- Choose A Career
Finding meaningful work begins with relating it to you what you love. If you love animals, then you need to explore the wide variety of options out there. From veterinarian to dog walker, whether you have a degree or are just passionate about animals, there are opportunities.
Here is a list to guide you through the possibilities. Consider your experience level, your skillset, and your career goals when browsing. It will help you focus your ability to effectively pursue a career.
Key Takeaways:
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The top three jobs for animal lovers are pet sitter, pet groomer, and animal handler.
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Most of these jobs require at least a high school diploma or bachelors degree.
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Most of the jobs listed require being in close contact with animals and have a basic understanding of animal behavior.
The 21 Best Careers For Animal Lovers
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Pet Store Employee
Average Salary: $21,000
This is a great entry-level position. Like many store associate positions, basic customer skills and experience are required. In this case, you will need to demonstrate abilities to be trusted with animals and have extensive knowledge of animal welfare to perform such duties as cage cleaning, pet food sales, and animal recreation.
Job responsibilities include:
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Work with customers, answering questions and offering animal care advice
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Keep the store, aquariums, and animal cages clean
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Look after the health of the pets for sale
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Stock shelves, order products from distributors, and maintain records on the animals and products
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Average Salary: $25,400
This is another great job for those trying to explore the world of animal care. Being a dog walker offers a lot of flexibility; you can either work for an organization or as an independent freelancer. You need to have the ability to walk a lot, to communicate with customers effectively, and the strength to handle all sorts of dogs.
Job responsibilities include:
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Regularly recording information specifying which dogs were walked, the duration of the walks, and if there were any unusual or abnormal observations
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Ensuring that all dogs have fresh water and food as required
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Plan walking routes and walk dogs as scheduled with owners
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Picking up and disposing of pet waste
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Taking all necessary precautions to ensure that the dogs and those around them are safe
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Notifying owners if dogs become sick or injured before, during, or after walks
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Average Salary: $25,200
Like a dog walker, a pet sitter has a lot of flexibility. You can also work with a company or independently, and your hours can be catered to your schedule. Pet sitters are trusted to handle extensive situations with pets, from clean up to health care, feeding, and exercise.
Job responsibilities include:
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Meeting with pet owners to gather pertinent pet care information and discuss pet sitting duties
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Ensuring the animals have fresh and clean food and water
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Give any medications to pets according to instructions from pet owner.
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Grooming pets as required, which include bathing them, brushing their teeth and coats, and trimming their nails
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Providing any update to pet owners
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Average Salary: $25,800
Dog trainer is an excellent specialized role that is needed in many areas of the country. A dog trainer builds intimate relationships with both the dogs and the owners to ensure successful education and development. Creating a safe environment with effective training techniques is the key to success.
Job responsibilities include:
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Implementing appropriate training programs to address and resolve problem areas, including aggression, separation anxiety, hyperactivity, and biting
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Teach commands to dog and owner
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Work with the owner to teach them about the commands
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Teach owners how to reinforce good behavior
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Identify additional behavioral concerns and communicating them to clients
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Contacting clients to schedule training appointments, verify bookings, and inquire into overdue payments
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Average Salary: $23,300
Many pet owners are unable to groom their pets as it takes time, skill, and equipment. This creates a huge market need to fill. Pet groomers will wash and cut animal fur. Creative and competitive personalities can use their skills through social media and build unique customer bases.
Job responsibilities include:
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Bathing and clipping dogs to conform to a variety of breed-specific standard styles
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Adding bows and nail polish for long or curly haired breeds such as poodles and shi tzus
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Bathing, conditioning, and drying pets
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Dematting and detangling hair as required
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Accommodating special requests that pet owners may have
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Ensuring that all pets are safe during the grooming process
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Animal blogger
Average Salary: $52,000
If you are a writer and love animals, this is a no brainer. From animal journalism to pet advice columns, an animal blogger targets an audience with their focused message. Animal blogging is great for those with writing skills and experience who want a unique topic.
Job responsibilities include:
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Writing posts that are relevant to the blog’s topic
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Promoting blog posts across social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
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Creating and maintaining relationships with other bloggers in the industry
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Doing interviews with experts in the field
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Writing and editing posts before they’re submitted
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Average Salary: $24,200
Animal handlers take care of animals in specific situations. This can be at a zoo, at a farm, or for an entertainment organization. Handlers are equipped to manage the animals’ needs at all times.
Job responsibilities include:
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Evaluating the effectiveness of implemented training programs and adjusting them as needed.
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Ensuring that all sleep, play, and training areas are clean and sanitary
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Reporting injuries, accidents, or medical issues to management
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Maintaining accurate records of animals medical needs, behavioral issues, personalized training programs, and progress
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Communicating behavioral concerns to animal owners as required
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Average Salary: $87,200
If you want to take your interest in animals to the field of academia, consider becoming an animal science professor. This is a long term commitment in higher education for those serious about animal research. Your area of expertise will be very specific and involve both teaching students and publishing papers in scientific journals.
Job responsibilities include:
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Animal scientists are responsible for supervising student lab work and conducting and publishing their own research studies
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Responsible for designing research studies
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Select animals for breeding
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Investigate best feeding and breeding techniques for use at dairy farms, feedlots, farrowing houses, or livestock ranches
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Work directly with different farmers and businesses related to livestock industry
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Veterinary technician/technologist.
Average Salary: $33,200
Veterinary technicians and technologists work under the supervision of veterinarians to manage the technical procedures of animal care. These include running tests, collecting lab results, monitoring, and preparing animals before medical procedures. Higher education is generally required for either role, a two-year associate’s degree for a technician, and a four-year bachelor’s degree for a technologist.
Job responsibilities include:
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Assist in emergency medicine, client education, surgical preparation, dentistry, radiography, and laboratory testing
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Prepare documentation and study record data in compliance with GLP, FDA, USDA, and IACUC guidelines
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Set up all equipment and prep animals for surgery: shaving, iv catheters and administering intravenous/intramuscular drugs
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Perform veterinary laboratory techniques including: radiography, venipuncture, maintenance procedures, subcutaneous injections, and medication administration
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Assist in surgical preparation of patients and maintain status during surgical procedures including monitoring and adjusting anesthesia base on patient status
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Perform emergency medical procedures and CPR for animals
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Average Salary: $111,000
Veterinarians are responsible for the medical care of pets, livestock, and more. Their duties include diagnosis illnesses, prescribing medication, and performing euthanizations. It is a role that requires a Doctor in Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M. or V.M.D) from an accredited institution.
Graduate education generally takes four years to complete. This is a profession for those serious about animal health. They must have the appropriate licenses and high levels of administration and organization skills.
Job responsibilities include:-
Communicate with affiliate veterinarians and investigators regarding diagnosis, prognosis and prescribe treatment plans
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Assist in lab animal welfare with other departments within the SRI facility
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Supervise and provide training for future DVMs, technicians and assistants working to complete their educational programs
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Examine animals to assess their health and diagnose problems
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Advise animal owners about general care, medical conditions, and treatments
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Prescribe medication
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Veterinarian Surgeon
Average Salary: $212,400
A specialized role, veterinarian surgeons generally work in vet hospitals and perform complicated procedures. Therefore veterinarian surgeons need a high-level skill set and a doctorate degree. Ranging from pet surgeries to more unique cases like aiding zoo animals, veterinarian surgeons face very complicated tasks.
It is one of the most challenging professions for animal lovers but also pays the best.
Job responsibilities include:-
Assessing and examining patients, and diagnosing their medical issues
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Performing surgery, dressing and treating wounds, and prescribing medication
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Improving patients’ dental health by performing checkups, and cleaning and extracting teeth
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Ensuring compliance with veterinary ethics and relevant statutes, policies, and procedures
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Maintaining patients’ medical records
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Performing diagnostic imaging and ultrasound tests
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Average Salary: $43,300
This is an excellent job if you want to be involved with your community. Generally, animal control officers work with local police departments. They deal with a range of situations from capturing wild animals that are causing disruptions to finding lost pets.
Job responsibilities include:
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Promote public safety and the humane treatment of animals through emergency response to animal-relate incidents.
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Testify at court hearings, report writing, patrol assign area, euthanize injure, sick, dying animals
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Respond to emergency calls and assist other personnel in difficult situations
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Administer immediate first aid, transport to veterinary or humanely euthanize injure animals
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Train and maintain a certify explosives detector K9
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Average Salary: $53,600
This is a job for those who want to bring justice to mistreated animals. Animal cruelty investigators are tasked with determining details of a situation.
Since the job can involve a certain level of danger, particularly with difficult animal abusers, animal cruelty investigators need to be skilled in diffusing tension as well as experts in objective analysis. Experience in law enforcement and animal control is a huge plus.
Job responsibilities include:
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Investigate cases of animal abuse and neglect
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Conduct interviews with pet owners, witnesses and neighbors for animal cruelty reports
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Examine animals for signs of abuse
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Arrest those suspected of animal cruelty
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Document animal cruelty reports and their findings
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Research animal protection laws in specific areas
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Average Salary: $30,000
Another great job for the creative types, animal photographers can be used for pet portraits, animal models, and capturing wildlife. Photography careers allow for flexible schedules, especially as a freelancer. You can make it a part-time or full-time gig. The skills, network, and equipment needed are similar to any other photography position.
Job responsibilities include:
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Plan the composition of photographs
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Archive and manage a database of images
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Enhance images with photo-editing software
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Capture professional-quality images of animal subjects
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Use professional photography equipment, lighting, and techniques
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Average Salary: $46,300
Animal therapy is an incredible field for those who want to help others. Animal-assisted therapists work with animals and clients with conditions such as anxiety, PTSD, and autism to improve behavior. Most animal-assisted therapists have a bachelor’s degree in psychology and experience with animal care.
Job responsibilities include:
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Work with other medical and mental health professionals to provide animal-assisted therapy as part of a larger care plan for clients
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Use their knowledge of a patient’s health goals to conduct therapy sessions that can help patients improve their ability to cope with certain conditions
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Watch animals to ensure their behavior meets their clients’ therapeutic needs
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Developing treatment plans that include activities with animals to improve
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Participating in group and individual therapy sessions with patients, acting as a facilitator and educator
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Providing post-session feedback to clients regarding their progress in therapy
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Average Salary: $23,000
Wherever animals are, there are people taking care of them. This is the role of an animal caregiver. It could be at a farm, a zoo, or for a media production team.
Animal caregivers must be able to take charge of the animal’s welfare, including cleaning their cages/living spaces, providing appropriate nutrition, and making sure their needs are met in a humane manner that is up to regulations.
Job responsibilities include:
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Play with animals and provide companionship to them
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Watch animals, record their condition, and report any problems
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Clean and repair pens, cages, and equipment
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Feed, water, groom and provide basic care for the animal
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Exercise animals
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Train animals to obey and listen to commands
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Zookeeper.
Average Salary: $25,100
Zookeepers provide care for zoo animals as well as act as informational guides for guests. It is a role that combines customer service and animal care. This is great if you are interested in teaching, as it is one of the skills needed when you interact with the audience.
Job responsibilities include:
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Keep animal enclosures clean, germ-free and safely secured
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Report unusual changes in behavior to managers or veterinarians
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Design, build and repair environments which are as close to natural habitats as possible
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Observe animals and check for any signs of distress or ill health
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Assist with veterinary procedures
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Average Salary: $24,860
In the event of natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires, wildlife rehabilitators rescue and return animals affected. Wildlife rehabilitators will help provide medical and shelter, so they need well-developed skills in animal care.
Job responsibilities include:
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Examine injured wildlife and provide medical care and therapy to help them recover to the point at which they can be released
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Work with veterinarians to determine a treatment plan
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Reintroducing animals slowly back into their habitats
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Placing animals unable to return to the wild in educational facilities or refuges
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Monitoring animals once released
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Average Salary: $31,200
Conservation/Forest Officers work to protect wildlife in their natural habitats and enforce regulations for recreational human interactions such as camping and hunting. A conservation/forest officer will need to be able to monitor their areas using appropriate technology, document interactions, and provide educational resources for the general public through items such as maps and pamphlets.
Job responsibilities include:
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Protective duty, guarding against fire and trespass, fighting fires and stopping trespass, as well as assisting the State authorities in the protection of game
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Overseeing use of state land for recreational and other purposes
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Responding to emergencies, and participating in search and rescue missions
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Educating and informing the public and private forest owners on forestry and environmental matters
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Participating in forest fire prevention activities such as planning and conducting controlled burns and patrolling fire lines during wildland fires
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Average Salary: $35,300
Animal breeder. Breeders can be tasked with improving livestock for agricultural needs or breed desirable pets for potential owners. A breeder is required to provide long term care of the animals and ensure successful interactions between clients.
Job responsibilities include:
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Examining animals to find illnesses or injuries
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Incubating eggs until hatching
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Injecting animal semen into female animals for breeding purposes
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Performing procedures on animals
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Feeding and caring for animals until they can survive on their own
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Average Salary: $52,200
Marine biology is the study of aquatic animals, and marine biologists spend a lot of their time in the water. So if you love the ocean and swimming, this is a great job for you. Higher education is required, with serious marine biologists pursuing doctorates in their field.
Job responsibilities include:
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Study characteristics of species
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Study marine life in natural or controlled environments
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Analyze the effect of human activity on marine ecosystems
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Write research papers and articles explaining their findings
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Develop and conduct research on the relationships of organisms in the marine environment
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Final Thoughts
Now that you have a general idea of what is out there, take the time to consider what you want from working with animals and begin researching relevant positions. There is so much opportunity that awaits. Get excited about your passion and dive in.
- Choose A Career
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
Expert
Matt Warzel a President of a resume writing firm (MJW Careers, LLC) with 15+ years of recruitment, outplacement, career coaching and resume writing experience. Matt is also a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Internet Recruiter (CIR) with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Marketing Focus) from John Carroll University.
