Inspiring Our Young People to Pursue Careers of Value

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The ability to inspire people at the right point in time in their education to pursue valuable careers can be seen as an important part of schooling.  Kids are asked from a young age “ so what do you want to be when you grow up” and according to the Mirror – most kids aged 7 want to be vets!

However the reality is much starker as those 7 year olds have to eventually go through the mindset shift of actually knuckling down in high school and getting the difficult grades required to get into Uni to study.  They also have to face the reality of death as most get into Veterinary medicine due to their love of animals and to see them suffering and passing can be very hard.

We asked one of The Highland Vets (Channel 5) – Shondie Maclean how she got into Veterinary Sciences.

I wanted to be a vet from the age of 5, simply because I loved animals. As I got older and got good grades in school it seemed more and more plausible. I used to go to a friends farm from the age of about 8 or 9, and that’s where I lambed my first ewe and I loved it. I first went to the vets in Thurso at the age of 14 for work experience and I was hooked! Being a vet is an amazing and rewarding career, but it is hard work. You have to love it – which, luckily, I do! As I spent time in my local practice and progressed through vet school, the love for the job becomes more than just a love on animals. It evolves into a love of problem solving, helping animals and people and learning about the science of veterinary medicine

It would seem from the various job boards for vet jobs that there is a huge call for this professional all over the UK.  For someone looking for a lifelong challenge and career you can certainly seem to rely on this industry and it’s not just the surgeons required, there are roles for Nurses as well as back office staff such as finance and HR jobs.   There’s also travelling vets, care assistants, locum work and vets that specialise in areas such as large farmyard animals or exotic and zoo animals.

The best way to encourage young people to stay the course when pursuing a complex career like this is motivation and support.  Keep them interested and on track at school, help them with homework, encourage them to seek voluntary work at pet shelters, vet practices and farms (much like Shondie did) so they can work with animals up close and personal. 

Work out what highers are needed and even look into personal tuition if they are struggling in one of the core areas.  Children can be very motivated if they want something enough but sometimes need our help in getting there.  They should definitely check out shows like The Highland Vet – where they can see the job in action!

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