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5 Career Pathways Working Directly with Animals

5 Career Pathways Working Directly with Animals

Perhaps you are just graduating from high school this year and are looking into different ways to incorporate your hobbies, passions, and interests into a lucrative career.

Alternatively, maybe you are older and are looking to change the direction of your working life entirely. Either way, if your heart lies with animals and the natural environment, continue reading to discover five career pathways which directly involve working with animals.

1. Veterinarian

One of the most recognized job roles which involves working with animals every single day is that of a veterinarian. 

Studying to become a professional vet takes many, many years and requires an extreme level of attention, focus, dedication, and passion to reach the end goal. Notable skills and personality attributes that are required for working veterinarians include a high level of empathy and understanding, the ability to keep a cool head, and a highly-attuned critical thinking instinct. 

2. Animal Rescue

Tragically, hundreds and thousands of dogs, cats, birds, and bunny rabbits, as well as a host of other animals, are abandoned in this country alone every single month. 

Perhaps the most valuable and necessary career, working and helping animals, therefore, is to strive to eventually open your own animal rescue and care shelter. or at least work in one area or another. which directly helps animals have the quality of life they undoubtedly deserve. 

3. Animal Welfare Officer

To become an animal welfare officer, a college education is mandatory as, unlike in the above animal rescue field, more medical and professional knowledge and experience are required to ensure each animal is handled and treated correctly and with love.

If animal welfare is an area which excites and intrigues you, then be sure to follow the University of Houston GPA & admission requirements, for example, to ensure you have the correct prerequisite qualifications and experience before you apply for training. 

4. Zoologist

Essentially, a zoologist, who after a few years of practicing in the professional field can expect to earn between $61,000 and $93,000, dedicates their working life to the study of animals in the wild and natural environment, in captivity, or else a combination of the two. 

To become a zoologist, you would need to successfully obtain a bachelor’s degree in Zoology, specializing in marine biology, animal physiology, ecology or genetics, and combine your studies with internships, volunteer work, or even short-term employment in a working public zoo. 

5. Dog Trainer

Finally, one career pathway that not only will provide endless amounts of love, attention, focus, and dedication to hundreds of dogs every year, but will also change many people’s lives for the better.

In particular, it would be appropriate to highlight here that one job role which perfectly encompasses both of the above points is that of a seeing-eye dog trainer, who takes in puppies in their homes and trains them to be a guide dog for the partially blind, or indeed, fully, registered blind.