Have you always dreamt of a career working with animals? Do you prefer the company of canines to office co-workers? Whether you want to hop on a dog grooming or zoology course, become a vet assistant or simply work with animals, we’ve compiled a checklist of what you should be doing to steer your career into the animal world.
Lots of people underestimate working with animals, and what attributes are needed to get into the industry. If you’ve got the hard work and determination to make a successful career out of working with animals, then read our guide below to see if you’ve got what it takes to get started!
1. Make a Career List
The world of animal jobs is huge. A good first step is to determine what animals you are mainly interested in working with. Once you’ve done this, try and identify and investigate the potential career options related to those animals. It’s always a good idea to do your research, you never know what courses and opportunities are available to you in your area.
Also, don’t dismiss careers that are animal related but don’t involve hands-on contact with them. These can include zoo administrator, jobs in pet insurance, writers or veterinary pharmaceutical sales representatives. If you are really interested in the animal industry and want a slightly different job, these positions are out there.
2. Evaluate Your Skills and Strengths
It’s a good idea to make a list that of all your personal strengths, and where your weaknesses lie. If you have any previous experience working with animals then be sure to list them as strengths, these will be highly favourable by employers.
If you feel you’re lacking in the skills and experience area, why not try to obtain a work experience, internship or volunteer position? Although these can be less well-paid, they all provide solid experience of working in your chosen field.
3. Gain Experience
As above, gain as much experience as you possibly can. Not only do employers look upon this favourably, but it will also solidify in your mind what you really want to do in your career.
Hands-on experience is a must, even if you decide the job isn’t quite for you, it could land you some amazing contacts and you may just fall into the job of your dreams unwittingly! Also enquire about shadowing a more senior member of a team in your chosen field, if such an opportunity should arise. Internships are another great way to gain hands-on experience, ask companies if they offer these, experiences like these in addition to our courses will really enhance your CV.
4. Education
Education such as the additional courses that we offer here at Animal Jobs Direct are crucial to your next step towards a career working with animals. We offer affordable and fully accredited animal care courses, from dog training and dog behaviour courses to marine biology courses, you can never be over-educated, so take a look at the courses on our website today.
5. Salary Scale and Pay
An important factor in a successful career in working with animals is pay. It’s important to be honest with yourself in determining what salary level you’d be happy with. Some animal related careers such as entry level positions and assistant roles, can have a relatively low starting wage. However, don’t let that put you off, as you progress in your chosen field, and gain more and more experience, your salary will grow and match that.
It all comes down to having the passion and drive to make a success of a career working with animals. If you have the passion, then that’s a great place to start.
