Need Work/School Advice...

shop deals on amazon
Advertise with us
Love your rabbit
Shop deals on ebay
Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
jessicalovesjesse

jessicalovesjesse

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2009
Messages
230
Reaction score
0
Location
Parker, Colorado, USA
Okay so a little background info.
As some of you I'm 18, I work retail, and live with my boyfriend.
Most of you don't know the severe pressure I get from my family about college, and trust me I want to go to college. But I'll be getting zero outside financial help.
I work a full time retail job that I HATE with a passion.
There is no way that it will support me through school.
And there is no way I'm sticking with it that long.

My mom wants me to jump right into college. The goal here is that I become a vet eventually.

I want to go to grooming school, and have that as a job as I work my way, slowly but surely, through college. Also the goal being to become a vet.

I will say I wasn't the best student in highschool, in fact I got my GED because of social and academic reasons. But I test amazingly. I tested out of my GED program in the top ten percent of graduating seniors. I know I can pull of college, I just feel I need to go at it my own way like I do with nearly everything. And I will pull my hair out if I have to work this job much longer.

I respect everyone all on here so very much. And would really love any advice you have to give.
:love:
 
i am 21 witha 2 year old daughter and i also have gotten a ton of pressure since i was 18. i now work a full time job and a part time. though i have dreams to go to school, right now is not the right time between bills and money and my daughter...

when your ready you will go. its not something you should feel like you were forced into at all because then your going to school for them...not for you. when you go to better yourself it will make a difference...cause you want to do it
 
FASFA... which is government grants that never have to be paid back... unless your family makes a lot of money chances are it will help pay for a lot of your schooling. I went for free because my mother did not make enough income. There are plenty of ways to go to school for a very low price. You just have to look and look.

Theres only so many vet schools in the U.S. You need to see where they are located and if there is even one in Colorado. Are you going to be willing to move for it? Your boyfriend going to be willing to move? Just things to keep in mind. Is it going to be easier to move now? Or later, say if a kid or something happens? Just saying, cause life doesnt always happen the way we want.

What I mentioned about perhaps there not being a vet school in Colorado, or just finding one you may try to get in to.. its not easy what so ever.... theres class you have to take to even get into it (atleast Ohio State) you can get some of them out of the way just by going to a Community College, which is soooooo much cheaper anyway.
Honestly, if you're already hating what you're doing, I would try to go to school asap. You're not going to find better jobs. I'm 24 and while I'm still young, I have graduated from school almost 3 years ago. I wanted to go back to become a vet, but I think JESUS, I wont be able to start until I'm like 30....

If you hate your job, seriously what do you have holding you back from going to college now, and getting it over with and having a chance of getting a job you actually like sooner?
 
fuzz16 wrote:
when your ready you will go. its not something you should feel like you were forced into at all because then your going to school for them...not for you. when you go to better yourself it will make a difference...cause you want to do it
Click to expand...
I feel like this. It needs to be for me. Not anyone else.
And it will be, I just need my mom to understand my situation. >.<

--------------------------------------------


I know exactly what I have to do to get into vet school.
One of the best Vet schools in the country is in Colorado. CSU. It's only a few towns over from where I am atm.

I'm basically trying to say it really isn't possible to start school on my income, with my hours. Sure grants can pay for my school. But my rent, groceries, car payment, car insurance, vet bills, medical bills, electric bill? I really doubt it.

Quite frankly I'm not in a situation and just drop everything and go to school.

And any job is better than my job. I can guarantee that. I will lose my mind if I have to stay where I am all the way through school. Literally. It's killing me.


Also I feel the need to mention I have aspergers, and form of autism. It affects the way I learn and handle things.
I won't get through any college at the same rate as everyone else. I don't expect to be young when I come out the other end of this. I just expect to make it through.
 
there might be an option to take the classes online and through modules you write at home, kinda like homeschooling. maybe check out that approach
 
she just want whats best in her mind...being a mom now i kinda understand it. i want the best for my daughter and i want her to go to school. the fear is you take 2+ years off of school after highschool and you never go back

get a loan is all i can say...youll spend 20 years paying it off but itll be done. are there any scholarships you can do? you need to go to a tech school or community college first to get basics before going to a major school for vets though, a lot cheaper.

because of your autism you can get a $$$ help due to that and wanting to pursue school, i am sure there are scholarships for that if they have them for red hair green eye kids
 
I guess I just know its not easy for anyone to get through it, I worked full time and went to school full time.

You obviously have to do what you think is correct to do and what you think will make you happiest.

The longer you wait doesnt really make it the easiest either just because you do forget a lot of basic stuff from highschool. And like the above poster said, there are student loans. You just have to look for the lowest interest ones. The grants a lot of them pay more then need be and you'll get an overage check every quarter. Which helps pay for books and other things you will need. Grouceries, rent exc.... I'm just not a fan of the I can't afford it, because there is ALWAYS a way to afford it.
 
I meant to reply to this earlier, but got sidetracked. I'm in my 3rd year as an Animal Science undergraduate at Cornell and am pre-vet unless I come up with something easier to get into that I'd rather do. I'm lucky in that my family is financially able to support me which definitely creates a lot of opportunities: I'm able to go to Cornell and not work during school, able to volunteer over my breaks, etc. It's important to keep in mind that there are a lot of options. I have a friend who pays $500 a semester to attend Cornell. (for comparison, without financial aid my tuition and housing and food is closer to $25,000 a semester)
You're right, you have an excellent University right in Colorado. I know for a fact that CSU offers merit scholarships because they offered me one. (Cornell, as an Ivy league institution, only offers need-based aid). I applied to 19 schools out of high school and chose Cornell, but there were definitely more cost effective options. Definitely look into FAFSA, consider 2 years of cost-effective community college, etc. It is possible to work your way through college, but it will be very difficult to balance vet school and a job which is certainly something to keep in mind.
Yes a gap year works for some people, but I know way too many that took time off and kept intending to go to college but never did. I'd encourage you to explore the financial aid and scholarship opportunities available to you before continuing to put off college.
At the very least I think you should try getting a job or volunteer position that gets you more animal experience. The pre-vet track is fairly specific and it's best to get some early exposure to figure out if it's what you really want to do.
 
I can help you with one thing. Do not wait most schools will pay you to go to school in a sense. They give you so much a semester. If your classes do not equal that you get what is left.

I am working on my pre requisites for nursing school online now. I get a 4000 dollar check ever three or four months depending on how quick I finish my classes. None of this I have to pay back because I come from a very very very low income family.

There is always a way and at 18 I know you do not think so. But do not ever say I can't do something. I sister has four kids 1 year old twins in that mix work full time goes to school full time and makes straight A's doing it. she has never had to take a final in the year she has been in school.

and find a vet get on with them get into vet tech you can also move up. I know most vets will train you at least in the state of texas.

I am only 21 about to be 22 and I wish someone had said to me go to collage now the older you get the harder it gets. Your going to look up and be 21 and be like man where did time go. I am telling you from experience. You can live on campus they provide meals so rent is not a problem. Your Boyfriend and you do not need to live together to be together. And most schools require you to live on campus your freshman year unless you are married and some provide co ed dorms for that purpose to.

I hope you get into school!!!!:)
 
I'm currently in college (University of California, Santa Cruz) and am pre-med. You should understand that vet programs are the most competitive grad programs right now. Its more competitive even them medical school. The reason I say this is because if I were you I would get into the best college I can now (because colleges oftentimes look down on years off and it is harder to get in) and work my butt off to make fabulous grades because you are going to need them.

There are tons of financial aid options out there. Even if you have to graduate with a ton of student loans it will be worth it. For your first two years you could even attend a community college while you work. You can get financial aid for those as well. If you are really set on getting another type of job and then starting school I think you should look into become a vet tech. The skills will transfer over well and it would be seen as good job experience. I think you could even take classes at a university for that as well and have them transfer.


To be honest, everyone I know who didn't go to college within a year still has not started. Its always going to be absurdly expensive. I don't know you, and i'm sure you could achieve whatever you wanted, no matter the path, but I'm just saying statistically it seems wise to go as soon as possible.
 
Wish I could offer advice... Here on Aus we have HECS which basically means we go through university without paying fees, and the government adds a small percentage on top of our tax so we pay it back once we have a well paying job after we graduate. You don't notice the hecs fees at all, because you never actual see the money, it's automatically deducted.

But maybe you could enrol in college part time, and study dog grooming at the same time? so you could have a decent job while you study the harder aspects of the course?

I know what you mean though, I've spent this year studying as an internal student (living on campus at a college) at my university, but due to family difficulties and financial problems am heading back home to live with my parents. Due to HECS I can still study as an external student (thank god) but my degree involves 50-60 hours of study a week, and it's going to be that much harder when it's not face to face.
 
Since you have Asperger's you may qualify for disability protocols. Something you need to check into, realizing that nothing comes to us easily. My situation was a little different in that I was in the military a few decades back and went thru on the G.I. Bill. I still had to work full time as it didn't come close to feeding and keeping a roof over head but it did cover books and tuition. I have an eidetic memory, so I was able to get my first degree in less than two years--did a lot of challenging and dogged a lot of the Department Heads. Main thing is not to give up, but keep at it. You will have your work cut out for you getting into a vet program, as said earlier, they are very competitive. Good luck.
 
Quite frankly I'm feeling rather discouraged now.
If not starting college right away could prevent me from getting into vet school, than I am almost positive I already messed everything up by dropping out after sophomore year and getting my GED.

A few things I would like to address... I'm never going to live on campus in college because I can't handle a dorm situation. So leaving my boyfriend behind isn't necessary, or really an option, for me. I also feel that not many people understand my situation very well, or my stupid disability. But honestly I feel totally realistic in saying, I CAN'T keep this job up. And I CAN'T make it through school with this job. The fact that I can even function through this job for now is a miracle and it baffles my therapist.

I guess I'm the one who knows myself best.
I talked to my Mom about me plans, and she thinks it's a decent idea. She has most of the same disabilities as me and understands how this job is affecting me better than anyone.
As for vet school... it's been my dream since I was little. But based on what everyone has said I'll more than likely be forced to go a different path.

And for the safety of any self confidence and motivation I have at this point, I would really love this topic to die now.

Thanks for the input everyone.

-Jessica
 
There are so many professions working with animals. Maybe look into other ones that may catch your eye.
 
I'm not saying that this will be the case for you, but yes I know a lot of people that start college off pre-vet and then change their minds. I know a lot of people that love animals, but after spending time in an organic chemistry lecture or actually hands on in a vet's office, they realize that veterinary medicine is not for them. I loved chemistry in high school, but detested it here in college. I was hoping that working in a vet's office would make me change my mind and I'd find an easier career path, but it just made me want to do it all the more. That's why I'd really recommend you find a vet to work or volunteer with - even just spend a day shadowing to see if that's really something you'd want to do.
While working in a vet's office with vet techs, I've thought that that's also a job I could see myself doing. However, you don't need to have an undergrad degree to be a vet tech. You can get that training in just 2 years. That might also be an option you'd like to consider.
Vet school is very very competitive. I don't want to crush your dream (remember, it's my dream too!) but it's a good idea to explore some other options - there are lots of jobs out there that allow for working with animals.
 
I had the same problem, I used to be absolutely determined that I would be vet. Then I spent two weeks in a vets office, yes we were saving animals but OMG the people. I'm not all that good at keeping my mouth shut and seeing perfectly healthy animals brought in to be put down because they grew to big or didn't toilet train quickly enough was horrifying. Or the poor little dog who was just dumped on the doorstep. I knew after the first week it wasn't something i could handle, well not without scaring the bejeezers out of my clients and never being able to actually charge for things, instead I'm studying law and i hope to specialize in animal rights. So I'll get a 'proper' but boring job and can do pro bono work with the animal activists.
 
I worked in a vets office all through high school...
But that is beyond the point.
And I would really love to see this thread be left alone now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top