Decisions, Decisions (Or, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up)

[jedimaster91]

Here I am 5 months after graduating with my degree in Nuclear Medicine Technology and still have no job in my field. <New Hospital> posted 3 PRNs recently and I applied for all of them. I now have two of three rejection letters in my inbox. I suspect the third will come by the end of the week despite all my efforts to secure employment. And now, here I sit bummed, depressed, and feeling like I've wasted the last 4 years of my life. I think I'm going to have to go back to school. Apparently one college degree is not enough.

I now have a bit of a dilemma. I could take the safe route and go to X-Ray school. A dual certification may up my chances and there are far more Rad Tech opportunities in this town than Nuc Tech. It would be a two-year program with board certification exams at the end. I already have all the prereqs to get in, and I probably would get CEUs toward my Nuc certification as well.

....Or, I could go in a completely different direction and fulfill my dream of being an avian veterinarian. I've wanted to be an avian vet since the first cockatiel we owned got sick and died my junior year in highschool. But I didn't want to be in school that long.

The downside of going this route being I would probably never set foot in the Nuclear Medicine field again, which is sad because I love it even if it's not loving me right now. I'm also not so good with calculus and biology, the later of which I'm going to need A LOT of (including Micro, which I hear is awful). I've still got some time to decide. My husband is also looking for alternate employment and there is a chance we may move to Oregon in January. So I'm wating to see how that goes. If we do stay here, I can't enter the Rad Tech program until next fall. In the meantime, I could take some Bio and Calculus () classes and see how it goes. I hear vet school is harder to get into than medical school and I'm not really looking to depress myself further if I don't get in.

The third option is to fly away to Never Never Land and never grow up, but methinks that option won't work either.

[Plaidman]

Even Peter Pan had to grow up. Sorry nothings looking good right now, but keep your chin up. Personally, I'd try to follow your dream. Avian vet be great. Lots of bird lovers out there, but not so many caregivers. You didn't waste the last four years of your life. You learned alot, and it currently not working. But not to say it won't. That third letter has yet to come.

Besides, Oregon is great. Keep Portland weird!

[MergedLoki]

well I work in xray and am going through into MRI.

I suppose it all depends how far (if at all) are you willing to move?

When I graduated (spring '07) I applied anywhere and EVERYwhere in the province that was hiring.

Ended up getting a job about 4 hours from where I went to college... Not my first choice, and it's only part time (not rare in the field im sure you know).

But a neccesity. There were countless people in my class that complained 'they said it was 100% job success rate) yes... yes it is. if you look outside of the THREE hosptials in the city.

Just a thought you might have to move out of your comfort zone, somewhere different and new to find employment in you field.

and, sorry to be a downer but vet school IS next to friggin impossible to get into. I wanted to be a vet for years. I worked at MY dogs vet in highschool few days a week to get used to being around sick/dying/dead animals. talked to my dogs vet abunch about it etc. etc.

he basically told me you have to have like.. high 90's in univeristy/college to even be CONSIDERED to be accepted into vet school. (i got good marks, usually low - mid 80's so A's but not 90's).

He said it's becuase so few places offer the entire vet. medicine course they can be very selective and only take the best of the best.

Now... while that's all well and good for our pets. shouldn't we hve the best and brightest working on US humans? (as my marks were more than good enough for med school IF i wanted to be a doctor... but i dont im happy doing xray/mri... whcih i got into because I can actually work with animals doing MRI's on them once I get my mri certification )

[jedimaster91]

My cumulative GPA in college is a 3.719. My only C was in Cross-Sectional Anatomy. I also had to drop Organic Chemistry and try again the next semester because it made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. Inorganic Chem, on the other hand, was cake.

I'm looking at either Purdue or Auburn if I do decide to try for it. Still have some thinking to do.

[ArcticChicken]

I think you should chase your dream.

I, at least, would rather try and fail than live with the regret of never trying at all.

[42_42_42]

I know you'd like to stay where you are, but sometimes you have to go where the job is, esp. in this economy. Have you tried applying in other locals? Not sure exactly what you do in your field, but they are building a new hospital where I live, which is just south of Atlanta. PM if you'd like more info.