When I was little, I always said I would be a veterinarian, and in my mind, I would be the greatest veterinarian in the world. I’d be able to heal any animal. I even remember making a sign for my bedroom door that said “Animal Love Vet Place” and I would take care of my and my brother’s stuffed animals that were sick. All through school, that’s what I thought I would be, but things change.
When you’re little and people find out that you love animals enough to want to work with them, they’re first thought is “oh, so you’re going to become a veterinarian?” Because that’s the first job people think of when they think of working with animals. No one tells you of other jobs you can do. They keep suggesting veterinarian because it’s a good, well paying job to have that does a lot of good for animals, and you end up getting funneled onto this path.
So, all through high school and all through college, I followed the veterinarian path. I got into the programs, and made it my degree. Yet, my last two years of college, I started questioning the path. I found myself avoiding the topic of going to vet school. When it came to my classes, I was going through the motions. Yes. I want to learn about animals. I love anatomy and physiology, but the thought of being in a lab or a clinic wasn’t appealing. I wasn’t invested in what it would take to become a veterinarian. I found myself wanting to do other things instead.
My last semester of college, I finally made the decision to not become a veterinarian. Some people I told took it better than others, but it was a big relief to me. There were several factors that went into the decision, but the biggest one was that I didn’t want animals to be afraid of me. No animal likes going to the vet. When the vet walks into the room, they hide or try to get away. Veterinarians do so much good for animals, but the animals don’t realize it. I don’t think I have the strength to constantly be scary to animals.
I graduated with a pre-vet degree and went back home to pursue a new dream. One that I knew I wanted. I’m a zookeeper. I work with exotic animals every day of my work week. I get to earn their trust, improve their habitats, and learn their behaviors. I still get to take part in medical procedures whether it’s helping with voluntary vaccines in our cats or training for voluntary ultrasounds in our primates. I get to watch our animals be afraid of our veterinarians, but be more forgiving to me and my fellow keepers. It’s a demanding job, but it’s a lot more rewarding to me.
My dream when I little ended up not being the dream that I wanted. So, I hope this is an encouragement to everyone to question your own dream. Why are you following it? Is it something you enjoy doing? Are you really invested in it? Or, are you doing it because it’s expected of you? Ask yourself the deep questions and if you find yourself hesitating, ask yourself why. Why are you pursuing this dream? You may find the answer surprising and you may find yourself moving toward a more enjoyable path like I did.
It’s great to have dreams, but make sure your dreams are what you really want.
nikki diekemper 