Life as a vet is challenging and emotional, but you can make a real difference to the lives of animals and people
Becoming a vet is something lots of people dream of, but exotic animal specialist Dr James Blanshard talks about the realities of life in his chosen career … No one likes to think about the downside, but you need to consider it if you are serious about working with animals
Getting a place is HARD!
If you are considering a career in veterinary medicine, you are probably fairly academic - and you'd need to be. Most vet schools require top academic grades to even get a foot in the door. It is very competitive, and even with these strict academic requirements met, there are not enough places for everyone who "qualifies on paper".
Once you get to vet school, you will be surrounded by smart and capable students. Throughout my school life, I had always been one of the top achievers. When I got to university, I remember being quite shocked by just how many "special ones" there were. I had always worked very hard, but a lot of my new classmates were able to get the grades with very little effort and very little study. I remember finding this both very humbling and worrying. Be prepared for this feeling and remember to stay true to yourself. Try not to compare yourself with those around you.
Money money money!
Most vet schools, at least in Britain, are in large cities, where the cost of living is high. The combined costs of tuition and board can be huge. Just the course alone can cost up to £32,000 (US$40,000) per year as an international student, depending on where you study; the US is even more expensive. Be sure that you can deal with these costs and do not underestimate them. Many university students on non-veterinary courses are able to get paying jobs during the long university holidays to help offset debts. In the veterinary course, you are expected to spend 90 per cent of your holidays gaining extra experience on farms, in stables, veterinary clinics and elsewhere - and in most cases this will not be paid work.
To pay fees, many students resort to taking out student loans and piling up credit card debts. Some are lucky to have significant financial backing from family, but if you are not so lucky, be sure to plan your finances carefully. Look for scholarships; many are available nowadays. Try to resist the temptation to borrow from banks. They are very keen to issue credit cards to students who are struggling, but it is extremely easy to get into a lot of trouble like this. I learned this the hard way.
On graduating, the salary may not be what you are expecting with a job that is otherwise held in high regard and in the same ranks as a lawyer or human doctor. Many new graduates that come back home to Hong Kong can expect to earn the same as a call centre clerk. Some earn even less. With the generally saturated job market, this salary may even decrease in the coming years, because as clinics make less and less, they can afford to pay staff less and less.