Well that’s it really, the title says it! I’ve enrolled for paraveterinery training at Aeres Training Centre in Barneveld, the Netherlands! 🙂
It’s a 2 year course comprising a day per fortnight in class, 2-3 days / week internships and 2 days / week self study. As long as enough people enroll for the course to run, I’ll start in November, and by 2028 I’ll have the paperwork to assist vets! 🙂
Reaching this point has been a long journey! When I volunteered at Avolare Wildopvangcentrum (wildlife rescue centre) I met a girl who worked there as an intern for her paravet training. It was thanks to her I first heard about this line of work, and it sounded fantastic! The more I found out about it the more I wanted to do it!
But I had some nagging hesitations about signing up for the training:
- I’m 54 and I haven’t studied for 30 years; am I still capable of study?
- I’ve had a burnout; am I mentally and physically up to study?
- The classes and lesson material are in Dutch; is my Dutch up to it?
- I need to follow internships. Will anyone take on an old, English guy on a career switch?
- How will I support my family financially during my study?
I looked deeply and honestly into each of these aspects.
God, of course, has played His mighty hand in this too. There’s always a danger of hearing what I want to hear in a sermon and confusing it with God’s wisdom. And that said, a pastor and 2 sermons (from different preachers) in particular seemed to point me away from my doubts and ‘back’ into paraveterinary studies.
So I’ve enrolled, and there’s no “buyer’s regret”! 😉
My final feeling is this: With God’s help I think I can overcome my points above. And if I can’t – then at least I tried, and know that God has other plans for me!
