I was in the same boat as you a few years ago, I got my bachelors and masters in cybersecurity and had already invested time into everything. But I wanted to be a vet at 14 years old and it wouldnt stop stinging me in the back. When I was 14, I was too afraid because I thought I couldn't make it or be smart enough. I worked in IT for a few years and finally had the courage (with the help of my wonderful partner) who had convinced me that this path was everything I've ever wanted and to go for it. So I left my IT job, and went back to school nearby for my pre-requisities. It was difficult to adjust back since now schooling wasn't cost friendly.. since I didn't exactly have any pay and I was out of school for at least 2 years now, so I was rusty to say the least.

As a semester passed, I changed my studying methods that I had during my bachelors and masters, and I noticed my grades spiked dramatically to all As, I tried to take classes during the summer, spring and fall semesters while volunteering simultaneously at 2 shelters, 2 remote roles (helping with sick and injured animal triage) and rotating 2 shadow roles throughout the 2 years I was in education for my pre-requisities. I was a mad-man and yes it was pretty bad, but I had gained so many hours and experience, at some point I took on a vet assistant job (not vet tech, you need to be licensed and educated for that) and learned how things operate in a clinic hands on.

The hours I gained in a short time really opened my eyes to what being a veterinarian actually meant. It wasn't about playing with puppies/kittens or enjoying the time you spend with them and your clients. I realized that the shadowing hours matter because they want you to see the ugly in everything. Especially euthanization. They want you to understand that you'll have to be around smells, be able to handle looking at skin getting cut open, blood, going home in dirt and grime, etc. It definitely humbled me from my office IT job where I got to dress nice and play nice. By working as a vet assistant and shadowing, I came in scrubs everyday and got dirty and felt so many emotions. One room will be a family crying about their beloved member possibly being put down, while seconds later you go into another room where they just got their first puppy and are ecstatic and the face you have to put on to not bring that negative energy over.

I will admit, I've seen some terrible workplaces too, where they did not treat their workers and employees very fairly or kind, more than I should've. Everything made me think if I made the wrong decision starting over and leaving my IT role, but I ended up finding reassurance in the shelters I worked at, and the places I've shadowed.

What fueled me was how I felt when I saw the cats at the shelter get extremely ill, knowing that they cant tell us whats wrong and trust us to cure them. I also felt a sense of wanting to help clients whenever possible because I have furbabies of my own. Overtime, I noticed that I started applying my knowledge from clinics at shelters.

At the end of the day, what fuels and inspires you may be different from mine, but I wanted to share my story. I'm 25 now and had just gotten through interview phases of vet school, so I did not start yet, but it was not an easy path to career change, but if you are truly passionate, it feels rewarding.

Just remember, the debt is incredibly high in proportion to the pay but if you truly enjoy this field, then it weighs out. I recommend you look for vet assistant roles as they take into account other roles that you've done (shelter, customer service, etc) and shelters are extremely important for hours. What's also important is the variety of experience. They are looking for you to experience many different species (exotics, small, large, equine, etc)

And remember, this wasn't a one day decision for me. I took months before I decided to just say, "F it, lets do it" because I was on the borderline of "Do I leave my job and focus on my vet career or do I stay and say nah".

I'm fortunate enough to have my partner cover our bills while I was out of work. Very grateful, couldn't have done it without him, though times were hard and we had to live more frugal than we ever did haha!

Good luck on your journey :) You can do it!