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What should I do? I’m really stressed and I don’t know what to do please help me

As a 16 yr old student who’s so close to getting to college I’ve been very stressed lately into what career I want to pursue. I want to be a veterinary radiologist but I don’t know the average salary of it, how many years does it take, if it’s too hard, what do I need to become one, or where should I finish my studies. I’m not clear with anything, at first I wanted to be just a vet but for me salary is really important, I don’t want to live poor, so I researched and found that vet techs or nurses are underpaid and one of the highest paid jobs is radiology which was my second choice since I love it. I need help figuring eveything out and I can’t have anything too expensive for my studies. I’m freaking out and don’t know what I should do.

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Jerome’s Answer

I know it feels like you need to have it figured out already, but high school and college are about exploring new things and understanding what could be of interest. Between clubs and electives, use the time to try new things.

I highly recommend attending career days and talking with people about their jobs. I think most people graduate without knowing what they are going to do and that’s ok.
Thank you comment icon Yess, yesterday it became too real and stressful for me when I attended a university fair and all of the pressure was on me, now I’m less stressed with everyone’s answers and for that I very much appreciate it! Thank you Karina
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Kim’s Answer

Karina,

It appears that your path forward is to first get your 4 yr undergrad degree, then go to vet school (another 4 years), do a residency in veterinary radiology, and, pass a test. Salary ranges from $100- $300,000 a year. Keep in mind there are various specialties within the veterinary radiology field, such as treating malignant tumors with radiological procedures. Entrance into veterinary school is pretty competitive. Look for opportunities to be working with animals - such as at shelters or a local vet's office, even if just cleaning out the cages. Take the hard science classes.

By the time you finish, you will have amassed a healthy student loan debt, in all likelihood. This alone should not deter you, if that's what you want to do.

I'm concerned that salary is "very important" because you don't want to "live poor." That's different than saying you want to live a life of luxury. Depending on the lifestyle you want, almost anything is "doable." It comes down to learning how to handle money. Choosing cars that are reliable, not necessarily flashy. Living in a decent house, in a safe neighborhood, with good schools, rather than living in a mansion with its expensive utilities and maintenance costs. Having a swimming pool? Etc. Learning to manage money isn't easy. I encourage you to learn to do this by the time you earn your undergrad degree.

Having used veterinary radiologists on several occasions, I commend you for your interest in this field. Because pets are treated as family, the cost of veterinary care has skyrocketed in recent years. This sounds like a promising career!

Kim
Thank you comment icon Thank you so much!! I understand the “live poor” thing, for me salary is important just because I want to have enough money to support my siblings and I don’t know I’m a big spender too, im just really stressed about not wanting to make $20k a year but thank you lotsss for this Karina
Thank you comment icon Supporting siblings is a serious undertaking. You are a beautiful person! Do you envision them living with you after you finish schooling, or sending money home to them? Where do you plan to live once you become a Veterinarian? Kim Igleheart
Thank you comment icon I don’t plan on them living with me but I want to be there for them if they need me financially and supporting them with everything, they mean the world! I’m not sure about where I’ll be living since salary is different everywhere, I want to make good money to live well and to support my family. I’ve researched and found California pays well but it’s so expensive so I’ll be wasting more than gaining. Maybe I’ll stay here in Puerto Rico, but if you know where there could be good job offers do let me know for the future! Thank you. Karina
Thank you comment icon You're research on salaries is impressive! I applied for a position in CA right after graduating, and they sent me a "reality check" cost of living fact sheet. Yikes! Anyway, there are on-line calculators that give you comparison cost of living information between different cities. Here are a couple: https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/cost-of-living-calculator/ https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living Kim Igleheart
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Charly’s Answer

Hi good morning! Life in general is super super stressful, is part of our lives but you can controlled and normalized. All the problems are not big than the capacity that we've to solve it. Take a brake and put the problem in the front of your thought and start meditate on that, naturally the brain will find the solution on that problem, then organize that, make an structure of execution and execute. Our brain is wonderful and perfect once we dominated.
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NANCY W’s Answer

I agree with the career advice that has been given, but I have to "ditto" hardest on what Jerome has said: resist the urge to feel like you have to have it all figured out by the time you graduate...you don't! I understand the desire to be able to help family, and that is admirable. At the same time, if you don't take care of YOU, you will be of no help to your family. (What Veronica is important!) Take the time to ask questions of people who are in the field. If there are not a lot of opportunities to do that in person in PR, look on LinkedIn for people in that field or associations of professionals close to what you want to do. Reach out and ask them how they got their start; you may find that their roads are not all a straight arrow to where they ended up. Also, look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov) for details about the different kinds of skills required; there you may also find other careers that can lead to your desired position.

Kudos to you for being forward thinking at 16...but take a minute to breathe and realize that you are putting a lot of pressure on yourself at a point where it isn't necessary in order for you to be successful. You still have time. Tranquilo...vas a estar bien!
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Ilene’s Answer

Find someone in your occupation. Shadow them with their permission of course. Ask them all of your questions. Find a college offering a degree in your field. Ask the advisor your questions. Hope this was helpful.
Thank you comment icon Yes it was thank you so much! The problem is here in Puerto Rico there’s not many opportunities and not many people in the field but thank you I might have to change my plans. I appreciate your help Karina
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Thomas’s Answer

Here's what you do: take a deep breath, take time for yourself, take some time to weigh the pros and cons of each thing you're interested in and go from there.

I personally think you're putting too much pressure on yourself at this stage. Don't worry, I was exactly the same way. Here's the thing though- you can always make money doing other things if you must before making one thing your full time. That's the first thing. Secondly, PLENTY of people go into college as "undecided". That means that they don't know what the heck they want to do. And that's ok. In all honesty, I think I know just as many people who didn't know what they wanted to do going into college as I know people who did know. And things can change just slightly but you could still work in the field you love. Just as and example, I study music, audio, and music composition. I had zero interest in becoming a classical music composer going into doing composition- I just wanted practice with writing melodies so that I have an easier time as a music producer in the studio. However, I am now doing both music production AND classical composition. You don't have to do just one thing.

Here's what I think you should do: stop stressing so much about the money side of things. You will have the rest of your life to do that. Start saving some money now and learn to keep those feelings of stress about the future down. I know it's had- I still struggle with worrying about the future every day. That's OK. But you're still in high school, and you still have a few more years in high school. Enjoy the NOW. Enjoy the present. You don't want to look back on your high school years and think "I wish I did more". You want to look back and say "ah, what a time to be alive". Make Memories. Have Fun. You can worry more later because that's how life works.
Thank you comment icon Thank you very much!! It’s just that soon I’ll have to take the SAT and the College Board and soon after that send my college application, I feel like times passes so fast I won’t have time to think. I want to have good money to support my siblings and parents. I’m now more clear of what I want to do so I’m better now thanks to everyone’s help in here!! Thank you for the advice! Karina
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Andrea’s Answer

I'm not an expert, but I think if you're interested in a career, you should try meeting people who work in that field. Maybe you can shadow them and see what they do. It will help you get a little glimpse of what you might be doing in a few years (and hopefully you enjoy it). It's also good to have a second option, like a side hustle, so you don't have to depend on just one source of income.
Thank you comment icon Yes! I’ve thought about that, I will try to. I’ve also researched and found some good places to shadow so I’ll be applying soon and I’ll be applying this year to veterinary summer camp! Thanks I’m now less stressed!! Karina
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Andrea’s Answer

I'm not an expert, but I think if you're interested in a career, you should try meeting people who work in that field. Maybe you can shadow them and see what they do. It will help you get a little glimpse of what you might be doing in a few years (and hopefully you enjoy it). It's also good to have a second option, like a side hustle, so you don't have to depend on just one source of income. and you have to have a POSTIVE attitude so you dont hate your life :)
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