So I started a blog... part two

So anyway, like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted yesterday,* I moved back home around August. I decided to try to branch out from chemistry, and I was absolutely determined to avoid another desk job. I immediately hit upon veterinary medicine as something that would be fun, engaging, and rewarding.

Unfortunately, after a quick Google search, I discovered that veterinary assistants make minimum wage. But I also discovered that with a two-year Associate's degree and after passing a state licensing exam, I could become a Licensed Veterinary Technician** (LVT), and LVTs make, like, a little bit more than minimum wage, and they could also be a lot more hands-on than an assistant. Basically other than diagnosing, prognosing, prescribing medications, or performing surgery, LVTs can, in a legal sense, do anything a veterinarian is capable of doing. To me, that sounded pretty awesome.

I knew I didn't really have anything going for me in the way of experience or education in the field other than having taken four or five bio courses when I was in college. So I typed up a really bangin' cover letter, gushing about how eager I was to learn, and how I was enrolling in vet tech school, and how I was super smart and motivated and please, please hire me because I'm 27 and still living with my parents. Well, maybe not the last part, but I really sold it.

I sent out at least a dozen résumés to every vet in a 15-mile radius. I only got one call back. Fortunately it was from one of the more interesting facilities. It was an animal hospital that not only treated emergency cases, but also accepted exotic patients. (Score!) They called me in for an interview, and after spending a few hours shadowing one of the assistants there, I was offered a position at $10 an hour.

So, that's how I ended up where I am now. It took me about three months to learn my way around and observe enough patients that I was comfortable taking charge, but the other assistants I worked with and the two vets at the hospital were enormously patient and helpful. The sheer volume of information I've absorbed in the past five months is truly staggering. And there's so much more to learn. I really can't wait for classes to start!

*  I had a crucially important meeting scheduled for Settlers of Catan.

**  Depending on what state you're dealing with, they could also be called Certified Veterinary Technicians or Registered Veterinary Technicians (CVTs or RVTs).

So I started a blog...

My name is Lacy Entwhistle*, and I'm 27 years old. I work at an animal hospital in a small city somewhere in the United States. In about a week, I'll be starting online courses to work toward an Associate's degree in veterinary technology.

So I decided to start a blog, partly so I can share my experiences with other inquiring minds and individuals who are maybe considering the same type of program, but mostly because I canceled all of my MMO subscriptions and need something to procrastinate with now.

From what I understand from talking to others in the field, I have kind of an unusual background for someone pursuing veterinary technology. I graduated from a four-year state university with a Bachelor's in chemistry a few years ago. I had originally pursued biology, but switched majors in my Sophomore year because I discovered that most bio majors are preppy, annoying, and not very smart.

I was surrounded by starry-eyed girls (because, let's face it, most girls hate math, and bio is the only science that actively avoids anything harder than algebra, except for maybe psychology, but that's not really a science anyway) who all wanted to be doctors and vets, but who had completely unrealistic expectations of not only the basic fundamentals of science upon which the field of medicine is built, but also of the fact that, realistically, their chances of actually (1) being accepted into, and (2) graduating from any medical school were astronomically small.

Maybe I'm being cynical, or that was just the case at the school I attended, but either way, switching majors was probably the best decision I ever made.

After graduation, I would have loved to continue on and get a Master's in something like atmospheric chemistry, but financially, that wasn't really an option. I moved several states away from my hometown to live with a guy that I was seriously dating at the time, and started to look for jobs. Unfortunately, my location and timing couldn't have been worse. I was in an area that was heavy on technology and industry, but abysmally light on research, pharmaceuticals, private labs, or really anything that offered good prospects for a recent chemistry grad.

So I took what I could find and ended up working at an engineering consulting firm. The pay was decent and it was a steady, if boring, job. Then, a few months ago, the owner of the firm retired, leaving me jobless. I tried to go back to chemistry, but still got no offers. Around that time I also separated from my boyfriend and moved back home.

I'm out of time just now to finish the tale, but I'll resume here later. I bet you're dying with suspense.

*  Not really.