I did move to Scotland at the end of 2014, after spending some time there in 2013. That is when my professional career started. I was very very lucky!
I got a mixed job in a small town practice where I learned how to be a vet. I was working mostly with small animals, some farm animals and a handful (literally) of horses. I was in a young team, a supportive team. Honestly, if I were to go back to the UK to live permanently, I would really consider going back there.
However, my professional experiences taught me a lot. I mean, a lot. About me, about what I enjoyed, about what I didn't enjoy, about what I wanted, about what I didn't want. Here's a list of a few things I discovered in my path...
- I do not want my life to be consumed by my career
- I want to actually have time for a life outside of my career
- I don't enjoy a lot of the technical aspects of being a vet (I actually dislike performing most veterinary procedures - it's not to do whether they are simple or not, it's that I am fully aware I am causing pain or discomfort to the animal. And I just don't like the "doing" part...)
- I like talking to clients
- Talking to clients all day is exhausting...
- I like cats. I'm a cat person. I thought I was a dog person. Then I got a cat in my second year of Uni. I'm totally a cat person.
- I love horses, but I really don't like the work that veterinary professionals have to do around horses (seeing sick horses and stabbing them with needles is not something I can translate internally to "I love horses")
- You can easily make the "right" choice for the wrong reason. What I mean is, you can convince your logical and reasonable self that you are making a correct decision, but deep down you know it's not. Aka, listen to your guts
I think we can stop here now... And get to the part where I started to diverge from the traditional veterinary career.