Change is Scary (But It’s Worth It)

I passed my exams! I’m officially a second year vet student. 

At the time, I truly believed this was unachievable… Something other people could do, but definitely not me. And yet, here I am. I wanted to give you an insight of how I got here because the one thing I’ve learnt is that self-doubt can be your greatest enemy.

Starting from Doubt

I’ve always been lucky to have the support from my family, but school was a different story. I was constantly scrutinised by teachers that I wasn’t good enough, that I wasn’t ’academic’ enough for a career in veterinary medicine. It’s a horrible thing to hear at 16, especially when you’re still trying to figure out the world and who you are.

So I did the only thing I could, i tried my best. My GCSE grades were average, but good enough to get into college. Why be traditional? I decided to go to college and study animal management. That decision meant leaving behind all my ‘friends’ I’d thought I’d have forever but looking back now, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. 

College gave me the space to grow. It helped me find my passion, and for the first time I felt like I truly belonged. The course was hands-on and practical which is exactly what you need when working with animals. Looking back at it now, those experiences came in incredibly useful now that I’m in vet school.

I did exceptionally well and eventually landed my first job at a pet shop. At the time, I thought that might be as far as I could go since after all, I didn’t believe I was ever going to be ‘academic enough’ for anything more. I was also proud to be the first one in my friendship group to get a job. But overtime I started to notice that many of the practices contradicted everything I had learnt. It really made me ashamed to be there, so I left. From there, I tried a variety of animal jobs. Each job I did, I thought ‘this is it, this is for me’ but truthfully I was confused and felt really unsure where my life was heading.

Until one day I suddenly work up and thought… I need more. 

Taking the Risk 

That’s what happens when you start craving more, it becomes kind of an addiction. But in the animal care industry, most of the time, ‘more’ means more qualifications and experience. So I did the only thing that made sense to me: I defied expectations (even my own) and applied to university. 

Everyone says university is amazing. But I actually found it incredibly hard to even walk through the front door. I was a mature student (21 years old), I was letting go of the routine I’d built over the years and I was scared of change. I was really scared of failure. But eventually, I realised that not trying at all would feel worse. 

Once I started, things slowly began to feel right. It wasn’t easy, but change never is. When you take that leap, you rarely look back. Each step made me feel more sure of myself. At this chapter of my life, I couldn’t even dream about applying to vet school. It felt so far out of reach. But as I spent more time learning and working with such incredible animals, a quiet thought started to form… Could this actually be possible?

Becoming Possible 

Every job I’ve had - from pet shop assistant, to falconer, to animal care assistant, to veterinary care assistant has prepared me for what was to come. And what I’ve learned is this:

It doesn’t matter where you start, it doesn’t matter how different your current career is from your dream career- what matters is you keep going. 

Something that once felt impossible to me is now my reality. There is so much to learn, so much further to go… so why stop now? Why settle for a life that doesn’t feel right, when deep down, you know you want more? Forget the opinions of others. Silence that little voice in your head that feeds your self doubt. You are more capable than you think and in the end, its not about how many times you fall, but whether you choose to get back up.

I remind myself everyday that even if its just second year, I’ve made it this for. And for that, I’m proud. 

Are you proud?