Once you begin reading different journals and articles you will begin to notice specific topics that interest you. Your next steps are to begin delving deeper into the topic, programs related to that topic, and what professionals are at the forefront of that topic.

There are four steps necessary to be successful in this effort. Before I get to those, I want to remind you of my own journey—I’ve done it.

When I began volunteering as a whale watch guide and marine naturalist, I met a variety of people and read not only journals, but books and magazines related to the topic. I also found out who the people were working in those fields I was interested in—originally this was marine mammals.

The difference between my efforts and those of others was that I did my homework. At one point, I attended a conference with top marine animal trainers and biologists from around the world. Instead of sight seeing, I hung around the panels and in the lobby of the hotel and soon was adopted into the professional groups.

One of the researchers decided to test everyone with models of the different whales—and wouldn’t you know, the one that stumped everyone was the one I knew—because all I had been doing was studying the different types of whales and their habits. It impressed everyone there.

My point is that I was able to make an impression on those who could help me with my career path. They took me seriously when they understood that I wasn’t one of the many people who “dream of an animal career” but rather one who was really working hard at learning and at making it happen.

So, here are four steps to get you started along the right path:

1. Research your topic of interest.
Remember, be specific as to what you are interested in doing and the species group that you have a passion or obsession. Have you asked the local librarian for assistance? Have you checked with a career counselor? Have you checked the public library, or the college career library? What is it that you cannot find in the library or in journals that you need to ask about? Is there a specific group or individual that is the best source to contact for more information?

2. Research current programming available in your area of interest.
Have you been able to find programs related to your interest? Where are they? What are admission requirements? How is their placement? What will it take financially and otherwise to participate? Are there career advisors at those locations that you could contact?

3. Research the organizations in your areas of interest.
How long have they been around? Do they have a mission statement? What are their goals? Who comprises the membership of the organization? How largeis the membership? What do they do? What have they done? Do they have any publications they produce? Do they have regular or annual meetings?

4. Research the people in that field.
What is their area of interest? Where did they go to school? What work have they done? Are they published? How long have they been in the field? What else have they done? What could they specifically help you with that nobody else could? Are they the right contact person for you or is someone else better?

Once you have asked the above questions and answered them, you are ready to begin contacting some other sources for additional help. I’ll save this topic for another time.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

As you begin to read the articles and journals, look to see where the authors have studied or received their degrees, and explore to see if you would be interested in such studies, or in the topics published in that journal. If you aren’t interested, then it probably is not an area of study you should pursue.

Before you contact anyone connected with these professional groups, you need to do a bit of research on your own. You will also need to keep your inquiry focused and to the point. Remember that when writing professional people, you will need to respect their time and input by carefully researching and preparing yourself PRIOR to contacting anyone.

People who work with animals receive many, many inquiries about careers with animals. Unfortunately, there are many people who contact them without thinking about what questions they want to ask, or who have not done any exploring or thinking through what it is they are interested in, and if it is even possible.

Writing a letter or e-mail without stating your area of interest, educational background, location (or desire to relocate) or why you are contacting someone is not advisable. Many times professionals will take the time to respond to someone who has thought out such things; while they may or may not drop a note to the person who has not bothered to consider that they might be very busy.

If you write something like, “Hi, I am interested in working with animals. Do you have any recommendations?” this does not give the person you have written any incentive to want to assist you. It is too much work to try and guess at your intent. Writing a letter to a busy professional should show respect and consideration of their valuable time. It also should show that you have taken the time to really research the topic and have a real interest in the field. Hundreds of people think they want to work with animals. Very few of them follow through, learn the options and do the work to achieve their goal.

In the next post I’ll include recommendations for you to do _before_ you contact an organization or people related to one.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

Many people think they should focus their animal career interest to one type of animal. Personally, I think this is a mistake. You’d be more vulnerable to industry changes and find fewer jobs you could qualify for.

Animal groups of interest would be a better choice. Wanting to work with tigers is not as sound as working with large wild cats. Selecting lemurs is perhaps a better choice but focusing on primate would allow you to have more animal career job options.

Once you have narrowed down what type of animals you are interested in, you should then begin to look at what specific area of interest you have in working with them. If you are interested in domestic animal care-taking, for instance, then you should consider such things as pet-sitting, humane society work, kennel attendant, or something related.

If you like the scientific side of things, you could get more into the medical area, and could consider studying to become a veterinarian, veterinary technician, laboratory technician, biologist, genetics specialist or something along those lines.

In the psychology realm, you could consider becoming an animal trainer, animal behavior consultant, or animal psychologist. There are also opportunities for studies on the human and animal bond from within the animal welfare area, and a variety of other types of work with therapy animals and related research from the clinical realm.

If you are interested in wild or exotic animal work, it gets more complicated. You need to ask the same questions as above, and decide where you want to ultimately be in your own country or another one? If you pick a foreign country, you will need to know what the culture is like, what languages are used, and what the political complications may be.

After you have decided what animals or species you are interested in, ask yourself if it is a realistic goal. Carefully review or list those animals that most attract you. Do you want to work with captive animals or wild animals? Any particular species? Marine mammals, terrestrial animals, or do you care? Where will you be in ten years if you are in that work? Do you want indoor or outdoor work?

You will need to really get a good feel about this to see if it is the right area for you, and what you will want to do for a career. For instance, many careers with animals do not pay well. If that is a concern, could you do animal work part-time? What about just helping from a volunteer or docent position? Once you narrow down what kind of work you are interested in and in what capacity, there are a few steps you can take.

One of the first things to do is to start reading related publications; this can be professional journals, books on the subject, and company or organizational reports. Many times your local public library or college/university library will have some of these specialty works. If not, check to see if some of your local professionals will refer you to a professional library source, or perhaps let you look at some of their personal subscriptions. I’ll get into this a little more in my next post.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

Recently I conducted an animal career consultation with a middle aged woman. Her concern was about discrimination based on her age. Today, there are many different laws to protect against age discrimination but the concern is a valid one and I’ll explain why.

Depending on the animal career you are seeking—age really can make a difference but for a variety of reasons. If you are young, you have the opportunity to try a bunch of different animal careers and to grow within the realm you choose.

Many zoo keepers, for instance, can work their way into management or curatorial positions if they work hard, study, and get coaching from those in the institutions where they work.

If you are older—you don’t really want to mess around because you might not have the same amount of time to spend trying out different roles in the animal field. In that case, the research and volunteering strategies I have mentioned before are critical steps to take before making a change—or leap.

In some instances, fitness and reflexes are important—in fact, critical. As we age, our reflexes slow and that can be deadly if you are training wild animals in close proximity. However, age is not as big of a concern as it used to be. People are living longer and maintaining healthier lifestyles and higher fitness levels than in the past. There are some seniors that I have met that can run circles around younger protégés.

For those seeking a career change later in life, I suggest looking at careers that fit in with your talents and interests. During another animal career consultation I spoke with a woman who could not work hands-on with animals because of health issues—but she really wanted to do something that would make a difference.

I suggested she use one of her talents—and she did. Six months later she wrote me a nice note letting me know that she was doing well and already working in a career with animals that brought her joy, didn’t impact her health, and provided a new income as well!

So, no matter what age you are…you can realize your dreams of a career with animals. It might not look like what you first envisioned but remember, an animal career is not a destination, it is a journey.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

Early in my career one of the industry icons of the time took me aside after a performance. I was on stage with a California sea lion who was in my charge. He said,

“You know we can see the amazing interactions you have with an animal when you are on stage. The connection is clear and you have real talent but if you are going to get anywhere in this industry, you are going to have to get better with people…”

Yikes! Talk about a shock. I didn’t really care about the people; my concern was with my charges. However, instead of being insulted or egotistic, I gave it serious thought and decided that he was right.

My point is that to get anywhere in the animal industry, you not only have to be good with animals—you have to be good with people, too.

Many people have the misconception that when you work with animals that you don’t have to work with or get along with the people, too. Nothing could be further from the truth! When working with animals there are coworkers, the public, managers, and a multitude of other people you will interact with.

If you suck with people, well—I hate to tell you this but you won’t get far.

I’ve had my ups and downs in the industry because I am very direct—I’d like to think I am a bit more refined in my style now. I’ve had years to work on my people skills but I have to say that I’ve been in hot water more than once because I won’t budge on a stand over what I perceive as a life and death situation. The well being of animals and humans is so important that I’ve actually lost a job over speaking up on the issue.

Also, I am always looking for new and better ways to do things–which can also get you into trouble. Recently I was reminded of how uncomfortable some people get over that. Someone I consider a colleague was rude…condescending actually…and rather than take her to task, I just noted that this was not the first time and probably won’t be the last she has behaved that way. So, my choice is to be polite, but that is about the extent of any interactions we may have.

My point here is that in the past, I would have gone head to head over the matter. In the scientific realm we like hard core data—but when you work with animals you also have to use other skills and techniques. More on that later…

Anyway, my point in sharing some of my experiences is that if you plan on working with animals you need to plan on working with people—and closely. So, if you are not a good people person—work on becoming better. It will help you in the long run.

And if someone experienced comes up to you and tells you that you need to improve or change something—take note and give the suggestion a shot because it could make the difference in how successful you become in your dream animal career.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

There are always more questions to answer regarding how to prepare for a career with animals. One submitted question concerns education—just what is the difference between certifications and a degree, and what type of salary can be expected?

First a certificate is something you earn by completing a specific set of course work. Private programs often give them out and accredited colleges will also give them if you complete just the required courses within a certain program or major.

When students complete the required courses in the program and also any other general or special education requirements of the college, then they usually earn a specific degree. In today’s world it is best to at least earn a bachelors degree to remain competitive and you’ll need to make sure that your credits will transfer to the high institution if you plan on continuing. Just what degree will be the best for you may vary depending on the industry—but we can get into that in more depth later.

The tragedy of working in the animal field is that the salary is often pretty low. Here is how it works—the number of people seeking an animal career position is always high. Due to the demand, lower salaries are accepted—so the wages remain low. I remember one facility that still had the $7 per hour starting wage for over twenty years!

So just what type of salary you earn will depend on your experience, education, and the type of job you are seeking. In some cases you might luck out and land a position that is managed by a union—otherwise the results vary.

Estimates for starting salaries range from the upper teens into the mid twenties ($18,000- $24,000) per year according to one animal college program. Some companies may have starting wages on an hourly basis from $8.00 – $17.00 per hour.

So, most people are in the industry because of their love for animals—not for the money. It is great to find a balance. I remember being with the top primatologists in the field when one famous researcher said he envied me—I couldn’t believe it as he was working with some rare animals. His point was that I had the potential to make better money than he could—and he was tired of endlessly seeking grants to continue his work–a stressful endeavor as his projects could have ended at any time due to lack of funding!

There are some people who make $50,000 or more per year. Probably the largest growing area of the animal industry is the pet field because people’s pets have become furry family members and are treated like children. This will create a big demand for services.

I want to talk about a misconception rampant among those who want to work with animals—but it is time to log off so I will save that for another time.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

Many of you are aware that I get questions sent in as a result of my Unusual Animal Career series pretty frequently. If it is clear that people have not read the series, I save the questions for forums such as this. Why? Because if they are not motivated enough to take some time to read before sending in a question to get expert advice, I am really not too motivated to respond to questions already covered in the series and figure they are lazy and not serious about their quest. Those of you reading this series are already aware of that.

Anyway, someone sent me a question because he wanted to have a career like Steve Irwin. Since there was nothing else in the email, I can only believe that the person was seeking a career in the media. Which is not going to happen unless you have an organization behind you, connections, media savvy, or some other kind of in…but perhaps you can get on a reality show and then you will have it made!

I met Steve and Teri fairly early in their media career. The first episode of the Crocodile Hunter, if I remember right, was done for an amazing $20,000–at a time when such projects averaged between $100,000 and $150,000. Irwin was a great showman and the format created a bunch of knock off shows.

Back then the focus was on male hosts, then the tide looked like it would change. When Rachel  Reenstra finally got her own show it was only after submitting an audition video–she also has worked as a comedian for many years. So, that is one strategy you could try–it worked for those hosts and it may work for someone else.

Just so you are aware, when you see animal people in the media most have worked in their fields for years or have been affiliated with large zoos or similar facilities. Joan Embry (San Diego Zoo), Julie Scardina (Busch Gardens/Sea World), Jack Hanna (Columbus Zoo), and others are some examples. Their jobs were as ambassadors. Steve Irwin and his family were no exceptions as the organization behind them is the Australia Zoo.

So, the answer to your question might not be so simple because I didn’t have much to start with–you have to define what it is you want to do–any specialty area of animal work–or do you simply want to be a host?

Just a hint, if you want a comprehensive answer send in more details. Be sure to include where you live or want to work, what you envision in the future, and what efforts you have made toward your goal so far.

It would help if you started answering some of the questions from early in this series…

Okay, I just received a question that brought up an issue that animal career seekers need to be aware of. Don’t come across as lazy or disrespectful of a professional’s time.

The question in itself is not bad, it is that the person did not do any work before asking it—no research, no anything. The question? What types of classes do I need to take for a zoology degree?

Fair enough, but how about searching through colleges who offer zoology to see what the required courses are? You can also find out just what jobs you will qualify for when you do that. AND then you can ask a more specific question about a career with animals that appeals to you and what the opinion is on the course of study.

It is your job to do the research. In most cases you can get the answers through any library, an online search, or if you are in school—there are counselors and resources right on site to get the answer to this.

One of the biggest faux pas animal career seekers make these days is that they don’t do the work themselves. They want everyone to do it for them.

In fact, my professional colleagues chat about this issue over and over again…and we shake our heads. It is not that we mind answering questions it is that we just are not interested in someone who has others do the work for them…and by the way it is a sure fire way to get eliminated from consideration before you even begin to go down the road for an animal career.

Did you read and understand that? If not, read the above paragraph again.

The bottom line is this, if you are not doing your research, if you are asking your parents or others in your sphere of influence to help you by writing or calling—then you are making sure you won’t be getting any serious consideration for an animal job–and probably won’t get an answer back from the professional you are contacting.

Okay, that said the question that came is: I have always wanted to get an animal related college degree and am currently in High School. I am seriously thinking about zoology can you tell me about the classes I need to take?

I can but I won’t—you need to look that up yourself but what I will tell you is that zoology is a branch of biology and heavy on science and math courses—anything from molecular biology and organic chemistry to physics, and specialty classes in an area of interest such as ecology.

In general a zoologist studies the structure, physiology, development, and classification of animals. A career as a zoologist requires a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and at least 4 years of experience…but again you have to research the job you think you might like and explore what the actual recommendations would be and here is the official zoology job description:

ZOOLOGIST JOB DESCRIPTION (DOT: 041.061-090)

Studies origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories, habits, life processes, diseases, relation to environment, growth and development, genetics, and distribution of animals: Studies animals in natural habitat and collects specimens for laboratory study.

Dissects and examines specimens under microscope and uses chemicals and various types of scientific equipment to carry out experimental studies.

Prepares collections of preserved specimens or microscopic slides for such purposes as identification of species, study of species development, and study of animal diseases.

May raise specimens for experimental purposes. May specialize in one aspect of animal study, such as functioning of animal as an organism, or development of organism from egg to embryo stage.

May specialize in study of reptiles, frogs, and salamanders and be designated Herpetologist (profess. & kin.); of fish and fishlike forms and be designated Ichthyologist (profess. & kin.); of sponges, jellyfish, and protozoa and be designated Invertebrate Zoologist (profess. & kin.); of birds and be designated Ornithologist (profess. & kin.); of mammals and be designated Mammalogist (profess. & kin.).

May study animals for purposes of identification and classification and be designated Animal Taxonomist (profess. & kin.); or study effects of environment on animals and be designated Animal Ecologist (profess. & kin.).

I hope that answers your question—now get out there and do some footwork!

You can research some of the colleges with majors in zoology by clicking here.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

So, this question crossed my desk and I thought it might be worth taking a short look at: What is the minimum degree you should have to obtain a career with animals?

It really depends on the type of animal career you are seeking. In future posts on Animal Career Secrets readers will get assistance in narrowing their interests down and learning about animal careers that they might not ever have heard of. This will be helpful because there is a wide range of requirements between the many types of careers with animals.

For instance, if you are applying at a municipal zoo, the competition is tough and most are looking for the minimum of a Bachelor’s degree. If you want to move up through the ranks you either have to be around for a long time or work on a more advanced degree.

However, the degree or experience requirements at other types of jobs vary. In the animal behaviorist realm, which has only been a profession for the 15-20 years, there is a board certification for veterinary behavior but some jobs may accept a bachelor in arts or science while others may look for a master degree. It requires research on the seeker’s part—which I’ll explain how to do a little bit later because that is a whole topic in itself.

In other cases, aptitude wins out over a degree but these types of animal jobs tend to be in the private sector or in private non-traditional types of jobs. Sometimes facilities look for special certifications for the specific practice or job–so you don’t need a degree but you do need the specialized training or continuing education.

I’ve schedules a couple of interviews with industry leaders who are starting some institutes for specialized training in two specific fields where there historically hasn’t been much regulation or guidelines for operation. This is significant and will signal some big changes in the areas of animal training and animal communication.

Since the animal industry is growing at a rapid rate there will be more and more changes such as these. Each has a unique answer and not a blanket approach. So, if you are seeking a career with animals I would recommend the following:

List the types of animals you are interested in working with.

List the types of animal jobs you think would fit your interests and lifestyle.

List the activities that give you the most joy.

Find professional literature and organizations relevant to those jobs and interests and begin reading them.

Once you have taken the above actions, you can begin delve into the types of animal jobs that fit within your lists. You will become familiar with what actually goes on within the field and who the industry icons are. Then you can begin to find out what specifically is needed while you develop important contacts along the way.

I’ll provide more questions and resources for you to help you narrow down your selection but you really have to get into some soul searching and details first so you don’t waste your time in the quest for your dream animal job or animal career.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and writes for a variety of websites including Ark Animals.