Featured articles – Page 2 – Animal Jobs Digest

Overcome the Barriers in the Way of Your Animal Protection Job

By Animal Jobs Digest April 1, 2016All articles, Featured articles, Inspiration & ideas

By Paula Fitzsimmons

What do you believe is holding you back from finding your animal dream job – No college degree? Lack of experience? Your location? What may seem like a barrier may very well be nothing more than a minor setback, or even perhaps the prelude to an even better opportunity.

You may very well have legitimate reasons for not being able to accomplish what you want to do right now: Vet school is too competitive; family obligations are preventing you from pursuing that advanced degree; you can’t accept an internship because you’re working two jobs. Situations arise . . . I get that.

The Freedom of Flexibility: Customize Your Own Animal Welfare Career

By Animal Jobs Digest March 23, 2016All articles, Career options, Featured articles

By Paula Fitzsimmons

Like it or not, we’ve entered a new economy. Today’s workforce looks different than it did a decade ago – and remotely resembles the one-career-for-life model of the pre-1990s. An increasing number of workers are cobbling together part-time jobs, freelance gigs, and small business ventures in order to eke out a full-time living.

A Career as a Conservation Canine Handler: Part 2, Do You Have What it Takes?

By Animal Jobs Digest March 9, 2016All articles, Career options, Experts & interviews, Featured articles2 Comments

By Paula Fitzsimmons with Jennifer Hartman

Conservation canines and their handlers are playing a vital role in wildlife protection. Dogs have an unrivaled ability to detect scat from dozens of species – scientists use these samples to learn more about a wild population’s behaviors, movements, and feeding patterns. This data is valuable not only in fighting wildlife crimes, but it can aid in forming effective and humane wildlife management policies.

The dogs, who primarily come from rescues, have to possess certain characteristics to make the cut – namely, a playful spirit, boundless energy, and the ability to work in the field for hours at a time.

Wildlife Defenders: A Career as a Conservation Canine Handler (Part 1)

By Animal Jobs Digest March 2, 2016All articles, Career options, Experts & interviews, Featured articles

By Paula Fitzsimmons with Jennifer Hartman

With wildlife poaching at epidemic levels and time the enemy, fighting these crimes has never been as critical. Conservationists fortunately have effective tools at their disposable, most of them technological in nature – DNA analyses, acoustic traps, and radio collars, to name a few. But one tool, which some conservationists claim is even more effective, turns out to be our four-legged canine friends.

Should You Start Your Own Animal Welfare Nonprofit?

By Animal Jobs Digest February 17, 2016All articles, Career options, Featured articles

By Paula Fitzsimmons

If you’ve ever considered starting your own animal welfare nonprofit organization, you’re not alone. According to an article by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the number of animal welfare and environmental charities have grown by 82.5 percent in recent years.

If you’d like to join these ranks, I’m here to cheer you on . . . but also to offer a cautionary tale: Starting and running a nonprofit is tough work and is something you need to research thoroughly – and then some – before diving in.

Find the Time (and Energy) to Volunteer

By Animal Jobs Digest February 10, 2016All articles, Featured articles, How-to succeed

By Paula Fitzsimmons

If you want to stand apart from other applicants, having volunteer experience on your resume is essential. Look at it from the employer’s perspective: All things being equal, wouldn’t you be more inclined to choose the candidate who took the extra step? Volunteering shows you care – that you’re willing to give your time to something greater than yourself without expecting something in return.

Do You Write About Animals? Where to Find Paying Markets

By Animal Jobs Digest February 3, 2016All articles, Career options, Featured articles

By Paula Fitzsimmons

If you’re a freelance writer specializing in topics like health, finance, and tech, paying markets are relatively easy to locate. If you write about animals or the environment, however, your options start to decrease . . . but not by as much as you may think. Discovering paying markets for your work is easier if you know where to look. The following ideas are designed to help you widen your search.

Animal Lovers: Have You Considered Starting One of These Businesses?

By Animal Jobs Digest January 13, 2016All articles, Career options, Featured articles3 Comments

By Paula Fitzsimmons

Aspiring animal-loving entrepreneurs have more options than ever. Starting a business – any business – used to be more complicated and expensive. The growth of technology, service providers, and funding options have opened doors.

Yet there are some things innovation can’t replace. Business owners still need to possess a strong work ethic, patience, and tenacity. That never changes. Success is often gradual, and despite what the adverts say, doesn’t happen effortlessly or without a learning curve. I speak from experience.

The Best Animal Lover Jobs for 2016 and Beyond?

By Animal Jobs Digest January 6, 2016All articles, Featured articles, How-to succeed

By Paula Fitzsimmons

Working for animals is a labor of love. If your career aspirations involve protecting some of this planet’s most defenseless creatures, there’s probably little that can keep you from your goals.

Including job forecasts.

I’m not a huge fan of basing career choices solely on statistics, and here are a few reasons why . . .

Yes, Job Opportunities Do Await Animal-loving Baby Boomers

By Animal Jobs Digest January 1, 2016All articles, Featured articles, Inspiration & ideas

By Paula Fitzsimmons

I recently stumbled upon a quote that gave me pause. It’s by 19th century novelist, George Eliot and reads “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” I’ve made peace with the fact that I’ll never fulfill certain childhood dreams. (Fat chance of becoming an Olympic figure skater.)

But barring physical limitations and factors outside our control, career options are pretty much limitless for those of us in our second act of life.

This applies to careers in the animal welfare world, too.