretty pissy entry level salary despite my qualifications so that I can do something that doesn't make me toss and turn at night. :p Case in point.

[megan_]

Corvus, interesting re: the environmental consulting. A family member is a biologist with a PhD who does environmental consulting for an engineering firm and she would be on about $250k?

[RubyStar]

What sort of stuff do you study in Animal Science? I never realised this was its own degree! Sounds interesting. I am trying to decide what to do now that the kids are starting to get a bit bigger.

Lots of people have asked me if I considered being a vet. But honestly doing surgery on animals never appealed to me in the slightest!

There are heaps of interesting things to study in Animal Science. I started it by distance this year but had to drop out as the first two subjects were Chem and Bio. Bio I can cope with but the Chem was too hard and fast and I was not coping at all mentally!

But if I could bypass chem and go straight to the stuff that got me interested in the course in the first place, Im sure I would have loved it I was really looking forward to the reproductive stuff and the genetics.

Dot, have you considered doing just 1 unit at a time while you get through those ones you find most difficult? Sure it will take longer, but you can focus all your energy on just one to try and understand it, and maybe find a tutor? Then you can look at increasing the workload as you progress and move onto the more interesting units. I know you were most bummed to drop out, but if you really want to be there, maybe this might work for you?

[Inka3095]

My best friend is a vet; she did a few years of basic science degree then transferred into Vet. She graduated and really didn't enjoy the job for many different reasons, and yes, the pay is really low. She then moved into the Government sector and worked there for a few years making a LOT more than she would have in a small animal practice. She's now working as a qualified vet for a pet food company doing ongoing education and training centered around animal nutrition and health. She's making a bit less than she did in government but loving her job. Every position she's held has been for veterinarians so there are other options out there once you graduate :)

[corvus]

Incidentally, I think it pays to know who your lecturers are going to be and what their interests are when you're picking a degree. I didn't do this, but somehow fell into a department full of ornithologists and behavioural ecologists, which was right down my alley at the time and I utterly flourished in that environment.

[The Spotted Devil]

Yes - I got super lucky with lecturers too. Corvus - I am super jealous that you are submitting. Well done!

[fiveplusone]

Miss16 is hoping to start bachelor of science (animal behaviour)in 2015. She is currently picking subjects for year 12.

Anyone do this degree and end up working with horses?

The one through Macquarie?

In Adelaide. However once she knows there is an equine one that can be done externally I think she'll aim for that.

[corvus]

Corvus, interesting re: the environmental consulting. A family member is a biologist with a PhD who does environmental consulting for an engineering firm and she would be on about $250k?

Yep, sounds about right for principals. Senior positions are big bikkies and job security is high. I know someone who came into consulting just after I did with a PhD and walked straight into a senior position. Not long after the retrenchments started she strolled over to another company while all the poor juniors spent months out of work. Mind you, she was one of the ones that spent 6 years trying to get into it.

Some people leave for government jobs where they get to do more research, but the government has its own problems. People there tend to move on to catchment management looking for something less vulnerable to the whimsy of politics. My dream job before I started my PhD was wildlife research for forestry. But positions there are rare as hen's teeth. The work and conditions are so coveted people get in and stay in until they retire. Although then Barry O'Farrell came along and fired most of them. They just shrugged and went on to private consulting. They were all very highly respected in their fields. It was our loss moreso than theirs.

[Podengo]

*sigh* this all makes me wish I had been far more clever when picking my study path

[Alkhe]

I actually think that people think the starting salaries for most graduate jobs are more than they actually are. People think doctors, lawyers, vets etc are really well paid - it's really not the case. Sure, SOME are, but for most people starting out it's more like $40K, if that. And it's not a case of your salary automatically increasing as you climb the ladder - if indeed there is one to climb.

My first job out of uni (BA(Hons)) was into the State Government which was about $42K. I was stoked to get any job at all, and to me that seemed like heaps of money. Everyone who expected to graduate their Bachelors and walk into a six figure salary was sorely disappointed, regardless of what they studied. In fact, everyone who expected to walk into ANY job was sorely disappointed, and a lot of peoples' egos took a serious bruising.

Just as an aside, I think I (and everyone else I worked with in government) was hugely overpaid for what we did, and the value we added to anything, the level of productivity.. obviously every department is different, but by and large having worked in 3 departments, that's my overall impression. I hated every second of it, hence leaving.

Edited August 7, 2013 by Alkhe

[The Spotted Devil]

*sigh* this all makes me wish I had been far more clever when picking my study path

Pssssst! I've previously run my own hospitality business and been a musician in the ADF just to mention a few of my jobs.....it's NEVER too late for a change :)

[RubyStar]

In fact, everyone who expected to walk into ANY job was sorely disappointed, and a lot of peoples' egos took a serious bruising.

And that's the scary part. I am terrified to finish my degree I am studying now and not being able to find a job! It's naive to think just because you have a degree, that you're automatically handed a job on a platter. It's tough out there! I remember my sister telling me about a friend of hers from high school who studied something to do with animals, and couldn't get a job. Ended up working in a completely different field, sadly. Happens with too many degrees, I think. Either that or you get a job in the field and discover you actually hate your "dream job"

[Podengo]

I've just finished my degree (a few weeks ago) and job hunting sucks I'm thinking of going back to finish studying vet nursing. I had been working as a behaviourist for a company here, and that is what I want to keep doing... I think... But establishing yourself to get clients is hard, everyone is so cut throat... I just want to keep up my work helping people with their aggressive dogs, and you know, not die of starvation LOL.

[RubyStar]

*sigh* this all makes me wish I had been far more clever when picking my study path

It makes me wish I had been smarter about choosing a career when I was younger. Even if it means I wouldn't be in the same one now, just getting qualifications and experience is great :) I was good at school but just didn't have a career picked, so had no desire to attend uni, so muddled along and got a late start to a career when I picked IT in my early 20's. Wish there had been more awareness about the possible careers out there beyond police, teacher, doctor, etc while I was at school. Now in my early 30's, I'm on the path for my next career change, now involving a uni degree Can't wait for that piece of paper! Never wanted one, until now :)

[Podengo]

It makes me wish I had been smarter about choosing a career when I was younger. Even if it means I wouldn't be in the same one now, just getting qualifications and experience is great :) I was good at school but just didn't have a career picked, so had no desire to attend uni, so muddled along and got a late start to a career when I picked IT in my early 20's. Wish there had been more awareness about the possible careers out there beyond police, teacher, doctor, etc while I was at school. Now in my early 30's, I'm on the path for my next career change, now involving a uni degree Can't wait for that piece of paper! Never wanted one, until now :)

I've done quite a lot of study, but I feel like none of it is useful for actually getting a job :laugh:

[dotdashdot]

What sort of stuff do you study in Animal Science? I never realised this was its own degree! Sounds interesting. I am trying to decide what to do now that the kids are starting to get a bit bigger.

Lots of people have asked me if I considered being a vet. But honestly doing surgery on animals never appealed to me in the slightest!

There are heaps of interesting things to study in Animal Science. I started it by distance this year but had to drop out as the first two subjects were Chem and Bio. Bio I can cope with but the Chem was too hard and fast and I was not coping at all mentally!

But if I could bypass chem and go straight to the stuff that got me interested in the course in the first place, Im sure I would have loved it I was really looking forward to the reproductive stuff and the genetics.

Dot, have you considered doing just 1 unit at a time while you get through those ones you find most difficult? Sure it will take longer, but you can focus all your energy on just one to try and understand it, and maybe find a tutor? Then you can look at increasing the workload as you progress and move onto the more interesting units. I know you were most bummed to drop out, but if you really want to be there, maybe this might work for you?

I think I might one day. I've re-evaluated life since April when I fell apart and I think I'll try to study once we have our own house only because trying to save money (work a lot) AND studying wasn't working.

And it wasn't a course I was doing for the outcome of a career either. I'd happily work the rest of my days in my little pet shop and just using my knowledge to help customers. I'm on a similar wage to a vet anyway it seems lol.

[Alkhe]

In fact, everyone who expected to walk into ANY job was sorely disappointed, and a lot of peoples' egos took a serious bruising.

And that's the scary part. I am terrified to finish my degree I am studying now and not being able to find a job! It's naive to think just because you have a degree, that you're automatically handed a job on a platter. It's tough out there! I remember my sister telling me about a friend of hers from high school who studied something to do with animals, and couldn't get a job. Ended up working in a completely different field, sadly. Happens with too many degrees, I think. Either that or you get a job in the field and discover you actually hate your "dream job"

Yeah, there are just no guarantees! My advice to anyone who is currently doing a degree and who wants to use it in a particular field of work, is to volunteer somewhere, or do any kind of lower paid or entry-level job in that kind of field. Any experience at all is SO important, whether it's knowing how to write a business email/letter, conduct a meeting, talk with clients, pay an account, send an invoice, read a P&L statement, whatever it ends up being. It's the nuts and bolts of things that are important so much of the time, rather than the 'theory'.

I feel like a fraud giving advice at the age of 27, but I've been in this position before and I'm also just about to finish my Masters of Law and want to work as a lawyer. Along with the other million people who will be graduating with some kind of law degree at the same time. My tact is to be able to show that any employer won't have to invest as much training me as other graduates, and that I've got a bunch of experience already working in a law firm.

[RubyStar]

In fact, everyone who expected to walk into ANY job was sorely disappointed, and a lot of peoples' egos took a serious bruising.

And that's the scary part. I am terrified to finish my degree I am studying now and not being able to find a job! It's naive to think just because you have a degree, that you're automatically handed a job on a platter. It's tough out there! I remember my sister telling me about a friend of hers from high school who studied something to do with animals, and couldn't get a job. Ended up working in a completely different field, sadly. Happens with too many degrees, I think. Either that or you get a job in the field and discover you actually hate your "dream job"

Yeah, there are just no guarantees! My advice to anyone who is currently doing a degree and who wants to use it in a particular field of work, is to volunteer somewhere, or do any kind of lower paid or entry-level job in that kind of field. Any experience at all is SO important, whether it's knowing how to write a business email/letter, conduct a meeting, talk with clients, pay an account, send an invoice, read a P&L statement, whatever it ends up being. It's the nuts and bolts of things that are important so much of the time, rather than the 'theory'.

I feel like a fraud giving advice at the age of 27, but I've been in this position before and I'm also just about to finish my Masters of Law and want to work as a lawyer. Along with the other million people who will be graduating with some kind of law degree at the same time. My tact is to be able to show that any employer won't have to invest as much training me as other graduates, and that I've got a bunch of experience already working in a law firm.

I was actually going to mention the volunteering, too :) I do volunteer work related to my field (slightly), and while they don't have anything for me at the moment, they know I'm here and hope they can find me something again. I also want to start working as an assistant in my field I am studying for, but quite reluctant to leave my current job (completely unrelated field) as the flexibility works for me while I study.