08-10-2011, 04:42 AM
You may not wish to dismiss full vet training if that is something you have a passion for (I foresee more need here for veterinarians in the future, as there is an aging population of them here - very few are even close to their 40's) ...
There are vet med schools that start on a 2 year AS degree, and you are not that old to start, you would only be around 40 when you finished with the degree! (I think Dear Abby had one time advised a letter writer that was hesitant about starting a med degree because they would be in their 50's when they gradated in 8 years to the affect of "How old will you be in 8 years if you do not go for the degree?")
For an idea of vet med schools (unfortunately - none in Hawaii), check here:
http://www.aavmc.org/
As to fed jobs, there are quite a few at any time (UHH sends out the listings to students & alum) and they are varied... coming from AK, I am sure you know that there is not as full spectrum of jobs as high population areas.
Some people from places like CA have a feeling that this area is highly lacking in jobs & pay... if you are from a more rural, low population area, it is not as bad... hubby has a job in Kona that is very similar to the PLC tech job he had on the mainland, at over 2x the wage he retired from... but it isn't like there are more than a handful of these positions on island (and one only comes available once a decade or so)... he was lucky to have gotten the position, and it was not 'right away' when we got here... and it is not as close to home.
Some of the things to realize.... there are some truly awesome jobs, there are high tech positions, there are positions that pay very well, but there may only be a few, and there may not be an dream job available for years. Part of the reason I recommend do some ground work (volunteering & such) when you are visiting here...to get your face & name known to as many as possible & to have a more realistic view of what is here.
There are vet med schools that start on a 2 year AS degree, and you are not that old to start, you would only be around 40 when you finished with the degree! (I think Dear Abby had one time advised a letter writer that was hesitant about starting a med degree because they would be in their 50's when they gradated in 8 years to the affect of "How old will you be in 8 years if you do not go for the degree?")
For an idea of vet med schools (unfortunately - none in Hawaii), check here:
http://www.aavmc.org/
As to fed jobs, there are quite a few at any time (UHH sends out the listings to students & alum) and they are varied... coming from AK, I am sure you know that there is not as full spectrum of jobs as high population areas.
Some people from places like CA have a feeling that this area is highly lacking in jobs & pay... if you are from a more rural, low population area, it is not as bad... hubby has a job in Kona that is very similar to the PLC tech job he had on the mainland, at over 2x the wage he retired from... but it isn't like there are more than a handful of these positions on island (and one only comes available once a decade or so)... he was lucky to have gotten the position, and it was not 'right away' when we got here... and it is not as close to home.
Some of the things to realize.... there are some truly awesome jobs, there are high tech positions, there are positions that pay very well, but there may only be a few, and there may not be an dream job available for years. Part of the reason I recommend do some ground work (volunteering & such) when you are visiting here...to get your face & name known to as many as possible & to have a more realistic view of what is here.