How Do I Switch My Career Path and Admit I Was Wrong?

I have loved animals my whole life, so working in an animal hospital seemed like an obvious choice for a career. A year into vet school, I feel I need to switch to something else. How do I tell friends and family I've been wrong?

Choosing to change course can be difficult, and it requires wisdom and courage. It can be hard to let go of your dreams and the career to which you believed God had called you. Your friends and family, because they love you and know your love for animals, might struggle to understand. 

It’s helpful to be able to reassure others that you’ve explored different options. Before deciding to quit, it’s wise to talk with your peers and those leading your program. They might suggest taking a break from the program to get work experience or to spend time thinking through your decision. They also might help you determine whether there’s another area in the field that might be a better fit for you. As you have already invested a lot in training, it would be nice if you could use some of that training in a different position. Yet you shouldn’t continue your program simply because of the money you’ve already spent on tuition. It would not be wise to continue investing in a career to which you no longer believe God is calling you. 

Those who care about you will want to understand why you’ve changed your mind. It will be hard to talk with them, as you’ll need to acknowledge that you were wrong, defend your decision, and/or share about your struggle and the heartbreaking aspects of this work. It helps if you approach the conversations with prayer. If you can, talk first to those who understand your situation better and then ask for their advice and prayers. 

Hopefully you have a sense of where God is inviting you next, but it can be that it’s not yet clear what that is. Prayers for wisdom, continued conversations with friends and family, and trying out new things are all ways to discern what God is inviting you into next.