We Live & We Learn

Second week of 2017 already? Time always seems to go faster when you're enjoying the little things, weirdly.

The weather and my schedule this week has been chaotic that trying to find the time and the right break, working Paxton has proven to be a real challenge. I work at an insurance company and, don't get me wrong, I love my job. I certainly didn't go to school to be an insurance agent...actually, I went to be a Veterinarian. Why don't we touch on that for a hot sec.

When I was attending Michigan State University, I really didn't know what I wanted to do with my life and making that decision at 17 terrified me. I always wanted to work with animals and didn't want my days to be monotonous, so veterinary medicine seemed like a logical choice.

When you first start, the school asks you to declare your major. Not knowing what I wanted to go into except with the idea of going to Vet School, I decided to put down Pre-Vet. During the first year and a half, I took a portion of classes that were in my major as well as a few different electives to explore all my options, testing the waters to make sure that this is what I really want to do. In my second year, while working on a research paper, I got an email from the University stating that I still needed to declare my major. Wait a second, I did that when I got here. How have I not declared my major? Well, turns out that when you declare 'Pre-Vet' as your major, you're not guaranteed a degree at the end of your 4 years. Surprise! Imagine my face when I read that. Of course, when I first put down Pre-Vet, I was told that I could get a degree, that everything would be fine and not to worry about it, so I didn't. So, after fighting with the school and not getting anywhere, the next day, I changed my major. Animal Biology with the concentration of Veterinary Medicine. Here we go...seems like I have to start over.

I could have kept to the Pre-Vet route, but the idea of not getting a degree at the end of it, that was a let down. You see, how the 'major' is designed, is that you need to take the approved list of courses to be eligible to apply to the Vet School, but with no piece of paper at the end of it. But what happens if you don't get into Vet School? Well...that's where you can get yourself in a real pickle. Since you've taken those courses, sure you can apply to another Vet School, but who's to say that they don't have their own required courses for you to take? And, who knows, they may require you to have an undergraduate degree before you can consider it. I'm not a gambling person, so I went with Animal Biology and I'm sure as heck glad that I did. After my third year, I was already looking forward to being done with school and the idea of another 4 to 5 years with nearly $120,000 of student loans didn't seem like the best way to start out. So I decided to go into more of a nutrition/preventative medicine approach, but didn't know what I was going to do with it after graduation. I thought about working for a feed distributor or a research lab but most places, if you want to move up, require a PhD...again, another problem. I tried not letting it get to me too much, I still love animals, but I really wanted something to show for my hard work and help me start to make some money. I wanted to change my major again, but the idea of having to start over (again) was draining.

Thankfully, as unfortunate as it is, most employers do require a college degree for most of their entry-level positions but generally don't take into consideration of what your degree's in, just a way for them to ensure that you're 'teachable' and willing to apply your full self. I'm so grateful that even though my resume said that my experience was in frying chicken nuggets at McDonald's and cleaning stalls, I was able to land a job with my current employer, who's one of the largest insurance companies in the nation.

Some of you might ask, why insurance? My father's a broker for a separate insurance group and started to talk about the idea of trying something different as you never know if you'll like something unless you give it a shot. He's the one who got me interested in the idea of applying at Farmers Insurance as they were opening up over 350 jobs in the area, all entry level. What's the worst they could say? No? I was willing to take the risk of that, I needed a job, and after a couple of attempts and a few separate interviews, they said YES!!! Asking them after I accepted my position, I asked why me? There were hundreds of other applicants, but what made me special? And, perhaps the best thing I've ever heard, they said that though my degree got their attention, they also said that they had faith in me and wanted to give me the chance to excel not only in their company, but in the industry itself and to help it grow. For someone that doesn't know me stating they're willing to give someone with little to no experience the opportunity to launch their career and build something for themselves, is truly amazing! And everyday I'm thankful for that opportunity. I love learning and coming across something new everyday, I love the chance to build my life with a stable job, and I love the fact that I'm working in a controlled climate since working as a veterinarian, especially large animal, you have to work outside...Michigan winters...no fun.

Plugging along through school I didn't feel that I was prepared for the next stages of life. They don't tell you how to do your taxes or teach you about a 401K, insurance, financials, but heck I'll be the first one to tell you the difference between protozoa and metazoa! But, I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's an experience of life where I learned about myself, made life-long friends, and grew into the person that I am today. And, with this job, I was able to find my new best friend, Paxton. Life's funny like that, it takes you places that you never expect and throws a few curve balls at your face, but in the end, I believe we're all better people from it.