Eru, I totally feel your disappointment. And, IMHO, you, an all-around competent person, and are just as capable of becoming a professional as any other professional out there. I find it VERY hard to believe you are "meant" to wash dishes the rest of your life.
TW said:
Now they didn't have to say you were a strong candidate but they did. Get in touch with them and thank them for the interview. Tell them that you enjoyed seeing their practice and if another vacancy comes up you'd still love to work there. You never know.
Damn right. Keep your chin up, and take it in stride. It stings, and I know it feels overwhelming at this point, but there ARE more positions out there. Maybe not in the near vicinity where you ideally want them to be, but they're out there. I also like what Ax said:
The trick is, I think, to be able to separate what one does from who one is. If one is working in a field one feels called to, that's even harder: but even for the most dedicated souls, our jobs, our callings even, are not us.
Rejection hurts when my self-worth is based on someone else's opinion of me. (And when it comes to work, my ego gets really big). But I know when you work hard for something and it doesn't happen, it hurts. Use this experience as an excuse to take some time to be kind to yourself, and to re-evaluate all of the truly good that is in you, on the inside, that makes you the great person you are. Take a day off and spend some time outside in the woods, reading or something, and reflecting on the DEEP value and goodness that is certainly in you...that has nothing to do w/ any profession or any form in this material world.
But back to your professional goals: They WILL happen, if you persevere. I imagine being a vet is very competitive, and being an American over there (you are in England, right?) may be another obstacle, i don't know. But don't give up. I, and everyone on this site I'm sure doesnt want to see you give up. You have a passion for being a vet, or obviously you wouldn't have worked as hard as you have, and that's inspiring. Stick with it, but be patient. Abe Lincoln failed numerous times before succeeding; so did a bunch of other "super-successful" people, I'm sure. Everyone fails...everyone gets rejected for jobs they really want at some point. (And I expect someone to tell me this stuff when I get rejected when I get out of school
...Hell, I've already gotten rejected numerous times for the type of summer job I wanted....though similar to what I wanted, I had to settle for something kind of different...for now.)
But along Ax's point....you can hopefully use this experience to realize in what ways you've attached your self-worth to your profession or work. If you're like me, you do that alot.
But that's the beauty of being human....of constantly coming back to accepting that we are not perfect, despite our visions of grandeur. Something good always comes out of "bad" situations.
...In short: Be kind to yourself, regardless! and persevere.