1984-6: Solo Mixed-animal practitioner (James Herriot, but with antibiotics), Weaverville CA 1986-8: Anatomy/Neurology Instructor, MS student, University of Illinois 1989-96: Anatomy/Neurology Instructor, PhD student then faculty, UCD 1997-8: PostDoc, NASA-Ames Research Center 1999-2015: Senior Staff Researcher and Lab Animal vet, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit (One of the few vets on the planet who’s a member of a human medical group. Because in Detroit, you’re Management, or you’re Labor, and if you’re Labor, they have to pay overtime.). 2001: USDA veterinary inspector, on loan to the UK Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, during FMD operations, Cumbria UK 2014-6: Associate Professor, Anatomy and Histology, Michigan State University 2017-21: Small Animal Relief vet and Housecall practice, Detroit area 2021-present: Feline practitioner, Carmichael CA
Married >33y to a lady I met in 5th grade (no kids that I’m told of, but plenty of children, all of them vets (see above)). Working on being an appropriately Bad Influence Uncle to nieces, nephews, and grand-of-same, people whose parents have to play the Straight Man. Mostly Upper Midwest, but back in NorCal now, where I don’t have to wait until Mother’s Day to plant anything in the garden. Got rid of all the snow shovels except the one I keep with the skiis. Already over-scheduled for my retirement, which doesn’t start until January.
Pretty sure I couldn’t afford to go to vet school these days. But doubt that I’d make the intellectual cut either. Amazing how much freedom having a student loan burden of <1year's salary gives you. Still, as the guy giving the Geezer Speech at our graduation noted, never wealthy, never unemployed, never bored. Worked in a human hospital long enough to realize with what awe our MD colleagues regard us ("Don't mess with me I'm a former large animal vet, and I used to buy K-Y jelly in 50-gallon drums.").