I'm an animal science major and I do not want to become a veterinarian.
Sure, it's a popular field that graduates with animal science degrees do go into with a bit more of schooling but that isn't the only path you can take. When somebody asks about my major, they automatically assume that I want to become a vet. For the longest time, most of my family believed it was what I wanted to do even when I told them on numerous occasions it was not. To be fair, in high school, it was my dream but it changed about a month before I went into college.
Veterinary school is extremely competitive and expensive, I decided that it wasn't for me.
I also decided that I want to become a veterinary technician. Almost everyone I tell that to has no idea what I am talking about and that's okay. I explain that it's almost like a nurse for animals. If you've ever brought a pet to the vet clinic, then you have definitely seen one. I went into the program, knowing that I wanted to help animals and although we work with companion animals, ruminants, exotics, and more, I wanted to focus on cats and dogs. Unfortunately, there is never a doubt that those same people ask a follow-up question if I will be going to night school or taking classes to become a doctor of veterinary medicine as I continue to be a vet tech only until I get my license.
NO.
I just want to be a veterinary technician. That's it.
While I still want to be within the veterinary field, there is an abundance of more tracks for an animal science major! One of my friends in the same program as me would like to work in wildlife rehabilitation. Some have hopes of going onto graduate school, assisting professors with their research. Perhaps they would like to become professors later on into their careers. While there are a lot of animal science majors who are on the pre-vet track, that's not the only career option for people with an animal science degree. Maybe a student just wants to run their own farm.
To all of the farm hands, educators, vet techs, and more in an animal science degree program, I see you.
