Choosing careers

Hello everyone I am just looking to get some advice regarding my situation as I am unsure on what to do anymore. I have always wanted to be a vet ever sinse I was young and so due to my passion I applied to Veterinary Medicine.

However the year when I was applying to it I discovered that salary was also very important to me, I thought about switching to a more lucrative career but people told me you should go into a career for your passion so I thought by choosing my passion over money was going to fix things.

Now I’m in first year of Veterinary Medicine and I have a constant sense of impending doom, the salary aspect of a career has become far more important to me than my passion for this career. I really do love this career but for me the salary is not enough and I’m loosing my will to study just because of the money aspect.

Should I switch courses to a career that’s more lucrative that I might not enjoy or stay here and see how it goes even though I’m not enjoying my time here. I thoguht about choosing dentistry as it’s still in the medicine sector but more lucrative.

Reply 1

Kingston Sarah

Official Rep

Original post

by Rayyyyyyyyyyyyy

Hello everyone I am just looking to get some advice regarding my situation as I am unsure on what to do anymore. I have always wanted to be a vet ever sinse I was young and so due to my passion I applied to Veterinary Medicine.
However the year when I was applying to it I discovered that salary was also very important to me, I thought about switching to a more lucrative career but people told me you should go into a career for your passion so I thought by choosing my passion over money was going to fix things.
Now I’m in first year of Veterinary Medicine and I have a constant sense of impending doom, the salary aspect of a career has become far more important to me than my passion for this career. I really do love this career but for me the salary is not enough and I’m loosing my will to study just because of the money aspect.
Should I switch courses to a career that’s more lucrative that I might not enjoy or stay here and see how it goes even though I’m not enjoying my time here. I thoguht about choosing dentistry as it’s still in the medicine sector but more lucrative.

Hi! 🤗

It is totally valid to be in the middle of choosing your passion or looking for a more financially secure career. However, it is worth noting that the salaries for veterinary medicine increases with years, experience, and in senior roles. It is worth speaking to dentistry students, lecturers and attend dentistry's open day to ask them about the workload, burnout, financial aspect and do the same for veterinary medicine before making any decisions. Think about which career would you prefer to do long term that wouldn't burn you out immensely?

-Sarah (Kingston Rep)

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 2

Fraggle1

Original post

by Rayyyyyyyyyyyyy

Hello everyone I am just looking to get some advice regarding my situation as I am unsure on what to do anymore. I have always wanted to be a vet ever sinse I was young and so due to my passion I applied to Veterinary Medicine.
However the year when I was applying to it I discovered that salary was also very important to me, I thought about switching to a more lucrative career but people told me you should go into a career for your passion so I thought by choosing my passion over money was going to fix things.
Now I’m in first year of Veterinary Medicine and I have a constant sense of impending doom, the salary aspect of a career has become far more important to me than my passion for this career. I really do love this career but for me the salary is not enough and I’m loosing my will to study just because of the money aspect.
Should I switch courses to a career that’s more lucrative that I might not enjoy or stay here and see how it goes even though I’m not enjoying my time here. I thoguht about choosing dentistry as it’s still in the medicine sector but more lucrative.

If you are really worried about the financial side of things you are only in year 1. There is plenty of time to reassess, but you also don't want to make a rash decision you regret later! Everyone looks for different things when choosing their careers (completely normal!) 😊

As already mentioned take a serious look at things with friends and family. If your main reason for entering dentistry is because it makes more money, and you don't have that passion, it could be a tricky journey through all that intense academic content. That being said, you might discover you are really passionate about dentistry after some open days! It might be worth speaking to your tutor? 🤗