Connecting Passions to Careers: Working with Animals

I have always had a passion for working with animals. As a child, I dreamt of working with them one day. However, I was never exposed to a lot of different career opportunities with animals and assumed that my only option was to become a veterinarian. Unfortunately, this may be the case for many young people.

Don’t get me wrong, veterinarians are incredibly important and needed! But considering the steps required to become a vet, this profession may not be realistic for every individual. Among the 30 accredited veterinary schools in the United States, the acceptance rate is around 10-15%. Not only is vet school incredibly competitive, it’s expensive. Depending on the University, the cost of one year’s tuition ranges from $20,000-$65,000.

Again, becoming a veterinarian is a wonderful career path and I would never discourage a child dreaming of becoming a vet, but there are so many other wonderful paths to explore that lead to fulfilling careers with animals that many young people are unaware of!

As a 4-H program educator, I had the opportunity to coordinate an Animal Science day camp experience for youth interested in pursuing careers with animals. Participants attended multiple sessions throughout the day where they had the opportunity to engage with real Animal Science experts, gain industry skills, and explore different career opportunities.

Here are some of the careers covered during the event:

Animal Genetics – Professionals in animal genetics analyze the genetic makeup of an animal’s genome to study the health or behavior of the animal.

Animal Husbandry- This is a branch of agriculture that focuses on raising animals for meat, fiber or other products.

Animal Nutrition- A career in animal nutrition focuses on studying and formulating the dietary needs of animals. Animal nutritionists work on farms, in zoos, and aquariums.

Animal Physiology- This branch of Animal Science is all about studying how an animal’s body works. This important field studies how animals adapt to their environment, fight diseases, reproduce, and grow.

Equine Science- Horse lovers who follow an equine science career path can manage or own a stable, train, breed, or care for horses.

Poultry Science- Poultry is a term used to describe birds used in agriculture production such as chickens or ducks. Some poultry scientists have careers in managing farms while others focus on research in nutrition, physiology, or genetics of poultry animals.

This list is just to name a few of the hundreds of opportunities available to work with animals. It’s important to make sure youth who are passionate about animals find a career opportunity that fits them!

References:

Animal Geneticist. (n.d.). Retrieved from Ag Explorer: https://agexplorer.ffa.org/career /animal-geneticist

Animal Physiologist Job Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved from Learn.org: https://learn.org/articles/Animal_Physiologist_Jobs_Frequently_Asked_Questions.html

Career Opportunities in Equine Science. (n.d.). Retrieved from Truman State University : https://www.truman.edu/majors-programs/majors-minors/agricultural-science-major/careers-jobs-in-agriculture/career-opportunities-in-equine-science-2/

Department of Poultry Science. (n.d.). Retrieved from University of Georgia: https://poultry.caes.uga.edu/undergraduate/careers.html

Why the Majority of Veterinary School Applicants are Denied. (n.d.). Retrieved from Veterinarianedu.org: https://www.veterinarianedu.org/2017/03/why-the-majority-of-veterinary-school-applicants-are-denied/