Vet & Pet Jobs
Find Career and Job Opportunities Working with Pets
Your dream job working with animals is only a few clicks away. Find a career working with animals in a variety of fields from veterinarians, to vet nurses, groomers, trainers, and even pet retail experts.
Animal Care Jobs Are Growing
If you have been looking for a career change, now may be the best time to make that transition. According to multiple studies, animal care jobs are growing at impressive rates. In 2015 there was a 32% increase in job and growth for animal care workers including; dog groomers, vet nurses, agriculture technicians, and researchers. Depending on your skills, education, and experience, salaries in the animal care field vary greatly. For vet nurses, salaries can range from $34,000 to $50,000+, while veterinarians can be earning close to $100K. Dog trainers with at least two years of experience could be looking at earning $20 an hour. With comfortable salaries and plenty of opportunities, now is a great time to start looking for a rewarding job working with animals.
How to Start a Career Working with Pets
The first thing you have to decided is what drives your passion for pets. If you love science, constant learning, are flexible, and want to make a difference in the day to day lives of pets, a job as a vet nurse or even veterinarian could be the perfect job working with animals for you. Choosing an animal career in the veterinary field will require additional training and potentially education, depending on your goals. Don’t let this stop you though. It’s possible to start working as a vet nurse or assistant with minimal experience and training. Many clinics are willing to train passionate and motivated candidates. Take time to get to know your local veterinary office and discuss volunteer or kennel cleaning opportunities.
If you want to work with animals, but the idea of nursing injured pets makes you sad or uncomfortable, there are plenty of other opportunities for you to have a career working with animals. Dog trainers, groomers, pet sitters, and boarding facilities are all in need of dedicated animal lovers. While some of these jobs will require training, like grooming or dog training, other opportunities have a lower entrance level making a career change into animal health not only plausible, but a very real opportunity.
Advanced careers in animal care industry are also possible. If you have a bachelor’s degree you may want to use that to get yourself in the door of a research laboratory, pharmaceutical company, or even working in the government sector in public health. These jobs tend to pay better and include better benefits making them a prime choice for graduates.
Once you have decided in which role you want to work with animals there are a few key steps you can take to make your transition.
- Do your research: every career has a path to completion. Some are more flexible than others. You want to make sure that when you apply for a job you have the skills and requirements needed to succeed.
- Get skills: while loving animals is a necessary passion, you are going to need experience performing a variety of task regardless of what career you pursue. Talk to local animal shelters and rescue organisations about volunteer opportunities. Not only can you gain skills this way, but you are also networking. Let your new co-workers know your plans, you never know who knows somebody looking for a candidate like you to work for them.
- Create an appealing resume: once you have picked your career path and gained some skills, you will want to create a compelling resume that highlights your skills, passions, and value you will bring to the job.
- Don’t become stagnant: eventually you are going to land that dream job working with animals in the perfect capacity for you. The worst thing you can do is become stagnant. Keep focused on advancing skills and learn new skills. The more valuable you make yourself the better your career outlook will be.
Starting a career working with animals is a noble and lucrative pursuit. You are only limited by your ambitions for which jobs you can qualify for. With a little work and a lot of passion you can be on your way to working your dream job in the animal care field.