When we think about progressing in veterinary medicine, it’s easy to focus on qualifications, clinical knowledge and technical skills. We think about what we need to learn, which courses we should take and how much experience we need before we can move forward.

But there’s another part of professional development that can be just as powerful: the people around you.

Chapter Five of Destination Vocation explores mentorship and the role other people can play in accelerating our development. A good mentor can help you access knowledge and perspective that might otherwise take years of trial and error to discover. But mentorship isn’t simply about finding somebody successful and asking them to tell you what to do. It’s about intentionally building relationships with people who can challenge your thinking, broaden your perspective and help you become better at what you do.

Your Career Is Still Your Responsibility

A supportive employer, manager or university can create opportunities for you to develop, but ultimately, your career belongs to you. It’s important not to assume that somebody else will automatically identify what you need, create the right opportunities and map out the next stage of your development.

Taking ownership means becoming curious about where you want to go and actively seeking the people who can help you get there. That might be somebody with expertise you want to develop, someone who has already followed a similar career path or simply a person whose perspective challenges you to think differently.

Think of learning to ride a bike. Being able to balance and pedal is one thing; having the confidence and competence to ride across different terrain and in different conditions is another. Your formal education can give you an essential starting point, but your wider development requires you to keep seeking experiences, perspectives and people that stretch what you're capable of.

Don't Just Find Mentors. Find Champions.

The word mentor gets used a lot. In Destination Vocation, we introduce another way of thinking about these relationships: building a champion circle.

Your champion circle is made up of people who genuinely care about who you are, where you're going and who you're becoming. They aren't there simply to reassure you or tell you you're doing brilliantly. The most valuable people in your network are often those who are prepared to challenge you when you need it.

You need people who will ask difficult questions, gently challenge your assumptions and encourage you to think bigger or differently. Look for people with experience beyond your current role, but also for people who are continuing to learn themselves. A useful network isn't an echo chamber. It should expose you to ideas and perspectives that you wouldn't necessarily reach on your own. 

That means your champion circle doesn't necessarily need to be filled with the most senior or impressive people you can find. A colleague, veterinary technician, manager, lecturer, peer or industry contact might offer exactly the perspective you need at a particular point in your career.

Being a Good Mentee Matters Too

It's tempting to think about mentorship in terms of what the mentor can give you: their knowledge, their contacts, their experience and their advice.

But mentorship is a two-way relationship, and if you want great people to continue investing their time in you, you also need to become someone worth mentoring.

When you ask somebody for their time, take responsibility for using it well. Be prepared, arrange the meeting, know what you want to discuss and bring thoughtful questions rather than expecting the other person to work out what you need. Most importantly, do something with the advice you're given.

Someone may be willing to give you 30 minutes of their time, but what happens next is up to you. Showing that you've listened, reflected and acted makes the relationship more rewarding for both of you and gives your mentor a reason to keep investing in your development. 

Look Beyond Your Immediate Circle

Your ideal mentor doesn't have to work in your practice. They don't even need to work in exactly the same part of veterinary medicine as you.

Chapter Five encourages veterinary professionals to look beyond the people they already know. Conferences, professional associations, industry events and social media can all expose you to people whose careers, expertise or approach resonate with where you want to go. Your network might eventually include veterinary business leaders, industry representatives, researchers, specialists and people from entirely different areas of the profession. 

Podcasts can be useful here too. If you hear somebody discussing an area you're passionate about, don't assume that listening to them is where the interaction has to end. Look into their work, follow what they're doing and engage thoughtfully with their ideas and, where appropriate, consider reaching out.

Your network doesn't have to be limited by geography, job title, organisation or even your particular species of interest. Sometimes the most useful perspective comes from somebody outside your immediate professional bubble.

You Can Ask

For many people, the uncomfortable part isn't identifying somebody they'd like to learn from. It's actually approaching them.

We can convince ourselves that successful people are too busy, won't be interested or will wonder why we're contacting them. So instead of asking, we do nothing.

But asking for a conversation doesn't have to mean asking somebody to formally become your mentor. In fact, starting smaller can make far more sense. You might explain that you're developing your skills in a particular area, that you've followed their career or work and that you'd value their perspective on a few questions.

Be specific about what you're interested in and respectful of their time. If you're interested in equine surgery, veterinary leadership, canine dermatology or practice management, say so. Clarity demonstrates that you've thought about why you're approaching that particular person rather than simply sending a generic request.

And if they can't help? That doesn't necessarily mean the conversation has reached a dead end. They may know somebody else who can. One introduction can lead to another, and that's how a professional network begins to grow.

Start With a Conversation, Not a Transaction

Networking sometimes gets a bad reputation because it can sound transactional. Meet someone, work out what they can do for you, swap contact details and move on.

That's not the kind of network we're talking about.

Strong professional relationships develop over time. They begin with curiosity, mutual respect and genuine conversation. You don't need to approach every new person wondering what they can offer your career. Instead, become interested in people. Ask good questions, listen to their experiences and stay in touch when there's a genuine reason to do so.

Chapter Five describes mentorship as two-way communication, and that distinction matters. The goal isn't to collect contacts. It's to develop relationships through which knowledge, perspective and encouragement can flow. 

A short conversation today might not appear particularly significant. But over time, those conversations can develop into relationships that influence decisions, create opportunities and change the direction of your career.

Your Network Can Help You See What You Can't

One of the greatest benefits of having trusted people around you is that they can see things you can't.

When you're immersed in your own career, it's difficult to be completely objective. You might underestimate your strengths, overlook an opportunity or continue approaching a problem in the same way because you can't see an alternative.

A good mentor or champion gives you another perspective. They can ask the question you hadn't considered, challenge an assumption you've been carrying around or share experience that helps you avoid learning everything the hard way.

That's why the strongest networks shouldn't consist solely of people who agree with you. You need people who will tell you what you need to hear, not simply what you want to hear. 

Sometimes the most valuable thing somebody in your network can give you isn't an opportunity or an introduction. It's a different way of looking at the problem in front of you.

Small Conversations Can Become Big Career Catalysts

Building a network doesn't require a huge strategy. You don't need hundreds of contacts, and you certainly don't need to walk into every conference determined to hand your details to everyone in the room.

Start smaller.

Think about somebody whose journey you admire, reach out, ask a thoughtful question, have a conversation and learn something. Then continue nurturing the relationships that genuinely add value to your development.

Over time, those small conversations can become significant career catalysts. The people you meet may introduce you to ideas, experiences, opportunities and other people that you could never have predicted at the beginning.

And remember that networking works both ways. As your own knowledge and experience grow, you have the opportunity to become part of somebody else's champion circle too.

So, Who's in Your Circle?

Take a moment to think about the people currently around you.

Who challenges you? Who gives you a different perspective? Who has experience you can learn from? Who tells you something difficult when everybody else stays quiet? And who could you reach out to that you've never actually spoken to before?

Your professional development isn't only shaped by what you know. It's shaped by the conversations you have, the questions you're willing to ask and the people you're prepared to learn from.

You don't need to know everything yourself. You need to know how to keep learning - and who might help you along the way.

Because when it comes to building a fulfilling veterinary career, your network really can become part of your net worth.