¬¬¬Lead: CAREER PATHMy Career Path to Becoming a VeterinarianBetsy Berenback-GoldVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityAssignment # 4 for biological orientation seminar (BIOL 1004)Dr. Jack Evans, Instructor 10/16/14 Wanting to become a veterinarian was not some childhood aspiration that I spent hours dreaming of becoming. Actually, I fell in love with this profession because of an accident. In eighth grade, I had to shadow a professional for a day. Being the inexperienced young student that I was, I procrastinated. Therefore, I went to any professional workplace asking doctors, teachers, nurses, etc. to allow me to enter. However, each had people following them or couldn't accommodate me on that specific date. However, I went to this veterinary office and the doctor told me that if I studied how to become a vet and made detailed notes on the subject, he would allow me in. This is where my true love for becoming a veterinarian was born. The average salary for a veterinarian is $86,640, or $41.66 an hour. Salary can range up to $150,000. However, most starting salaries are around $52,000 at minimum. (O*Net Online, 2013) Unlike many other occupations, a veterinarian has many opportunities to get big pay raises. Just like most professional jobs that require years of school and time to achieve, salary advancement is achievable if you are good at what you do. (O*Net Online, 2013) Overall, that accident I fell into in eighth grade had set me on the path to becoming a veterinarian. Even though I know the field is competitive and the workload isn't easy, it's the work I fell in love with. Just like my father always said: “do what you love and you will never work a day in your life”. Therefore, I plan to follow this career path, love what I am doing and hopefully successfully run a veterinary practice in