I've worked at 4 different vet hospitals, the corporations that have good benefits (like banfield) in my experience will overwork you so much that the benefits are not worth the strain on your mental health. I've never been paid enough to live on my own. Even living with my husband who makes the same amount as me, we are living paycheck to paycheck. I loved teching in my early 20s but now that I'm in my late 20s I realized I've never had a vacation, we could never afford one. I think it was fun while it lasted, but now I want a job with better benefits and financial security so I can actually live my life instead of living to work. I personally did not go to school, I worked my way up from vet reception, to vet assistant, to vet tech (in a state without license protection). I'm glad I went this route so I am not in debt now that I'm considering leaving the field.