It was my natural love for animals that motivated me to pursue a career in veterinary medicine
I am one of the few people who have the remarkable opportunity to have followed my dream of becoming a veterinarian. I have wanted to work with animals since I was a small boy, and have done so literally since I was born.
I grew up on my grandfathers’ farm in Idaho and as it was a family farm I was included in most of the farm’s activities, including working with our livestock.
Our farm included sheep, beef cattle, horses and my uncle’s dairy. In the winter we would get up before school and help care for our beef herd and flock of sheep during calving and lambing season. When my father grounded me he would prevent me from getting up at 5:00 AM before school and go out in the cold Idaho winter and help with the cattle and sheep. I always tried to be good so that I wouldn’t have to stay behind and sleep in, in my warm comfortable bed.
A love of animals really is you first step in developing a career in Veterinary medicine.
Only Listen to Positive voices
There are so many voices that could have distracted me from my goal. Instead of being supportive many people will only talk about negative aspects and the challenges with the path to veterinary school.
It was on a particularly difficult day, a day when people had been telling me that it was too difficult to go to graduate school, that I saw a friend on campus that made a difference. He was a truck driver named Lynn Taylor, who had been one of my lay clergymen and a friend of our family for years. When he asked, I reluctantly told him what my career goals were.
I expected him to start in with all of the difficulties that everyone else did with going to graduate school. Instead he was immediately positive and talked to me as if it was a foregone conclusion that would be successful. On that day that I was almost ready to quit, he gave me courage and strength.
Surround yourself family and friends that will influence you to be successful.
My Wife as my biggest supporter
But my principal supporter and the person I owe the most, is my wife Karli. She has been the one, day in and day out that has believed in me, loved me, and has supported me in anything that I have done.
My last piece of advice is to marry well; if you do you are guaranteed success.