Re-train as a vet at 30? Is it possible?

[stacey_lou]

Hi All

My other half seems to think I should stop with the 9-5 and become a vet.. which yes this was always a dream of mine but I never put it in to play... too worried to earn money to fund my habit of horses than to stay in education,

This week I turn 30 so by the end of training I will be 36/38. Which is find but how do i still earn money to carry on funding my horses?

How would I even think about going ahead with this?

 

[Birker2020]

I would think you would need A level qualifications in Biology, chemistry, physics and maths. I think its a 5 year training course with practical and theory type of work in your final year based at a veterinary practice.

 

[oldie48]

My daughter qualified as a doctor via a post graduate medicine course, although she went straight from her first degree the oldest on the course was 40. There were people who had qualified as nurses, pharmacists, several who had science based PHDs and one couple who had non science degrees (they really struggled in the first year but both qualified). She will be working into her 70's probably so if you qualify at 40 you will still have a long career ahead of you. The first thing is to get on a course though, as I'm sure you know Vet science is highly competitive but to achieve your dream you may have to give something up that you value, none of us has it all.

 

[stacey_lou]

I know, I have emailed my local animal/equine and agricultural college to ask for their advise also as to what my options could be. But if it means giving up my horses i couldn't do it. The whole reason I do this Mundane Office job in the first place is for them. I want my cake and to eat it.

 

[rara007]

It is possible (I had people in their 40s on my vet course) but if you can carry on with a decent quality of life and have horses (or even manage to fund it at all) will very much depend on your finances. An OH earning big or a very big savings pot would be the only realistic prospects of keeping your own horses self funding as a mature student. Take into account once you have qualified whatever you do 60 hour weeks are pretty common, with out of hours/weekend work. If it’s horses you want to go into you’ll more than likely start with an internship living on site, on sub 20k, with something like 1 in 3 nights and weekends, to start working up. Would be happy to be corrected but that was my experience!

 

[ihatework]

I know, I have emailed my local animal/equine and agricultural college to ask for their advise also as to what my options could be. But if it means giving up my horses i couldn't do it. The whole reason I do this Mundane Office job in the first place is for them. I want my cake and to eat it.

What a levels/BSc do you have and have you been involved in anything academically since leaving formal education? If not you might find a Vet med degree a bit of a culture shock!

If you are thinking this in relation to money then do your research. Fees will be significant and the course is full on, so not much earning potential around it. Once qualified starting salary is really quite low considering the investment made.
You would have to really really want this, be academically sharp and most likely have some way to self fund if it is to be a reality

 

[Turitea]

Why not? Age is your least problem. As long as you have the necessary qualifications in order to apply for vet school there is nothing what should hold you back except finances. Hence... keeping horses during vet school? I managed to keep my horse and I worked for its upkeep two weekends during semesters and full time during each uni break. Although studywise I was extremely lazy and did everything at the very last minute! I often went horribly unprepared into an exam. Not everyone's cup of tea.

Anyway, what I really try to say is... if qualifications, finances, your commitment and determination work out... there is nothing what should stop you.

 

[Redders]

Haha I started at vet school and had my 30th birthday in my first year! PM me if you like. It is possible to work part time in first and second years, gets harder from third year on (I am third year). I didn't have the A levels so did an access course that the university said they would accept- 2 nights a week for a school year.
My horse went on loan, risk being they come back, and she did, so now have sharer with the possibility of her going on full loan.
You get student loan/grant which helps, and my university has a financial assistance fund for vets/Med/dentists as we struggle to work due to work load and placements.

GO FOR IT!

Best thing I ever did. I feel like I am doing exactly the right thing, at the right time, in the right place.

 

[Orangehorse]

Isn't there an access course run somewhere in the South of England for people without the correct A levels? We used to have a salesman come round to the farm and his wife was going to do this with the aim of becoming a vet.

 

[Umbongo]

The course is very full on, with not much time left over after training and work placements to actually go and do a paid job around it.
Unless you have a good savings pot then you may need to explore study loan options. I shared a horse 2 days a week during my nursing training and would have struggled to do much more than that. Do you have much work experience? Not necessarily in a vets but in lambing/kennels/exotics etc? Once qualified be prepared for long days, out of hours, weekends etc. You can sometimes get a bit lucky with jobs with slightly better hours.....but not often. I work in a charity small animal practice and our hours are mostly 9-5:30pm which is pretty much unheard of!

If this doesn't seem like an option then how about veterinary nursing? You can study at uni for 3 years or paid on the job training with 1 day a week at college over 2/3 years. There are few of us about and we need more nurses (and vets!) however getting a training place can sometimes seem impossible. Be prepared for your yearly salary to drop significantly however.

I have met quite a few older students (student vets and nurses in their 40's and 50's) so no it isn't a stupid idea! So long as you can afford it, study hard and are determined then you can do whatever you want! Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[Kingfisher95]

Definitely possible BUT
You will need the usual A levels or an appropriate graduate degree, and places are highly competitive.

Most importantly you'll probably have to self fund at £26k per year for 4 or 5 years depending on the route you go.

During training horses are definitely possible but a real challenge in your final two years time wise, so you'll probably need to be able to pay for full livery and be honest that you might not see them every day, never mind ride.

Once you've graduated you'll be looking at very intense weeks with less of a salary than people expect, likely with out of hours work. And a wise vet once told me, don't make your hobby your job! Takes a lot of the fun out of it, especially if people at a big yard catch wind that you're a vet...

On the veterinary nursing side: if you're going to do it do the apprenticeship-type route for better employability, and be aware that nurses are horribly underpaid for what they do.

Hope that helps! It's definitely possible, and I'm a great believer in living your dreams!

 

[millikins]

Check out Lucy Cavendish college, Cambridge. They specialise in older female candidates and offer veterinary medicine. Good luck if you decide to do it, I've not met many unhappy vets

 

[druid]

Most of the way through a grad vet degree (at 30) - 18 months left. Will have cost 80k by the time I'm done (unbelievably grateful to have been allowed to "borrow" it from my inheritance). It took a leap of faith - I had a very nice bloodstock job before I quit, but I haven't regretted it for a second.

 

[saturdaygirl]

For starters I would aim to get plenty of work experience and talk to lots of vets; you want to be sure it's for your before embarking - a career in veterinary is often very different from the expectation. And as for keeping horse(s) - might be worth looking at the realities of time/ money once you're a qualified vet let alone during university; wages are often significantly less than people expect!

But if it's what you really want to do then go for it! Age is no barrier with people working longer and longer two careers will become very common

 

[GirlFriday]

You may wish to have a talk with yourself (if not your partner!) about if you ever plan to have children as all the retraining, new job searching etc will be happening over your years when that is a possibility...

 

[Gamebird]

Good luck if you decide to do it, I've not met many unhappy vets

That's possibly not representative. It is a profession with a huge, acknowledged, problem with mental health issues and suicide, not to mention the fact that an awful lot of graduates leave the profession entirely in the first 10 years post-graduating.

 

[Gamebird]

For starters I would aim to get plenty of work experience and talk to lots of vets; you want to be sure it's for your before embarking - a career in veterinary is often very different from the expectation. And as for keeping horse(s) - might be worth looking at the realities of time/ money once you're a qualified vet let alone during university; wages are often significantly less than people expect!

This. Talk to some actual vets, out there doing the job, and ask them to be honest. I am an equine vet, nearly 20 years qualified, and I can just (just!) afford to keep one horse, on DIY livery. I had to give up BE because of the cost. The average wage is surprisingly low, and if you divide the weekly income by hours worked there will be quite a few times you don't actually hit minimum wage. Plus we pretty much have all had to sign out of the WTD. I am lucky in one sense that we don't work very long hours in my practice (usually 8-5.30pm), but we do have a 1:2 rota, so we work every second night and weekend as well as the daytime hours. A lot of small animal jobs have no out of hours work now, but the trade off is long working days - often 8-7pm, and maybe a Saturday morning as well.

I'm possibly a little older and more realistic than some on this thread - don't get me wrong, it's a great job, and I can't imagine doing anything else, but I went to uni before fees were introduced and consequently only had a debt of 12k or so when I graduated. I just cannot imagine taking on 50-80k as an 18 year old, never mind a 30 year old. I also think that I miss out on an awful lot of things due to my work - I have missed a lot of weddings, birthdays and holidays through being on call - I very nearly missed my Grandmother's funeral. I often have to turn down invitations or send my husband on his own, and miss out on loads of things I want to do with my horse. Looking back I wish that I had been able to have more of a life along the way.

So basically good luck. There's no way I would start out again at 30, but people do, and they get on well and it's the best thing they've ever done. Just make sure you do the absolute most you can to research the degree and career before you start the journey.

 

[Polonaise]

Yes it's definitely possible, but expensive and will consume you're entire life. Working as a vet and finding time for your own horses is challenging, you end up having to prioritize one or the other, you can't give them both the attention they need. Make sure you spend time shadowing a vet and be honest about the hours and commitment before you set out.

 

[Mohawk]

Hi,
Before you make any firm decisions I would echo the other posts here that suggest you take some time to gain experience with some different vets, small, equine and farm. From the outside veterinary medicine is perceived to be a pleasant, well paid job. In certain practices/circumstances it may be, but make sure you go into it with your eyes open, especially from a financial point of view. As a 12 year qualified vet working in equine practice, you might expect a salary in the region of £40 - £50,000. This may be higher in small animal practice - I have a friend in London who earns about £75000 but this is with all the associated extra costs of living in London.
On call is a big part of the job especially in equine practice, likely at a rota between 1 in 3 or at best 1 in 6 depending on the size of the practice. I have been fortunate to work at some pleasant practices and with some very nice horses/clients, but in all practices all clients are demanding (to some degree or another) and in common with all walks of life you will meet pleasant, helpful and understanding owners but you will also meet people who are stressed, rude, ungrateful, inconsiderate and many with a considerable sense of entitlement who seem to think that vets are charities, that we should only work for the love of horses/cats/dogs and that they don't need to consider how they should pay for veterinary care, or that we have our own houses/families/pets/businesses/staff to pay for. As mentioned already many vets leave the profession within a few years of starting, and as a profession it has the highest suicide rate of any job in the UK.
I don't intend to put you off but the most common comment on this sort of discussion on many "vets only" forums, is that people wished they had known some of the realities of veterinary practice before deciding to join it. If you are looking to retrain in a medical profession and earn a decent sum of money then you would be much wealthier if you went down the route of being a dentist than being a vet! It will be difficult but not impossible to care for horses whilst at university, particularly in the later years of the course.
However, I know many people who have come to the course later in life, including one who went to Budapest to train! The majority of vets find a situation that suits them but it is a long course, takes hard work and this continues after you have qualified when it becomes clear exactly how little you manage to learn at university and how much experience you need to acquire, so go into it with your eyes wide open, and definitely spend time at different practices and get the whole picture before you commit. Good luck!