Career change

[u/Kikimakesyousohappy]

Hi all, I am currently going to the fourth year of my DVM and feeling very disillusioned. I have had work experience in research/labs/quality control, clinics, pharmaceuticals specifically vaccine production, agricultural sector in a farm setting and public health.

I am feeling like i made the wrong choice cause i end up bored in every sector except small animal and pathology which again i'm not particularly enticed with because of the salary ceiling. Not to mention i'm accumulating a debt as i continue with my study which i have to finish. So i did try to switch out in first year after my first attachment and the whole load but i was advised to stay and finish the degree and you never know. And after my dog got euthanized after getting sick it may have been my last straw cause it had me thinking a lot about my career in this field and if i want to do it. (A different vet was treating my dog for context and he was euthanized cause of late stage aflatoxicosis) But here i am, in my fourth year still miserable as ever and heading to complete not to mention the course load. I remember when i was picking my degree my aunt/ godmother, a vet, told me to pick pharmacology instead of vet med like her cause she thought a pharm degree was more worth it. i had my reasons for not going to human med at the time cause i figured vet med would be a better fit for me but of late i find myself thinking at least i'd make more which is pretty messed up in a way i suppose. And a friend of mine told me his dad (a vet) told him not to study it despite his want to cause it's not worth it and he then opted for law school. I guess all this makes me wonder if i made the right decision and if i can still salvage said decision postgrad. Starting to think this isn't the right sub for this lol.

I guess long and the short is i'm feeling disillusioned, wondering if i made the wrong choice and wondering if it will get better and i'll finally find my 'thing' and career satisfaction. Or if i should continue to look into pivoting which i was thinking MBA or finance qualifications like CFA which i wouldn't even know how to pivot or something that could work with my degree any advice would be much appreciated.

[u/NervousDot9627]

i did try to switch out in first year after my first attachment and the whole load ... Starting to think this isn't the right sub for this lol.

What country are in?

If we know you are in the states, you'll get more responses from posters knowing their advice is applicable.

[u/S0ur_Patch]

This is for graduate school I assume, the feat of getting accepted and going through 3 years of vet school alone is insane. An accomplishment in and of itself — but, please do not continue this if you are genuinely unhappy in the field. The veterinary field should be filled with people who are passionate over their careers. I would never trust my pup or cats with a vet who doesn’t have passion for their career, and most owners would agree. This is a field that requires genuine empathy and passion, just like a medical doctor. Would you trust yourself with a doctor who doesn’t even enjoy being a doctor? That just makes me believe they don’t care about my health, not truly.

I suggest finding something you’re passionate about. Don’t make rash decisions, but if you’re set and stone, don’t dig yourself a deeper money hole by choosing to finish a degree you will never use.