animal careers – Page 2 – Animal Jobs Digest

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.

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.

Fun Career-Boosting Ideas to Try This Summer

By Animal Jobs Digest January 20, 2016All articles, How-to succeed, Tools for success

By Paula Fitzsimmons

It’s the middle of winter. Which makes it the perfect time to start shaping up your summer plans. Whether you’re a student, career changer, or are already working in the field, summertime is the ideal time to pick up a new skill or credential.

Look at the following for ideas on making the most of your summer – both personally and professionally.

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.

Want to Start a Solo Dog Walking Business? First Ask Yourself These 9 Questions

By Animal Jobs Digest December 26, 2015All articles, Career options, Featured articles1 Comment

By Paula Fitzsimmons

Find a few clients, offer to walk their dogs, get some exercise, then get paid. If only starting and running a dog walking business were that simple. And that’s what we’re talking about here: a business. An enjoyable and important business perhaps, but still a business – one in which you have to be as concerned with customer service, accounting, marketing, and local ordinances, as you are with providing excellent care to dogs.

That said, even though dog walking is a business, the welfare of the animal should always come before profit.

When starting any new venture, it’s easy to get swept away with the possibilities, that you may overlook the finer details. That’s what I’m here for – to tell you about those important factors that you shouldn’t overlook.

8 Ways for Animal Lovers to Find a Dream Job

By Animal Jobs Digest December 17, 2015All articles, Featured articles, How-to succeed, Tools for success

By Paula Fitzsimmons

Ask ten different people working in the animal care field how they got their job, and you’ll likely get an assortment of replies. There are no right or wrong paths to gainful employment – what works for someone else may not necessarily be ideal for your situation.

Getting hired is sometimes simply the result of great timing, knowing someone who knows someone, and even luck. More often that not, it takes dogged determination and an awareness of which tools to use to your advantage.

A Career Raising Cash for Animal Causes . . . Is It for You?

By Animal Jobs Digest December 10, 2015All articles, Career options, Experts & interviews

By Paula Fitzsimmons with Angela Grimes

All animal protection and care jobs are important in their own right. Animal caregivers, administrators, veterinary professionals, humane officers, sanctuary operators, and others working in this field all play a vital role. Yet their important work wouldn’t be possible without incoming cash. Animal food, rent, employee salaries, vet services, and administrative costs don’t come cheaply. Yep, it’s similar to running a business.

Should You Start a Home-Based Animal-themed Gift Store?

By Animal Jobs Digest November 22, 2015All articles, Career options

By Paula Fitzsimmons

Have you ever seen a darling pair of dachshund earrings, a must-have giraffe tee-shirt, or a hand-crafted cat toy, and thought, I could sell that or I could make that. Selling your wares online may seem straight-forward enough (and in some regards it is once you gain experience) but there’s much more to the process than slapping a few products on a website and hoping for sales.

It’s imperative to know what you’re doing – not just in order to succeed, but to avoid losing your money – or sanity – in the process.