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How should I spend my summer- gaining relevant experience, or gaining money to pay for college?

Hey everyone! Aspiring exotic animal veterinarian here, I'm trying to decide how to use my summer. Last summer and throughout this current school year, I've interned at a vet clinic unpaid. I've just gotten my CVA Level 1 Certification, too. Here are my two decisions-

Option 1) Apply to work a paid job at the clinic I've been interning at. I'm comfortable there and pretty sure they would hire me on the spot; however, their pay for the position I would work (vet assistant) is less than nearby restaurants/retail stores, which I find crazy. On the other hand, I would be getting great experience, key to getting into vet school later on (especially since they are the only exotic animal inclusive clinic within an hour's radius of my house). But I would be sacrificing earning good money to help pay for college the next year.

Option 2) Work somewhere else, with a more decent pay. I would be saving up for college better, so this would be the more financially wise option. However, I would be missing out on getting good experience having a job at an exotic veterinary clinic, especially one where people already know me and are comfortable with me, since I've interned there for about a year now.

Essentially, my dilemma is this: do I go for 1) gaining important experience for vet school or 2) getting better pay to help me afford college?

Thanks for any feedback or tips!!!

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Katherine’s Answer

Pursue the experience – it’s invaluable. Yes, the pay is relatively low; DVMs typically earn about a third of what MDs do, and the support staff make even less. Admission to vet school heavily depends on academic performance (especially in chemistry and physics) and strong letters of recommendation, often from well-connected professionals in the field. Expect to invest $200K–$300K in tuition, far beyond what can be saved through summer jobs. Research the specific prerequisites and expectations of the vet schools you’re targeting.

Katherine recommends the following next steps:

https://www.aavmc.org/
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Destiny’s Answer

Hello Vanessa,

This is a very good question, and it's great that you're thinking about the pros and cons of both decisions before you make a choice. I think your choice will depend on what is most important to you right now. If continuing your education is most important, then it's probably a better choice to get a job that pays more so you can afford your studies. However, the opportunity you have with the exotic animal clinic is certainly something to consider, because you'll be gaining valuable veterinary experience with exotic animals. I think that's a good opportunity to take, even if the pay is rather low, because you may not be able to easily find that kind of experience in the future.

If you need help paying for college, an alternative to taking a higher paying job is looking for scholarships or grants that can financially support your education. If you qualify for grants or scholarships, which provide money you can use for your education, you wouldn't necessarily have to take a higher paying job to afford college. So keep the scholarships and grants as an option!

Whichever decision you make, I hope you choose what you feel is best for you! Consider the advantages and disadvantages, as you're doing now, and that will help you make a good decision. You could also ask your professors for advice, because their experience may help you make your choice. They can guide you through this process, and give you some information about which choice is best for your situation.

I hope some of my thoughts on this were helpful for you! Keep up the great work with your veterinary career.
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Nirah’s Answer

Unless you think you will have substantially different experiences working there this summer, I would go for a job that pays more. Sounds like you already got a lot of animal experience contact hours from them, and getting more of the same will not necessarily help your Vet school application any more. On the other hand, if working for them instead of being a volunteer means that you get to do different activities with a higher level of responsibility, that might be worth it. There's also a chance that they are very interested in hiring you as a reliable and competent person. If you let them know you really want to work for them, but you feel financially pressured to take a different job so you can afford college, they might offer you a higher salary, or an opportunity to do some part-time work for them. I would make sure you have an offer in hand from an alternate employer before you go to them with that.
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