Career advice: Veterinarian tech

Cynthia Sorensen, 29, at Dix Hills Animal Hospital in Huntington

Why did you go into this field?

I found this job in a roundabout way. When I started college, I was interested in forensic science, so I studied sociology and chemistry at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University.

I volunteered at this vet's office through college. . . . Then I went to grad school at John Jay College for forensic science. When I was doing my thesis, I realized I was dealing with dead people and murder.

Something inside me said, 'This is not what drives me.' I loved animals but didn't want the pressure of being a veterinarian.

I went to Suffolk County Community College and enrolled in the two-year vet tech program, and when I graduated [in 2007] I took a test to be certified by New York State.

What would you say to someone considering this career?

You have to enjoy animals. I grew up with cats and dogs. It's not the same as being a veterinarian and having your own clinic. But you don't have all that responsibility. And we have an opening for a vet tech right now."