‘The freedom to decide’: This veterinarian earned $300K in semi-retirement while making room for road trips, quilting and volunteer work — here’s how

Dr. Paddock had spent about 30 years in veterinary medicine. She wasn’t ready to walk away from the profession entirely, but she was ready to have more control over her time while still bringing in an income.

She found a way to do both through Roo, a veterinary workforce platform that connects veterinarians with hospitals looking to fill temporary shifts. Think of it as freelance veterinary work: Dr. Paddock could look at the shifts available, choose the ones that fit her schedule and leave the rest of her calendar open.

“There is something different about working because you want to rather than because you have to,” Paddock told Moneywise.

How she earned $300K without working full time

When Dr. Paddock first started doing relief work, she was picking up about eight shifts a month. More recently, that has fallen to around four to six shifts a month. Even on that reduced schedule, the earnings added up quickly.

Financial records reviewed by Moneywise show Paddock earned $317,592 between 2022 and September 2026 through her work with Roo.

For context, Indeed puts the average veterinarian salary in the U.S. at about $134,328 a year, though pay can vary widely depending on location, experience and specialization. Paddock’s earnings cover several years rather than a single annual salary, but they show how relief work continued to provide meaningful income even as she scaled back the number of shifts she worked.

Among retirees who were working for financial reasons, 52% said they were doing so to save more money, make their retirement savings last longer or delay claiming Social Security, according to Federal Reserve data.

“I also think the financial picture is about more than just comparing an hourly rate with what I earned in full-time practice,” she said. “Roo pays fairly for my time, including things like overtime, but the actual value is being able to earn well on my own terms.”

What working less gave her back

Paddock said the income has also helped her leave more of her retirement savings untouched, giving her greater flexibility over how and when she uses that money. But working less has also given her something harder to put a price on: time.

Sewing, something she had always been interested in but never had much time to pursue, has become a bigger part of her life. She’s now learning to quilt and has already finished her third one. She also makes bags and other projects with a sewing group, including work for charity.

“One particularly meaningful project I did with the group was making pillowcases for cancer patients at Texas Children’s Hospital,” she said.

She’s also using some of that newfound time to stay connected to the profession. Paddock has served as secretary of the Houston Veterinary Medical Association for the past three years and is training to volunteer with the Veterinary Emergency Team at Texas A&M, which supports search-and-rescue dogs during disasters.

Not all or nothing

Retirement is often framed as a finish line: one day you’re working, the next you’re done. But for Dr. Paddock, stepping away from full-time work never meant she wanted to walk away from veterinary medicine altogether.

She still wanted to keep her clinical skills sharp. She just didn’t want her career dictating the shape of her life anymore. Relief work with Roo gave her a middle ground.

AARP research found 79% of workers age 40 and older want flexibility in when they work. But flexibility isn’t the only priority. Older workers also continue to place a high value on job stability and competitive pay, while retirement savings, pension benefits and the ability to gradually phase into retirement can all factor into whether a job feels worth taking.