Greetings from the Pacific Northwest
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 5:17 pm
It seems a proper introduction would be useful as I poke around the forums. I'm not necessarily pursuing ERE as fast as possible, but more the ability to accumulate assets while pursuing the life/adventures/career that interest me on my own terms.
I'm a 28 year old female, currently working as a veterinarian and pursuing a PhD. As a vet student, I became rather enamored with the idea of wildlife veterinary medicine - a career that can include flying in helicopters and darting large animals for radio collaring/translocation/sampling as well as significant international travel. It's led to some cool life experiences like climbing 100+ foot trees in the Amazon to access parrot nests and relocating rhinos out of heavily poached areas in Africa. As a student, I found plenty of opportunities to get involved as a seasonal assistant for a project, or to volunteer and apply for small grants/fellowships to cover travel expenses and salary. For the few full time jobs with NGOs and agencies, a DVM/PhD is generally preferred. I didn't want to let my $30k of vet school debt capitalize while working for peanuts in a PhD program, so I practiced for a few years first. I paid off the student loans, saved a decent proportion of my income, and occasionally volunteered my skills on wildlife projects during my vacation time. Practicing full time for ~10-12 years would have been the fastest path to FI, but I wanted to pursue my preferred area of interest sooner, so for better or worse I returned to graduate school. I took a few months off between leaving my job and starting the program to do a long distance (~2600 mile) backpacking trip, which was one of the best experiences of my life. It hits many of the same high points as fieldwork - outdoors, very physical, minimalist living, and a tight knit community. I plan to work a few more thru hikes into my life at some point.
Right now I do my research and coursework during the week and work relief shifts two weekends per month for additional income. It's about a 50-60% paycut from before, but still very good for a graduate student. I'm hoping to engage here with like minded people and tighten up my budget - I'm reasonably frugal and a decent saver, but there's room for improvement. Numbers may follow in a journal later on.
I'm a 28 year old female, currently working as a veterinarian and pursuing a PhD. As a vet student, I became rather enamored with the idea of wildlife veterinary medicine - a career that can include flying in helicopters and darting large animals for radio collaring/translocation/sampling as well as significant international travel. It's led to some cool life experiences like climbing 100+ foot trees in the Amazon to access parrot nests and relocating rhinos out of heavily poached areas in Africa. As a student, I found plenty of opportunities to get involved as a seasonal assistant for a project, or to volunteer and apply for small grants/fellowships to cover travel expenses and salary. For the few full time jobs with NGOs and agencies, a DVM/PhD is generally preferred. I didn't want to let my $30k of vet school debt capitalize while working for peanuts in a PhD program, so I practiced for a few years first. I paid off the student loans, saved a decent proportion of my income, and occasionally volunteered my skills on wildlife projects during my vacation time. Practicing full time for ~10-12 years would have been the fastest path to FI, but I wanted to pursue my preferred area of interest sooner, so for better or worse I returned to graduate school. I took a few months off between leaving my job and starting the program to do a long distance (~2600 mile) backpacking trip, which was one of the best experiences of my life. It hits many of the same high points as fieldwork - outdoors, very physical, minimalist living, and a tight knit community. I plan to work a few more thru hikes into my life at some point.
Right now I do my research and coursework during the week and work relief shifts two weekends per month for additional income. It's about a 50-60% paycut from before, but still very good for a graduate student. I'm hoping to engage here with like minded people and tighten up my budget - I'm reasonably frugal and a decent saver, but there's room for improvement. Numbers may follow in a journal later on.