Use Your Humanities Degree to Find a Job Helping Animals

October 12, 2015Posted inAll articles, Career options, Featured articles

Owl with book
By Paula Fitzsimmons

Think you can’t land a job in animal care or protection with that humanities degree? If your major is in philosophy, English, psychology, or a similar liberal arts discipline, you absolutely do have options. More than you may think.

Remember those thesis papers you had to research, compile, and write in college? They seemed grueling but served you well. You may have not realized it at the time, but I’m betting you became a better communicator and developed stronger critical thinking skills, as a result. These are the types of skills employers seek, including those in the animal world.

Why You Need Passion to Work in This Field

October 5, 2015Posted inAll articles, Inspiration & ideas

Dove in caring hands

By Paula Fitzsimmons

Work for a rescue, sanctuary, or advocacy group, and you’ll need to possess certain characteristics: a solid moral compass, a strong work ethic, tenacity . . . and a good dose of passion.

Definitions vary, but in this case passion is more than just about liking, or even loving animals. Because a lot of people feel this way. Being passionate is about feeling compelled to improve animals’ lives – whether as an employee or activist – and remaining committed through the tough times.

Stop Comparing Yourself to Other Activists – It’s a Group Effort

September 30, 2015Posted inAll articles, Inspiration & ideas

Colorful tree with activist quote

By Paula Fitzsimmons

This past week I was again reminded of just how harmful comparing myself to others can be, and how it often leads to feelings of inadequacy. I had been pleased with recent accomplishments, when on one of these particular days I chose to spend a few free moments browsing Facebook.

Peppered in with the regular stories of planetary abuses were welcome news pieces: Shell had halted its plans to drill in the Arctic; Eco Activists for Governance and Law Enforcement (EAGLE) activists were instrumental in busting yet another wildlife trafficker; various wildlife centers had rehabilitated and released animals to their wild homes . . .to name a few.  Among these were posts from friends and others touting their own – or their organizations’ – successes.

Find the Right Internship for Your Animal Career

September 27, 2015Posted inAll articles, Featured articles, Slider, Tools for success2 Comments

Fox image - animal lover internshipsBy Paula Fitzsimmons

The right internship can give you a definite edge when it comes time to apply for that coveted animal welfare or conservation job. It can be a solid way to make contacts, learn new skills, and gauge your interest in the field (before interning, you didn’t think animal care actually required so much cleaning duty, or that arguing an animal welfare case in court required so much preparatory work). It could also enhance your resume, CV or application – so when a potential employer asks if you have experience, you can answer with an emphatic yes.

Feel Powerless? There’s an Antidote for That

September 20, 2015Posted inAll articles, Inspiration & ideas

Flighted Blue BirdBy Paula Fitzsimmons

If your Facebook feed looks anything like mine, it’s a succession of posts bearing bad news for animals and the planet. Images of emaciated polar bears. News that we stand to lose elephants and other species in our lifetime. Systematic animal abuses. Rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo killed while protecting wildlife . . . and on and on and on.

Ditto for email alerts, Twitter feeds, radio and television – the bad news is everywhere. These stories – especially when served in such high volume – make me feel incredibly sad, angry . . . and powerless. And that’s a terrible place to get stuck at.

I could be wrong here, but I have a feeling you can relate.

Get That Animal Welfare Job – 8 Ways to Stand Apart From the Pack

September 7, 2015Posted inAll articles, Featured articles, How-to succeed

African Savanna By Paula Fitzsimmons

If you want an animal welfare organization to hire you, the stuff you bring to their table has to be pretty special. If a company or organization has 50 people applying for the same position – and most of these applicants have similar skills and experience – it’s too easy to be forgotten. You need creative ways to stand out (in a positive way!) from the horde of other applicants, and give your future employer a reason to want to hire you.

The following ideas may not necessarily guarantee you the job, but they may indeed help give you an advantage.

Want to Become an Animal Doc? First Ask Yourself These 6 Questions

September 1, 2015Posted inAll articles, Career options, Featured articles

Dog VeterinarianBy Paula Fitzsimmons

Veterinary medicine has got to be one of the most undervalued professions on the planet. The path to becoming a veterinarian begins with rigorous academic training . . . at great personal financial expense that often leads to debt.

Vets get pooped on and bitten by their patients – no animal in his or her right mind actually looks forward to seeing the vet.

They also regularly deal with a range of human personalities and quirks. For instance, not everyone understands why they actually have to pay more than a few bucks for professional services. As if vets should work for free.

Do You Have What it Takes to Work for a Primate Sanctuary? An Interview with Save the Chimps

August 25, 2015Posted inAll articles, Experts & interviews, Featured articles

Save the ChimpsBy Paula Fitzsimmons with J. Christopher Scott

If you’re an animal advocate, you’ve likely heard of The Great Chimpanzee Migration – the nine-year undertaking in which chimps “donated” by the Coulston Foundation were transported from New Mexico to their new sanctuary home in Florida. The organization that took on this monumental task is Save the Chimps, a sanctuary now situated on 150 acres in sub-tropic Fort Pearce.

Do You Have What it Takes to Work for a Wildlife Advocacy Organization? An Interview With Born Free

August 19, 2015Posted inAll articles, Experts & interviews, Featured articles2 Comments

African Elephant

By Paula Fitzsimmons with Adam Roberts

If you’ve thought about a career with a major wildlife advocacy organization, you’re not alone. It’s a dream for many an animal activist. . . so your contributions have to be pretty special.

Passion and a desire to make a difference for animals are, of course, vital to working in this field – but so are other skills and characteristics. To help define what this specifically means, I’ve asked Born Free’s chief executive officer, Adam M. Roberts for his input.

The Best Animal Lover Jobs . . . for Introverts, Independent Spirits, & Idea People

August 17, 2015Posted inAll articles, Career options, Featured articles6 Comments

ButterfliesBy Paula Fitzsimmons

I love alone time. Having the personal space and time to devour a good book, think, create, and daydream is part of who I am. According to research, including that performed by the mother-daughter team of Katharine Briggs & Isabel Briggs Myers – creators of the MBTI® personality inventory – my temperament leans towards the introverted side.

Introverts tend to be independent spirits. We’d rather be – and are often more productive when – working solo or in smaller groups . . .this is when we’re in our element.

This isn’t a data-backed statement, but I suspect the animal welfare community, as a whole, gravitates to the indie side.