Can you be a vet tech without schooling?

YES - with experience. Officially licensed? No. Can you be paid the same if not more with experience than someone with a license with less experience? Yes. Could the vet be sued by a client if the non-licensed person did something wrong because they technically wern't licensed to do so? Yes. Be careful. The above answer is partially incorrect. Some states will allow you to take the exam to be officially licensed without having gone through a 2 year vet tech program. You do however need substantial exprience working with a vet. Check with your local state licensing board for the exact criteria. There is a push to completely eliminate being able to take the exam without schooling so if you don't have any experiene right now, it would be best to just go to school. You can become a vet assistant without any credentials but you would not be allowed to do certain procedures and the pay is usually less.