Career in Animals?

Have you consider teaching? You could find a job where you get to teach about wildlife, the environment, ecology, etc. You could work as a scientist at the zoo. They are always doing studies on animal life and populations.

Having a bachelor's degrees will generally get you an entry-level positions where you collect, assimilate and prepare data. If you get a master's degree or Ph.d., you can get positions with greater responsibility. Technically speaking, anyone who can write well and are comfortable presenting their ideas orally have a significantly higher rate of advancement could be hired for such a position.

Here's a list of some examples of content focused jobs:

- Land Use and Preservation,
- Waste Management and Recycling,
- Housing and Community Development,
- Water- or Air-related Issues,
- Fund Raising and Foundation Work,
- Environmental Education,
- Pollution Prevention and Control,
- Disease Prevention,
- Environmental Planning.

Here's a list of some positions available in several different environmental areas:

- Research & Development (laboratory technicians: packaging scientists; chemists; biologists; toxicologists)
- Technical (civil engineering; transportation engineers; environmental health)
- Regulator (health regulation; environmental regulation; natural resource management regulators)
- Regulated Industry (Risk assessment; impact assessment, environmental compliance officers; environmental health officers)
- Policy Analysis (environmental economists; consulting firms; lobbyists; environmental groups)
- Education (elementary, secondary, post-secondary teachers; parks; nature centers; hands-on science museums or centers; outdoor education)

Where do you live, by the way, because some of these positions are based on your geographical location.

If you're going to spend that many years in school, you might as well make some good money afterward, and I think if you're an animal lover, your best bet would be to become a veterinarian or some sort of animal surgeon. Going to school in the states is expensive so why waste your time with a crappy paying job. If you like going to school and learning, you'll do well as a vet.

I looked up animal careers and this is what I found... These are some of the fields and jobs that involve animal experience and training.

Preventive Medicine (small animal, large animal, exotic, wildlife rehabilitation, research (private industry, university and government), military, zoo):

Research Veterinarian
Veterinarian
Veterinary Technician

Care and Conservation of Wildlife:

Biologist
Conservation Officer
Cooperative Extension Agent
Ecologist
Educator
Environmental Management
Environmental Chemistry
Forestry/Park Ranger
Interpretive Naturalist
Natural Resources Management
Wildlife Rehabilitator

Pets:

Animal behavior
Outreach programs
Therapy and Psychology
Zoos (training varies, ranging from exotic animal caretaking to biology:

Director
Supervisor
Keeper
Habitat Specialist
Research

Animal Training:

Trainer (large, small and exotics) for work, show and entertainment industry, and obedience training
Volunteer (may require special training or previous work experience):
SPCA
Camps
4-H
Field Research
Future Farmers
Humane Societies
Nature Centers
Parks
Wildlife Rehabilitation Facilities
Zoos

General areas of study and work:

Agriculture & Natural Resources
Education
Environmental Sciences
Fisheries & Wildlife Sciences
Law (Animal Welfare, Environmental)
Psychology
Science Technology
Veterinary Medicine
 
Representative Jobs/Salary Ranges

Salaries change through the years, and may be different in different geographical locations; a forester in Michigan may not make the same salary as a forester in Florida. The salaries listed include the minimum starting salary, and an average salary reflecting many years of work in the field (as of sources dated 1994 and earlier). If you are interested in more current salary data, head over to the Career Development Center at your local junior college and look through the resource materials there. (Note: these salary ranges stem from data collected in the mid 1990's. You can find updated information through the career center of your high school, junior or vocational college, or online at the Bureau of Labor and Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.)

Agriculture Product Sales Representative ($1000-5800)
Animal Breeder ($1900-4400)
Animal Caretaker or Keeper ($1400-3400)
Animal Trainer ($minimum wage-3000)
Anthropologists ($1200-4200)
Biologists ($1500-4900)
Biomedical Engineer ($2200-6600)
Environmental Analyst/Ecologist ($2200-4300)
Environmental Lawyer ($1800-6000)
Farm and Ranch Hand ($1100-2000)
Fish and Wildlife Specialists ($1600-4000)
Foresters ($1200-5000)
Forestry Technician ($775-3100)
Guide Dog Trainer ($minimum wage-3000)
Marine Biologist ($3700-5000)
Oceanographer ($3900-5000)
Park Ranger ($1200-5600)
Secondary School Science Teacher ($1900-4000)
Wildlife Specialist ($1600-3100)
Veterinarian ($1900-8000)
Veterinary Pathologist ($1900-6000)