Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello I'm Glitters and I'm autistic and also have ADHD.
Since I was little I've loved animals and have always been excited at the idea of working with animals as a veterinary surgeon. I'm lucky enough to live on the outskirts of a town in the country, there's a lot of space and a good sized building that's used for storage. If I become a vet I could use the building as my practice where I could treat the animals.....
But!
I'm low functioning and as people constantly tell me I'm stupid I don't know if I'm even capable of being a veterinary surgeon and that is really upsetting for me. It's my passion and my special interest! I don't want to do anything else. I constantly research animals, watch videos on animal health and welfare, read books, lookup equipment...
But it all feels like it's for nothing. I don't know if I'm smart enough to get through training. No one believes in me and I'm nearly 30 and I worry that there's not enough time left for me to do this.
I feel like I want to just go for it but my anxiety is so bad I feel like I'll just spend the rest of my life dreaming and wanting but never succeeding.
Do you think it's something I should pursue?
Does my lack of intelligence mean I'll not be good enough?
I don't know what to do.
I'd start at the veterinary nursing level. See where it leads you. You need an agricultural college to study it at ideally, a place where you can work with animals. Avoid general animal care courses. When i was at college, their was a general joke about people doing the generic animal care that essentially they were training to never have a job as the number of jobs at pets for homes or similar is very limited. Speciality jobs like veterinary nursing require brains and commitment. if you have those, then you will never be without work.
https://www.askham-bryan.ac.uk/departments/veterinary-nursing/ - they are a good college.
Once you achieve it, work as one for a year, then you will know for sure if have what it takes to undertake a degree in Veterinary Surgery. but even if you did, nothing says you have to go into surgery. A standard vet, almost like the equivalent to a GP is still a pretty good job. Or you could specialise in something else that might suit you better, like researching diseases or doing something for DEFRA.
I guess to become a surgeon you first have to become a doctor and then specialise as a surgeon.
As to your age, it shouldn't be an issue if you start the process now. You need to get an application in now to as many agricultural colleges as you can. You can most likely get a Learners Loan to cover tuition fees and dependsing on your current situation, probably a grant to cover your living costs if you stay on site (recommended).
Expect to spend on and off the next ten years to reach it. That assumes it runs much like the course a regular doctor takes. It also assumes you have no qualifications right now besides maybe GCSE's. You will need two A Levels in Science and one in something else that is ideally a science related subject like psychology. Grades wise A*AA for the top notch universities, AAB for the lesser universities. There are some A Level subjects that are not accepted by some universities. This site shows some of the common questions and answers.
www.becomeavet.co.uk/.../what-a-level-grades-do-you-need-to-be-a-vet
Cora said:Give your anxiety a name, get to know it and become best friends with it.
Now that is good advice.
Learning to master your weaknesses is a key skill in moving past your limitations and becoming a high achiever (eg getting a degree) and it is well worth learning how to do it.
Not everyone has the strength to do this but it sounds like you may well have it.
Give your anxiety a name, get to know it and become best friends with it. From then on watch your dreams come true. You got this!
There are so many ways to work in animal care without being a vet. Vets need high grades at A-Level as it’s very competitive to gain a place on the degrees. There is also a very high level of burnout and mental health issues. You also have to factor in that you will have to deal a lot with the pet owners not just the animals themselves. There is a huge amount of knowledge involved and it can be a 24hr job, you still need to be on top of your game at 3am if an emergency comes up. But you may find that as it’s your special interest you may excel at the academic work. I failed the final year of the degree I did straight out of school. (Failed it twice and the second year once) but my second degree (which I graduated from when I turned 30) I did through work I got first class honours, am at the end of the masters equivalence process (just waiting to hear the final interview outcome) and may do the PhD if hospital funding allows. You could also look into veterinary nursing (which usually also requires university tuition but on a smaller scale to vets) or a veterinary nurse assistant. If you think going to university won’t be the right thing for you at all then you could volunteer at an animal sanctuary or zoo if there are any nearby. Or look out for assistant zoo keeper jobs. My husband got his zookeeper job after volunteering for a few months one spring/summer. There are lots of options for you, you’ll need to see if you can work out which is the best fit
Veterinary degree courses often require higher grades than medical degree courses do. There are other things that you could do that do not require as high grades at A level or equivalent. Veterinary nurse might be an option, that can be through an apprenticeship. Alternatives might include zookeeper or an assistant in a pet shop or pet grooming establishment. Volunteering might be a way into a job in these fields. As I did a zoology degree, I am very aware that, in addition to an interest in animals, you also need a strong stomach to deal with the 'blood, guts and excrement' involved.