why can't i decide!?!?

So my whole life I have wanted to be a vet. Im a zoology major now, a Junior, but I still have another 2 years probably until I graduate because Ive changed my major so I got bumped back quite a bit. Well anyways... I wanted to say screw it on the whole vet thing because I wouldn't be done until Im about 27 or 28 and wanted to get my B.A. and just be done with it.

Well now my boyfriend is going back to school this fall for his second bachelors. This degree will not even be close to his first one so he is going to have another 3 years. So I'm going to be here anyways and now I hear that there is a massive shortage of farm vets in the midwest and the government is going to start giving out bonuses and paying moving expenses for vets who want to practice on farms there (we live in the midwest anyways). So NOW Im going back to thinking I should. I mean, we're going to be here anyways waiting on him to be done with school. Im over half way there and its only an extra 3 or 4 classes (so an extra semester) to get to B.S. instead of the B.A. Plus Im already taking the GRE just in case I decided to go get my masters or something. And there is a vet school a few hours north of here where I would be considered a resident so its not like I would have to totally relocate or anything.

I just can't decide if it's worth it or not. Its a really physical job with a lot of long hours and hard labor. But its something I have always had a passion for. But at the same time its like I JUST WANT SCHOOL TO BE OVER WITH! It feels like Im stuck in limbo because I still have so long until im done. Ugh I can't decide. I keep switching back and forth between wanting it and not wanting it.

Plus I already have the experience required for admission and my GPA is a 3.75 so the only thing I would have to worry about is the GRE. Im really stuck between a rock and a hard place. There are pros and cons to both sides and I just don't know which one I want more. to be done... or to finally be a vet like I have dreamed of since I was 5 years old. I have heard a lot of vets say if they could they wouldnt do it again because its not worth it. But those are all private practice vets who just see cats and dogs all day. I don't know if Im looking for advice or what. I kinda feel like if I talk about it out loud Ill find my answer. Thanks for listening (well.... reading lol)

Can you spend some time hanging out with the type of vet you're thinking about being? Have you ever taken those tests that match up your interests with those of people actually doing the jobs?

There's nothing wrong with taking a break from college. Most people will have two or three or more different jobs in their lifetimes. What about taking a fun job and going to school part time?

My college actually had a class called decision making, in the Women's department.

i think there is a class like that but its only a fall semester class for incoming freshman. i didn't take it at miami because i went to community college my freshman year so i never took that class.

i did take a test like that from the princeton review and it said i match up with "blue professions" which is, i think, is professions dealing in humanites, arts and things like that. red is more like research etc... i dont quite remember cause it was a while ago. im going to call the same vet that i observed last time and ask to observe again. plus im trying to get ahold of some farm vets in the area but they wont return my calls. theyre too busy for me is what ive been told.

Maybe you can leave messages that you'd like to do more than observe? Like you wouldn't mind getting your hands dirty? Who wouldn't like some extra help?

I just took the Princeton Test, but it didn't really match me. Have you ever taken any tests at Tickle.com? I just took http://web.tickle.com/tests/jobinter...ts%2Findex.jsp

My result: Based on your responses, your top career area is Counseling and Guidance. That's pretty accurate for me. You might want to give it a try? I'd be interested to see what it says for you.

I'd get a wildlife biologist job or something like that related to animals and maybe think about it until your boyfriend gets done, see if you want to go for more advanced training after he finishes but make some money first and take a break from school?

http://www.getwildlifebiologyjobs.co...-Illinois.html

the only problem with that is that if i take a break, that looks bad. most people have to apply about 3 times before they get accepted to vet school. so if i wait after school, ill be waiting that... plus the 3 years it will take for me to get in. (most likely). this last semester is the first time my gpa has dropped below a 4.0 so i think im at the top of the list when it comes to applicants. but everyone else is probably thinking that too.

thanks for giving me the link to that test. plus im applying for a lot of internships this summer. maybe that will point me in the right direction. just sucks because i like a little bit of everything. its not like i dont like this but like that. i like everything. thats why it was so hard for me to choose a major - everything interests me.

i got the same thing. counselor or guidance.

it said that i need to work in a profession where i know that im making a difference. one of the reasons i would want to work on commercial farms is to insure the humane treatment of animals. im not sure if you all heard this... but millions of dollars worth of beef was recalled for mad cow disease caused by the inhumane treatment of the cows on the farms. (wendy's is the only fast food place i know of that did not receive any of this meat because they don't buy from inhumane distributors). so i kinda feel like if im there supervising these animals i can have a chance to stop stuff like that.

I think most people right out of school might have your 3-time try but if you have had a good, relevant job and work recommendations you probably would go to the top of the list as you've "proven" yourself, aren't like all the other kids that have wanted to be a vet but don't really have a clue yet.

http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/asa/brochure/02.html

yeah i have that website memorized haha. im probably going to wait until my boyfriend finds out how long he has left. and if its longer than what i have im going to talk to my advisor and see if we can time it right so that were not trying to pay 2 rents one here and one 3 hours north etc...

also if i stay a full time student ill have health insurance through my mom that covers everything until im 25. so if i dont go straight from here to vet school and im only 21 i wont have health insurance. and its pretty barren out here lol.

i applied for a research job at the wildlife lab at siu looking at bugs lol. he hasn't emailed me back yet but that could also be good experience. plus i have applications for 2 other internships - one in colorado studying ecology for 10 weeks and 1 at the st. louis zoo for 10 weeks.

one of the biggest things is that no matter how many times i change my mind, it always comes back to being a vet. thats the big thing. i think if i really didn't want to do it, it wouldnt be so hard to say no to y'know?

thanks for looking up that url though. i probably have paper copies of everything on that site by now haha

saluki, if the timing works out with your boyfriend, I'd say go for the vet thing. You are obviously passionate about that and considering how much of your life is spent on your job, you should try to end up in something you care deeply about.

My two cents.

Cyran0

I'd say go for the vet job. you sound really passionate about it, and that's pretty rare for people to be passionate about their jobs. You'll spend so much time at work that it's important to like what you do.

--splitimage

Have you ever taken the Myers-Briggs inventory? The reason I'm curious is that people who gravitate towards humanities are somewhat opposite of those who go towards the sciences.

The Myers-Briggs is available at Keirsey.com if you're interested.

I found all these tests to be very helpful when I was choosing a direction. I actually took a class that included the tests, but many are available online.

P.S. If you take the Keirsey test, you don't have to buy any report. If you look on the line with your name, it will say your temperament.

i kinda feel like medicine is a combo of science and humanities though. it has a lot of both in it. its not strictly research in science and it has a lot to do with working with people, helping people etc... thanks for the website though. ill take it and see what it says.

i took that test and it told me my personality is The Guardian. I like to be dependable and it says people like me usually end up doing all the thankless jobs most people take for granted lol. it told me i make a loyal partner and a responsible parent and a stabalizing leader. i guess you could take that either way. because being a farm vet is a pretty thankless job but someone as to do it. and helping sick farm animals would be a guardian type of a job.

Hi salukigirl,

I say "follow your heart".

If you're uncertain whether or not your passion is what you'd really like to pursue, find someone in the field and make their acquaintance. It's one thing to think about doing something and another to be a part of it.

When I got my degree in occupational therapy, I was 35. When I started the program 6 years earlier, and thought about the time it would take to get the degree, I thought, I'll be 34 no matter what I do. I don't regret it even though I never became an occupational therapist. (Although I have a degree in OT, I have difficulty working that closely -- physically -- with people. I'm very happy as a web developer.) I continue to use what I learned even though I'm working in a different field.

Best wishes. Because of your thoughtfulness, you'll be great at whatever you decide to do.

splash

thanks splash, thats very thoughtful of you. i kinda feel like im just making up excuses to keep thinking about it. I have said no to it several times and something keeps bringing me back. I still have a couple years to decide. Im just one of those people that when I see something to do, I do it now. I can't procrastinate so I feel like a decision must be made this second. It will be a lot easier to decide once my boyfriend talks to his advisor and sees how long he has left.

thanks everyone for their comments. theyve helped me sort some things out.

hey there salukigirl, go for it, get the piece of paper, it can't hurt, they like you to have lots of pieces of paper, it really doesn't matter what you do eventually, they ALWAYS like those pieces of paper.
forget what the bf is doing, not your problem.

im not just going to "forget what the bf is doing". we live together and have been together over 2 years. he is a huge part of my life and im not going to just up and leave if he's not done with school yet. he followed me down here to southern illinois from cincinnati on a whim so im not going to leave without him.

Hey if it makes you feel better, I am the worst at deciding. Lets say I cant make a decision, I will pick both.

i wish there was a way i could pick both. im worried about saying no to it, then regretting it. or going for it, then hating it. ugh.

I still think you can take a break, working on your resume/job experience and background and then see if you want to continue work in some field or go back to school. That's not that unusual in this day and age. I graduated in 1972 and went for my second degree in 2001.

If I had it all to do again, I'd work more on identifying what I really wanted and go for that instead of what seems like it will work well. Things do not turn out like one thinks they will, for me, nothing was even close, ever. So I wish I'd stayed doing what I "wanted" to rather than worry about this or that amount of money or been afraid to try something, find it wasn't right and try something else. I played things too safe. I don't think anything you really want gets closed; it is possible to have two different lives sequentially (if one can't figure out how to do them together) and I'd have a lot more fun and take more chances if I went around again.

i think the not going to school is the playing it safe. im scared to take 20 credit hours a semester while doing rotations and having a job. im afraid that i wont be able to handle it. so not going is definately playing it safe.