Job Outlook of a Veterinarian

I wanted one of my final blog postings to be about the projected job outlook of my future career. Surprise!!! A veterinarian. The overall outlook of the veterinarian career is positive; however for only certain specializations is where the money is. Most prospective vets seek to specialize with companion animals (including myself); as a result, there are fewer opportunities of growth due to an increased competition. The majority of job opportunities lie with veterinarians who specialize in farm animal work, or those who choose to work for a government agency. According to the Occupation Handbook, “veterinarian came in No. 30 on a list of occupations projected to have the highest percentage growth in jobs from 2010 to 2020. The bureau forecasts that the number of jobs for veterinary doctors will reach 83,400 by 2020, an increase of 22,000 over the course of a decade, a growth rate of nearly 36 percent.” ("Veterinarians") Even with these excellent figures, it is still a concern due to an increase in veterinarian school graduates, and competing colleagues from overseas that jobs may not be as plentiful in urban areas. The article continued to stress the rural specialization, because there are a vast amount of job opportunities still available. Only 2 percent of vet school applicants actually have a rural background, so this specialization is a gold mine for prospective veterinarians.

United States Department of Labor. Bureau of Statistics. Veterinarians. Washington: , 2012. Web. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/veterinarians.htm