Career choices

So I’m contemplating a career change. I haven’t talked to Husband about it yet…it kind of just dawned on me this morning on my way to work. Wanted to see if you guys had any thoughts on the subject. Wondered if it’s something I should seriously consider.

All my life I wanted to be a veterinarian. I LOVE animals. I wanted to be able to help animals. So I entered college intent on majoring in Biology. And from there I would maybe go on to vet school. Well, I think I started to doubt myself. Would I be able to do the whole vet thing? Could I handle surgery and all that medical stuff? Would I be able to get through all the maths and sciences (even though they’re my favorite subjects and I know I’m smart)? Do I want to be in school for that long? So with all these questions over my head, at freshman orientation, I changed majors to Architecture. Freshman year was mainly core classes anyway at Texas State (then Southwest Texas).

Sophomore year I transferred to Texas A&M and entered the Environment Design major. It took a year of that (and my first ‘C’ EVER!) to realize I did not have the creativity to be an architect (not even close). I transferred to the Construction Science major in the same College of Architecture. Construction…much more practical. I’d been around construction my whole life…it seemed to fit. I was good at it. I excelled at it. But knew I was too girly to work out in the field in the construction industry. So I leaned towards the residential aspect of construction and landed an office job as an estimator with a home builder after graduation. Again, something I was good at…I excel at. Within 2 years I had been promoted to Senior Estimator and then to Assistant Manager of Estimating. Then the housing downturn caught up in Houston and they got rid of the Assistant Manager position and I was dumped back down to Senior Estimator (at least I wasn’t laid off, right?). While I’m still really good at my job, I was happy when I got promoted to assistant manager because I’d been doing this work for over 2 years and I felt I needed more of a challenge. I’m good at it, but it’s not challenging anymore. I’ve been back doing my old unchallenging duties now for about 4+ months and it’s really starting to wear on me. I dread coming to work every day because it’s so boring. I can get through an entire day, even be productive in that day, and not have to think at all. Which makes my brain hurt because I don’t have to use it! It’s very frustrating. And things I used to take care of when I was asst. man., my boss now does and he doesn’t do them as well and asks for my help and then messes stuff up that I have to then go fix. I should just do it in the first place!

Anyway (sidetrack venting)…recently Husband and I have been talking about when to have kids and what we want to do when we have kids. We both would love for me to be able to stay home with kids, but Husband needs a big fat raise before that can happen…and we have a lot saving to do before then too! Not that I don’t want to work at all though. I think I would like to do something that would allow me more time at home. Something more flexible…more part time. Could I do that in the same industry? Is there anything else that I could maybe do by going back to school for an associate’s degree maybe? Then it hit me this morning. Like an epiphany. What if I became a vet technician?? I wouldn’t have to worry about the whole like surgery and big time medical stuff, but I could still work with animals. I could maybe even find a job closer to home…same city, maybe? Or work at the zoo…that would be awesome! I would definitely bring in A LOT less money, but I would still be working like I like and I would be doing something I enjoy rather than something I’m starting to dread on a daily basis. What do you think?? Am I just crazy because I’m hating my job? I could still work while going back to school, right? Night classes? Online classes? Should I seriously look into this?? I need some advice!!