Tag Archives: veterinary medicine

Art Safari: Observing Animals and Art

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“Please don’t touch the art.” This statement is oft quoted by my friends and family in reference to my on campus job.  Officially, I am a guard at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery here at Scripps College.  After hearing this, you would probably think I’m an art major, minor, at least some sort of art connoisseur.  None of these are particularly true, and if I had to title my role in the art world, I would pick something along the lines of art appreciation specialist.

4-1 I really love looking at art, I love my job and my coworkers, and I even spent a good chunk of my time and money abroad getting lost in art museums and galleries in a variety of European cities.  However, my academic knowledge and understanding of the art world is fairly limited.

I am a Science, Technology & Society major and aspire to be a veterinarian one day.  An art gallery really seems like the ideal place for me to work, right?  Now you probably understand why my loved ones chuckle whenever I mention my job.  Animal medicine and art protection seem like absolutely opposite ends of the job description spectrum.  However, I’m here to tell you that I’ve learned a great deal about my future career in animal care from my time working in the gallery.

4-2Sitting immersed in art for eight hours a week has helped me to learn how to really look at my surroundings.  I’ve always been an observant person, and I’ve always been critical of the world around me.  I like to know how and why thing are the way they are, and I work hard to understand the things that I see.  Art isn’t an easy thing to observe.  It is subjective, and different people find different meanings in it.  A piece that I find inspiring and filled with movement and life, another could find oppressive and representative of human adversity to confinement.

Just as art isn’t an easy thing to see and analyze, animals are just as difficult to really look at.  Animals, just like paintings, can’t tell you verbally what they are about.  It takes a critical eye and dedicated mind to see what is wrong with a dog and diagnose it properly.  You have to know where to look and how to look.  Working in the art gallery has refined my abilities for critical observation, and I am confident that I am going to be a better veterinarian because of it.  By looking at animal medicine as an art itself, and not just a science, I have expanded my mindset and critical thinking skills.

4-3Even though my job on campus is seemingly as far as possible from what I want to do in the future, it has helped me to develop skills that I will use in my career one day.  Did I expect this to happen? Absolutely not, but I am so glad that it has.  I encourage you to go out and gain experience in any and all work environments.  I guarantee that you will develop networking, practical, and/or observational skills that will help you grow throughout your future path. Whatever those newly refined skills are, you will be happy you have them, and you will learn more about yourself, your interests, and your future career along the way.  So if even if you have a job that on paper seems like it has no relevance to your desired path, no need to worry!  The lessons you learn will be relevant to your life experience, and those lessons can be applied to any career, so long as you are willing to open your eyes and find them.

Join the conversation! Comment below with the life lessons you’ve gained from your on campus jobs.  Let’s compare observational notes and see what we can learn from each other!

When I Grow Up: Pursuing Your Childhood Dreams

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When I was younger, I wanted to be everything.  I went through phases pursuing every career path in the book, bouncing from doctor to archaeologist to dancer and back again, just as many kids do.

When I was in 6th grade, I thought that I found my life’s calling.  I had always loved to read, and I though being at school was quite fun.  Me, being a fairly practical child, already understood that teachers didn’t make a whole lot of cash, so I went and declared that my ultimate goal was to become an English Literature professor.  I had my whole life plan set out: attend undergrad, get my doctorate, and then get hired at a prestigious institution where I would become world-renowned as one of the most prolific, young, and hip members of my academic community.  Any of you who have read my past posts, or know me at all, will recognize that this is not at all the path that I have been pursuing as a young adult.  Nonetheless, I followed my path of literary classics all the way until second semester of my second year of high school.3-1

Sophomore year, I was enrolled in AP Biology. I realised that I loved books, but I loved biology even more. I decided I wanted to pursue a career in medicine. I saw a life filled with genetics and diagnostics flash before my eyes. I basically wanted to be House, except with a better bedside manner and a tad less cynicism.3-2

I once again threw myself into pursuing the path that I thought was “the one.” However, one of my good friends told me that I would never be a human doctor because I was meant to be a veterinarian. I laughed and blew him off every time that he said this, which was a lot more frequently that you would think. Little did I know that he was 100% correct. But hey, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Throughout high school, I volunteered at a hospital, read anatomy books, and looked for colleges that I thought would best situate me to get into medical school. I did all of the right things, but something still didn’t feel right. Every so often, my friend would nudge me toward animal medicine, and every time, I would shut him down. I couldn’t be a vet, I thought. It’s too sad, too depressing, and even though I love animals, I know I couldn’t handle it.  If I cry just at the thought of that Sarah McLaughlin SPCA commercial, how could I ever see sick animals on a daily basis?3-3

Then, during the second semester of my first year at Scripps, I was offered a veterinary summer internship at my local animal shelter. I felt so conflicted, but finally decided to take the plunge and try it out. On my first day there, I fell in love with the world of veterinary medicine and haven’t looked back since. My friend has never let me forget it.

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Looking back, I laugh at how silly and stubborn I was when I was younger, always chasing the dream of the year. As funny as I think it was, truthfully, I learned so many lessons from those dreams, most importantly how to pursue true passions. It might take some time to find the right career fit, but when you do, give it your all. I am meant to be a vet, and I truly believe that the joy that I have found in this career path is special and waiting out there for everyone. If there is one thing to take away from this post, let it be this: believe in your dreams just like you did as a kid and pursue your passions. Your drive will take you far, and you will never regret it.

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