As someone with an Equine Science degree, I would say…do something else. I spent far too long trying to make a career out of it LOL. Unless you plan to stay on academia, it’s not worth it.
I am currently in my “quarter life crisis” - what do I want to go to grad school for?! lol…I have done a lot of searching on various job sites looking for jobs that I think I would like (actual job, hours, pay, areas for growth) then go backwards to see what kind of education I need.
I suggest staying with STEM - go into nursing, engineering, etc. The nurses I know make upwards of $115K+ with an associates degree, working 3 12 hour shifts. I contemplated going back to school for nursing, but its just not for me.
If you want to stay in the STEM / Equine area, I try vet tech, vet school, etc. I would encourage you to do some shadow days with vets, techs, etc…I did several shadow days with my vet and as much as I love animals and healthcare, I couldn’t handle when owners didn’t do what was best for the animal (due to finances, just differences of opinion, etc).
Also think about do you want your hobby to be a hobby or be a job? I currently work as a recreational therapist. I used to love to play UNO. After playing UNO for 5-15+ hours a week for the last 2 years, I am kinda done with the game UNO.
Good luck!!!
What I wish I knew back when:
Things that you love don’t always translate well into careers. Even aside from the money issue, many find that they don’t love grooming, cleaning, training other people’s animals - or dealing with those people.
Probably most people don’t LOVE their job. Your career doesn’t necessarily have to define you or be your passion. That is why you get a paycheck.
OTOH, being in a job you actively dislike can be soul crushing, no matter the pay. I turned down one job that paid way more than I was making after seeing what it was like and realizing that I would dread going into work every day. No matter that people were saying “Do X job! Plenty of opportunity and great pay!” if it doesnt suit you, dont do it - too many hours and years of your life to be miserable for a paycheck if it is avoidable.
Especially in today’s environment, you need to do some career research and see what sorts of jobs might work for you and be available. And you need to be flexible as many of us have worked in different areas as we moved or changed or new jobs became available.
I have an equine science degree, and originally planned to go on to vet school, however I decided ultimately not to pursue that path.
I was able to get a customer service job with an equine retailer out of school, and worked my way up, eventually finding myself in marketing. After realizing that I enjoyed marketing I pursued my MBA and still work in animal health, although more on the pharma side these days.
Some of these responses are pretty harsh, calling it a waste of time and money - I don’t feel that way having completed the degree. It is still a science background and it opened doors for me to other careers and further development.
If I were to do my major over again, I might’ve switched to business, but then again I wasn’t really interested in it back then so I’m not sure I would’ve been as successful. I really enjoy the combination of science and business degrees that I have now, and was able to go back to school part time and have my employer pay for part of my second degree.
Good luck with whatever you decide OP!
The only people who get rich with horses are those that were previously very, very rich.
The old joke is, “How do you make a million dollars in the horse business? Start with $2 million.” Although with inflation and rising costs, today you might need to start with $5 million rather than just $2 million.