Part I: High School AdviceLots of high school students may be starting to think about their futures, and give some thought to what they want to do for a living. If the idea of becoming a vet tech sounds interesting to you, the first thing I recommend is to go shadow one. Contact your vet (if you have a pet), or just call some local vets that live near you if you don't have one. Tell them that you are a high school student interested in the career, and would like to know if they have any shadowing or volunteer opportunities. Most of them do! Vets and vet techs are always happy to help a young person who is starting to take interested in an animal care career.
When you shadow the vet tech, you'll see exactly what kind of work you'll be doing on a daily basis. Don't be afraid to ask a lot of question and bring a pen and pad to take some notes! Following a veterinary technician around for a day (or even more!) is the fastest and easiest way to see if this job is right for you. If you like what you see... If you fall in love with the job and decide that this is what you want to do, it's time to give some thought to your high school classes. There probably aren't any specific vet tech classes given at your high school, so you'll just have to focus on the basics: science and math. Make sure to do well in these classes, and talk to your teachers to see if they can recommend any books about veterinary science. You may be able to get a head start by reading some of these books while you still have a lot of free time! Most vet tech schools require a 3.0 high school GPA to be accepted, so make sure you graduate on time and with high marks. The next step is when your career will really get started! Part II: Getting Your Associate's Degree |