AITA for telling my friend that it’s a horrible idea for them to go into vet tech?
During a casual Thanksgiving dinner with friends, one college student shared exciting news about switching majors to Veterinary Technology. Another friend, inspired by loving animals, immediately asked if she should pursue the same path. Drawing from years of knowing her friend’s extreme sensitivity to anything messy—like blood, feces, or urine—the student gently cautioned that the job involves plenty of gross situations.
The response? Accusations of being mean and “crushing a lifelong dream.” The rest of the group piled on, leaving the honest friend confused and hurt. This lighthearted career chat quickly exposed how differently people handle blunt truths about challenging professions.
‘AITA for telling my friend that it’s a horrible idea for them to go into vet tech?’
A simple dinner conversation about college majors took an unexpected turn.
Knowing her friend’s strong aversion to mess, the poster offered a realistic warning.
The gentle reality check was met with backlash instead of gratitude.
Veterinary technology attracts many animal lovers, but the reality involves intense physical, emotional, and often unpleasant tasks that quickly weed out those unprepared. Handling bodily fluids, restraining aggressive animals, assisting in euthanasia, and dealing with grieving owners are daily realities—not occasional exceptions.
Some argue that discouraging anyone from a career they’re excited about is unnecessarily negative, especially if the interest is new. What makes this tricky is the timing: the “dream” emerged spontaneously during conversation, yet was instantly labeled “lifelong” when challenged.
From a broader perspective, honest feedback from friends serves as a valuable filter before investing time and money in education. Veterinary fields already suffer high burnout and dropout rates; gentle truth-telling early on prevents greater disappointment later. Encouraging someone into a poor fit out of politeness does no favors—it’s kinder to highlight mismatches upfront.
Let’s dive into the reactions from Reddit:
Many users laughed at the exaggeration of a “lifelong dream” that lasted mere minutes.
Several shared real experiences from the veterinary world to back the warning.
Others emphasized the value of honest feedback when asked.
The community firmly agreed the poster is not the asshole—delivering a mild, factual warning when directly asked is far from dream-crushing. Most found the “lifelong dream” label comical given its sudden appearance, and many stressed that sparing feelings now could lead to wasted time and money later.
Have you ever given a friend honest advice about a career choice they weren’t suited for—how did they take it? When someone asks “Should I do this?” do you think they truly want the unfiltered truth, or just encouragement?
