Question: Hi i am Steven and i am guessing from what you have wrote, you quite like animals and nature, has this hindered your job in anyway shape or form. p.s i quite l like animals too and my plans for the future are to get a degree in animal science and see where that takes me.

Rebecca Shaw answered on 11 Nov 2019:

Hi Steven! Thanks for your question.
Yes, I love animals and nature. I have from a very young age, and I like you really wanted to incorporate them into my career somehow!

I think your idea of getting a degree and then seeing where it takes you is a great idea. One issue that I have had because of my interests is not knowing what I wanted to do! To be honest, I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, and that is slowly becoming less scary the more experience I get.

As I said in my profile, I’ve worked for animal charities, as a zoo keeper and now in research (which sometimes involves animal research) and the skills and qualities I now have because of my varied portfolio are vast and transferable. I’ve found that limiting myself doesn’t work for me – so it might be different for you!

Another issue is that animal/nature jobs are competitive and are quite hard to get. I’ve been for countless interviews and been rejected numerous times. Often, I have had the skills and criteria they are looking for but someone else has something more specific or more experience than me. Obviously, I believe that is an issue in many careers, but it is especially true in this line of work.

I would advice you that if you want a career in animal science, show your passion. One aspect of my career that I believe has stood out to employers is that I am able to talk the talk and also prove it. Volunteer with and become involved in any cause that you are interested in. I’ve been volunteering and joining societies for years now and they are never not a good idea (unless you are doing too much!) You meet people that may someday have a job for you, but you also meet like minded people and they are always fun to be around.

Hope this answers your question!