I feel guilty that I make a living wage
I'm a boarded specialist living in a HCOL area. I love what I do, and I would do it for a lot less, but I'm not going to lie - I make decent money, I'm not saying this to brag, and we're def not rolling in dough, but I grew up pretty poor and could never see myself living a comfortable life that I live now.
I absolutely went into this field out of a lifelong love for animals and passion, and then worked my ass off through vet school and through an internship and residency. Telling myself that I've worked hard for this doesn't change the fact that I feel really guilty that I am making a comfortable living and a huge chunk of my clients can't afford vet care, or that I have to tell a client that humane euthanasia is the only other option if they don't pursue a several thousand dollar hospital stay or procedure. It's just hard and I wish there was a way to get over this guilt.
Does anyone else experience this? I just hate this feeling. It's constantly on my mind, every time I have to talk to a client about a treatment plan and I know the inevitable reaction.