re: Mid-life crisis reality check

Go for it. There were a few people in their late 30s to early 40s in my wife’s class. The first few years will be nonstop classes, labs, and studying. Wake up at 6, get to school by 8, finish at 5pm, take a dinner break, then study until you finish.

You have to show interest, ie volunteering or working in a clinic or shelter. It will also give you a great glimpse into the profession.

As someone has mentioned, loans will mount, if you need them. Begin saving and living a frugal lifestyle.

Had a few mid-30s people in my dental school class and none were the brightest in the class (just meaning they weren’t slam dunk candidates academically). I was good friends with one, and I know he talked with the school beforehand to get an idea how realistic his prospects were. Talk with a few vets and a few schools.

My vets groomer made 90k last year he starts his new grad vets off at 65 K prob because we have 2 vet schools within. 40 min from his clinic. You can work with animals not go into debt but still make a living.

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Is it even possible with how hard it is to get into vet programs in the SEC?

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More difficult than many would think.

I have a friend that is a physician, child graduated top 10 at a 6A school. Student took advanced courses, volunteered at Vet offices/shelters, did well on SATs and still could not get into LSU or A&M Veterinarian program.

Really sorry to hear. I would encourage to seek any avenues to put yourself on a path to greater happiness. I would discourage you however, from choosing a long professional education path in your 40s. Admission is difficult as you will be competing with applicants who can provide many more years to the profession than you will be able to. The time and effort commitment is total and will be difficult for someone out of school for quite some time. Not to mention it will be a challenge to realized a return on your investment at your age.

tl:dr I encourage to you find a new path to career satisfaction but professional school is likely a poor choice for you.

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My vets groomer made 90k last year he starts his new grad vets off at 65 K prob because we have 2 vet schools within. 40 min from his clinic. You can work with animals not go into debt but still make a living.

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We are in crisis mode up here. Last vet clinic is threatening to shut down, only emergency and certificates.

We need vets badly.

It’s doable my aunt went to med school in her mid 30’s after being a second grade teacher for years. Ended up practicing for 20 years or so and retiring a multi millionaire so I would say go for it if it’s something you really want.

My brother wanted to be a vet for his whole life until we moved to a ranch when he was about 14. Within a year, and after seeing what it was like to raise cows, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, etc, he decided to become an MD.

He makes way more money than a vet, likes his job, and owns a bunch of animals.

Good luck though. It's never to late to pursue something more fulfilling.

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Nothing I have ever done has made any difference to make the world a better place, and I am extremely frustrated.

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No kids? They should be be your focus, not that your frustrated at your job. If you have no kids, go volunteer for a vet or be a 'rescue' owner of unwanted animals and find homes for them. I think they still euthanize unwanted animals at animal control.