It’s one of my favorites times of year – Shark Week! Every year, the Discovery Channel spends a week focusing on these predators of the sea, including shows about shark attacks, shark research, and more. If you love Shark Week as much as I do, you might be wondering how you can do some of the same jobs you see others do on these television shows. Let’s take a look at some of your options for working with sharks:

•  Cage Diver

If you work as a diver already, you might want to take the next step and learn about cage diving to help tourists and scientists get an up-close-and-personal look at these awesome sea creatures. In order to work in this career, you need CPR and first aid training, as well as a working knowledge of shark behavior to ensure that everyone stays as safe as possible at all times. You can find shark diving jobs around the world, so this is also a great choice if you want to travel.

• Shark Spotter

In countries like South Africa, the government hires shark spotters to help keep beaches safe. Unlike a lifeguard, with this type of position, you won’t help rescue swimmers, but you’ll instead watch the water from a perch high above the beach. It will be your job to sound the alarm if you see a shark so that everyone can get out of the water before it becomes a problem. Shark spotters typically work short shifts because the job requires so much attention, and you of course nee excellent eyesight to qualify for a position. Shark spotting jobs are more common in other countries, so check out our guide to working abroad to learn more about careers overseas.

• Shark Biologists

Working as a biologist allows you to take on any number of research and conservation roles that involve sharks. You could work at an aquarium, keeping sharks happy and talking to visitors about the species, or you could work in the field, studying sharks in their natural environment and promoting efforts to protect these animals. With a degree in biology, you could also help tag sharks, which allows researchers to collect data about that specific species to learn more about their feeding habits, migration patterns, and more.

• Underwater Photographer

Working as a photographer typically has you snapping pictures at weddings and doing portraits for families, but there’s a special subset of photographers that works under the water. In this type of position, your photographs could end up in pamphlets, magazines, books, websites, and more. The light is tricky in the water, and there is an element of danger to photographing sharks for sure, but your work could even end up in museums.

Looking for even more examples of jobs you can take if you want to work with sharks? Check out the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week Career page, where they give you the low-down on everything from being a shark suit tester to performing shark autopsies.

Working in agriculture is a great choice if you love animals. The two may seem counterproductive, since most animals are raised for food, but you don’t have to see your furry friends off to the slaughterhouse to work in a farm job. In fact, there are a number of agriculture jobs that are perfect for animal lovers, and many of them are hiring right now for the busy summer season. Here are a few that you can consider:

• Working at an Apiary

An apiary is a very special farm that raises just one type of animal – bees! The goal of an apiary is to produce honey, so if you’re interested in insects, this might be the right place for you. Apiaries are most active when flowers in your area start to bloom, though you can work at one of these locations year-round if you’re lucky enough to land a full-time position. Some of your duties at an apiary could include checking the health of the colony, planting and maintaining flowering plants near the hives, harvesting honey, and preparing the honey for the table or for shipment to a plant.

• Working as a Breeder

While most people think of dogs or cats when they think of breeders, agricultural breeders are important too. As an agricultural breeder, you might work with horses, sheep, or any number of other animals to produce the best livestock. Animals are bred to perpetuate certain characteristics, so if you’re highly interested in this field, a degree in biology or genetics will help you advance in your career.

• Working as a Veterinarian

Vets don’t just treat pets. When you get your veterinarian degree, you can specify your interest – and many schools offer a specialty in livestock, horses, or other large agricultural animals. Treating these animals is often slightly more difficult than treating smaller animals, since a sick or injured animal is easily frightened. You’ll also be a vet on the road, visiting farms to treat animals, since it’s almost impossible to bring a cow into an office!

• Working on a Horse Farm

Equine jobs allow you to work in a more traditional agriculture environment, but you don’t have to watch your favorite animals get sold for steak and pork chops. Horse farms might work in a more agri-tainment sense, providing riding trails for visitors, or they could breed animals for shows and racing. You can also work in more nontraditional horse-related jobs, such as caring for the animals in a police mounted unit or providing trained horses for films.

• Working on an Egg Farm

Like horse farming, working on an egg farm is a way to work in a more traditional agricultural job, but without preparing animals for food purposes. Egg farmers care for chickens, providing the best conditions possible to ensure that the farm produces eggs on a daily basis. There are also egg farms that raise birds other than chickens – quail, geese, and emu also produce eggs that farmers can sell either independently or to processing plants.

Of course, these are just a few of the jobs you can consider if you’re an animal lover who also wants to work on a farm. Take some time to consider all of your options, along with more traditional crop farming, if you want to work in agriculture. Don’t wait to apply – many farms are hiring temporary workers now for the summer months, and these positions can turn into full-time year-round positions if you do a good job.

Finding a vet job is fairly easy for those who want to go through several years of school. What about the rest of us, though? If you love animals, spending several years in school to become a veterinarian isn’t your only choice. You can also work with animals in a number of other great positions. Consider…

• …working as a biologist. In this field, you’ll work with both plants and animals in the natural world, helping ensure that companies meet legal requirements when building new structures, researching animal habits, and more.
• …finding a dog kennel job. When owners go on vacation, they can’t always take their pets, so kennels provide a home-away-from-home experience for these beloved pooches.
• …becoming a zookeeper. In a zookeeper positions, you’ll work with exotic animals ranging from tiny turtles to elephants and giraffes. Zookeepers keep the animals healthy and happy by preparing meals, cleaning pens and cages, encouraging exercise and play, and more. You may also help educate visitors about the animals in the zoo.

Other animal jobs you could consider include pet-sitter, ecologist, groomer, wildlife rehabilitation worker, livestock farmer, pet photographer, pet handler, or animal rescue worker. Your first step is to ask yourself whether you’d rather work with domesticated animals and pets or wild animals – these two categories of animals jobs are extremely different!

Once you’ve figured out the type of animal-related job you want, you can use the following tips to get hired:

• Get educated. While not every job requires the years of school needed to become a vet, many do ask that candidates obtain an associate degree or bachelor degree in a related field.
• Volunteer with a pet-related charity. You can get great resume experience by volunteering at your local animal shelter, park, or zoo.
• Look for entry-level animal jobs. If you are looking to boost your resume, think about serving as a pet-sitter, working at your local pet supply store, or performing another entry-level job. This allows you to gain experience so you can be hired in better positions in the future.

Kiplinger columnist Marty Nemko recently profiled 13 professions that she believes are the best bet for the next decade, based on three factors:

• Ability to have at least a middle class income
• Socially redeeming value — i.e. no tobacco execs on this list
• Work-life balance — reasonable hours, positive work environment, etc.
• Status — these are “white collar jobs” here, with a good deal of social ‘status’ associated with them (not that blue — and green, for the matter — collar jobs can’t pay well and give employees a lot of job satisfaction, but this particular list wasn’t about that kind of work)

So, what did Ms. Nemko come up with?

1. Federal-Government Manager

In the post economic recession era, the federal government is slated to be this nation’s largest employer, creating 300,000 new jobs over the next two years! Federal jobs don’t have to be based in Washington; there are opportunities around the country — and the world.

2. Higher-Education Administrator

3. Program Evaluator

4. Global Business Development Executive

If you speak Mandarin, Hindi, Bengali, Russian, Portuguese, Arabic or Farsi, there is likely a job for you (especially if you are willing to work abroad.)

5. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist

6. Immigration Expert

7. Researcher

Key specialties include energy/green energy research; and science research jobs such as genomics, neurophysics, diagnostic imaging, and pollution control.

8. Health-Informatics Specialist

No medical degree required; informatics specialists will help docs and hospitals set up electronic medical records systems.

9. Optometrist

10. Genetic Counselor

11. Patient Advocate

12. Physical Therapist

Among medical-related jobs, this one scores highest on the job satisfaction indicators, according to Nemko. She says it’s the one-on-one relationship and reasonable work hours that do the trick.

13. Veterinarian Careers

And let me add… If you want to work with animals, but years of schooling aren’t your thing, consider a job as a veterinarian technician: Same good hours, same great work environment, but less education (and, unfortunately, less salary).

You can get the full run-down on each of these careers from Nemko’s article at Kiplinger.com.

So, what do you think? Is your future high-earning, socially relevant, high satisfaction (and status) next job on this list? Which job speaks to you the most? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

P.S. Check back tomorrow for a Hot Jobs post that may just help you get started on this list!

Welcome to the Wednesday hot jobs post! If you are new to the JobMonkey, this is where I tell you about three of the hottest leads for jobs over at our free JobMonkey Job Center. This week, I’m focusing on the fun careers working with animals. Are you a lover of man’s best friend? An aspiring Dr. Doolittle? There are dozens of great opportunities to work with animals posted over the last two weeks on the Job Center, so if this is your dream job, you should definitely check it out. You can also learn more about animal jobs — from dog walker to veterinarian — on the JobMonkey’s section on working with animals.

1. Collector, Billing Department Jobs, Animal Medical Center, New York, NY

What happens when you love animals, but don’t have the necessary training and education to work with them directly? No problem! Remember even veterinarians need administrative staff, cleaning staff and even marketing/advertising staff. Here is one such example of a non-veterinarian job at an Animal Medical Center. If you have an administrative background, you are in luck. The collector in the Billing Department is responsible for day to day monitoring of the collection of client accounts. Specific duties include placing weekly phone calls to clients with delinquent accounts, preparing agency reports on a monthly basis, and making adjustments to accounts within the computer system.

2. Associate Veterinarians and New Grads, American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Various Locations, Utah

Utah’s Banfield Pet Hospital is seeking both experienced doctors and new graduates to help expand its practice. For new graduates, the Pet Hospital offers new graduates a structured 14-week mentorship program. The ideal candidate will practice the highest quality of medicine and surgery and be able to perform procedures requiring a licensed DVM.

3. Animal Keeper Jobs, Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Front Royal, VA

This position is located in the National Zoological Park is seeking an animal keeper (salary $18-26/hour) to perform routine duties related to the care and maintenance of a collection of animals. Specific duties include measuring food items, cleaning animal enclosures, keeping service areas clean and maintaining enclosures. The ideal candidate will be able to lift and carry materials weighing up to 60 pounds and withstand extended periods of standing, walking, bending, and stooping. Workers are assigned to an eight-hour shift, but must be prepared to fill in at any time, including nights, weekends and holidays, since duties are considered “critical care”.

Best of luck with your search this week!

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for our weekly Hot Jobs post. This the day that I feature three of the best job leads from JobMonkey’s free Job Center — the web’s #1 free resource for job seekers in search of an adventure — and a paycheck.

If you are an animal lover, then you will want to stick around.

I have three great animal jobs — and they are just the tip of the iceberg over at the Job Center this week. There are pages of great animal job leads for you to check out. From veterinarians to zoo keepers to fundraisers for animal rescue groups and more, we’ve got it all! (You can learn more about working with animals at JobMoney!)

1. Speechwriter/Senior Writer, The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA

This job is proof that there is more to working with animals than being a veterinarian (although there’s nothing wrong with vet jobs — see #2 if that’s your thing.) Instead, think about how you can apply your unique skills and talents to an animal-related organization. For example, if you’re a great writer and an animal lover, being the Senior Writer for the Nature Conservancy is a perfect way to blend your two passions! The speechwriter will work with the Nature Conservancy’s President to conceive, draft and edit communications materials on the President’s behalf. In addition to speeches and talking points, the writer will also be responsible for op-ed pieces, online content, books or book chapters, and other collateral material. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s Degree with at least six years of related experience, including writing and/or editing books, writing for the web, and speech writing. The job may require some travel and a willingness to work overtime during peak workload periods.

2. Associate Veterinarian, American Veterinary Medical Association – AVMA, Wichita, KS

If you are trained as a veterinarian, there is an opening for a full-time associate in a thriving multi-doctor, small animal practice in Wichita, Kansas. The suburb of Andover is an affluent, family friendly community with excellent public schools and low cost of living — so relocation might be worth a look. The practice has opened a new 10,000 square foot facility and boasts a great technician/doctor to patient ratio. The average work week is 35 hours and there are no late night calls! The starting salary is $70,000, plus general benefits such as medical and professional liability insurance, professional dues, license fees, and more. The group is looking for a great vet with a good sense of humor and a team-playing ethic.

3. Part Time Preschool Instructor, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Tacoma, WA

Like I said above in #1, you don’t have to be a veterinarian to work with animals. Here’s a great opportunity for an early childhood educator to teach young children about animals at Tacoma Washington’s Point Defiance Zoo. The preschool has a nature and animal focus, although the primary duties of the teacher are to lead activities that meet the children’s physical, emotional, intellectual and social needs.  The ideal candidate will have at least two years of relevant college coursework, plus two years of experience in early childhood education. A background in natural history is also required. As with any preschool teachers, patience, creativity and a love for children is a must! Applicants must also have a valid First Aid and CPR card, and be able to pass a background check.

If you didn’t find the job of your dreams on our hot jobs list today, be sure to check out the JobMonkey Job Center for hundreds of other listings in every imaginable field.

Good luck with your job search this week!

Happy Hot Jobs Day! As you know, each Wednesday, I post three hot new job openings from our job database at the JobMonkey Job Center.

There are tons of great new job leads over at the Job Center right now, including opportunities dozens of opportunities to work at a casino, if that’s your thing. This week’s leads also feature a number of jobs working with animals, three of which I’m going to spotlight today. If you want to learn more about working with animals, check out JobMonkey’s section on animal jobs.

1. Licensed Veterinary Technician Job, Animal Medical Center, New York, NY
The Animal Medical Center in New York is looking for licensed veterinary technicians to provide assistance to veterinarians with using minimally invasive procedures. Areas of responsibility will include performing anesthesia on patients requiring minimally invasive interventional radiologic/endoscopic procedures, placing triple lumen jugular catheters, performing CVPs, epidurals and sampling lines. Administrative duties may include maintaining and inventorying equipment and medication, data entry, and assisting with clinical research cases/protocols. Occasional travel may be required for special cases and medical conventions. The ideal candidate will be a nurse practitioner with expertise in patient care, including comfort dealing with critically ill animals. He or she must possess New York State Veterinary Technician’s license. The technician will work four days per week, Monday through Thursday, ten hours per day.

2. Coordinator, Conservation and Education Philanthropy, The National Wildlife Federation, Reston, VA
The National Wildlife Federation is seeking to hire a coordinator of the Conservation & Education Philanthropy team. The coordinator will be responsible for raising foundation, government and corporate restricted funding for assigned programs with guidance from the Senior Director and Associate Director. The ideal candidate will have a college degree (although it is not required), with at least two years of professional experience and excellent organizational and communication skills. Also essential is attention to detail, proofreading skills and advanced computer skills.

3. Animal Care Supervisor Job, American Humane Association, Florida Keys, FL
The American Humane Association in the Florida Keys is looking to hire an Animal Care Supervisor to oversee kennel operations, health care, euthanasia, administrative and support services for animal care issues. The ideal candidate will have at least two years of experience in animal shelter administration, animal health care management, or animal hospital office management, along with supervisory experience. Related coursework is helpful but not required.

Welcome to Hot Jobs! Each Wednesday, I put the spotlight on three of the hottest new job listings from the JobMonkey Job Center.

Here’s a great little video explaining how to make the most out of JobMonkey’s job searching resources.  The Job Center is updated daily, so if you haven’t visited our database of free job listings today, you should!

Today I am featuring animal jobs and summer jobs… including summer jobs with animals! I hope you find something you are looking for here!

1. Zoo Camp Instructor, Turtle Back Zoo, West Orange, NJ
The Essex County Turtle Back Zoo is looking to hire Summer Camp Instructors to lead Monday through Friday zoo camps for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Instructors will be responsible for leading educational lessons about animals and natural sciences in a fun, engaging and age-appropriate manner. Qualified candidates will be certified teachers or students in the process of getting their degree in the fields of education, biology, zoology, or natural sciences. Candidates with formal or information teaching experience will receive preference. There will be a one-week training programming for Instructors before the start of camp. Dates of employment are June 15 through August 14, 2009.

2. Educator Jobs, SeaWorld/Busch Gardens, Orlando, FL
Busch Gardens is looking to hire an animal educator who will give fact-based animal presentations in addition to staffing park attractions and conducting guided tours. Other responsibilities include interacting with guests to provide animal and park information and monitoring guest and animal safety. Qualified candidates will have a Bachelor’s degree or be actively pursuing their degree from an accredited college or university. Candidates must have excellent communication skills and be able to stand and walk for extended periods of time. Preference will be given to hiring local candidates.

3. Educational Interpretive Keeper, Cheyenne Mt. Zoo, Colorado Springs, CO
The Cheyenne Mt. Zoo in Colorado is seeking to hire an Educational Interpretive Keeper, responsible for the care, husbandry and training of the Zoo’s Education Department’s collection of animal ambassadors. The person in this position will conduct daily interpretive programs and demonstrations with the animals for Zoo visitors. This is a new position for the Zoo and the candidate will work with a relative new collection in a new facility. The ideal candidate will, at a minimum, hold a degree from a two-year college and have past experience working with animals and members of the public. The keeper must be able to positively engage guests and encourage them to participate in caring for Zoo animals. The position is full-time, with an hourly salary plus benefits. The typical work week will be Friday through Tuesday, with great flexibility to account for occasional evenings. The salary will be in the low $20,000s.

In this Wednesday’s Hot Jobs, I’ve got three great animal jobs.  I don’t usually have a theme to the Hot Jobs announcements, but these three opportunities just popped out at me and I couldn’t pass it up.  If you think you might be interested in working with animals, keep reading!  If you are allergic to dogs and hate cats, well, the Job Monkey job database has a host of other great opportunities, so click on over.  Updated daily, the data base is free to search.

#1. Elephant Care Intern, Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation, Central Florida
Gosh and I thought that Nike internship that I posted last week sounded cool!  Ringling Bros.’ Center for Elephant Conservation is looking for an elephant care intern.  The three-month program will begin in March, 2009. Interns will work with trainers, handlers and veterinarians to learn to care of the center’s 25 Asian elephants.  The three-month course will include classroom learning and hands-on instruction with the animals.  The internship is paid and housing can be provided if necessary.  Successful graduates of the internship program will be eligible for employment with either the traveling units or the permanent elephant facilities. Applicants must have a high school diploma or general education degree (GED), along with 1 to 3 months related experience in animal care.  The ideal candidate will also possess a “strong sense of adventure” and be able to lift and carry 50 pounds.  To apply, submit a resume, personal essay describing why you would like to work with elephants and two letters of recommendation.  For contact information, see the job ad on JobMonkey or visit www.elephantcenter.com.

2. Animal Educator Job, Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida

Here is another exciting animal job opportunity based in Florida. 

Busch Gardens is looking for an animal educator with at least two years of experience in formal or information education. The animal educator is responsible for on-site educational programming, such as Adventure Camps, School Programs and Guest Presentations.  The person will also develop curriculum for school, camp, and park programs and be involved in the care, maintenance and training of a variety of animal species. The ideal candidate will have earned his or her B.A. from an accredited college or university with a major in Education, Animal Science, Wildlife Ecology, Psychology or a related field. The animal educator will be able to work outdoors and willing to work with a variety of animal species, including birds, reptiles, mammals, and invertebrates.  Fluency in Spanish is a plus. To learn more about the position or to apply for the job, visit the Busch Gardens employment website.

#3. Curator of Education, Central Park Zoo, New York, NY

Unlike the first two opportunities I posted, this job is for someone with quite a bit of animal and education experience.  Do you fit that bill?  The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the non-profit organization responsible for operating the Bronx and Central Park Zoos, is seeking a Curator of Education at the Central Park Zoo. The Curator of Education is responsible for the implementation and management of education programs, including curricula-based programs, summer and weekend programs, theater, a volunteer program, and professional development. The ideal candidate must have at least a Master’s Degree in business, science or education, 6 years management experience, and experience in creating and teaching environmental, science and/or conservation education. To learn more about the position or to apply for the job, visit the Bronx Zoo website.

Good luck with your job searches this week!

Every Monday at the JobMonkey blog, we focus on a different career path and the educational background you need to get started. 

Whether you are still in high school and thinking about your future, or you are a professional in a different field looking to try something new, the information here should help you get started on your journey. If there is a career that you are particularly interested in learning more about, please let me a note in the comments section so I can feature it in the coming weeks.

There are many different career paths for someone wishing to work in the veterinary field.  Today, I am going to focus on careers in veterinary medicine.  I profiled veterinary careers a while back on the blog, so go check it out if you aren’t sure what being a veterinarian entails.

Like medical doctors and dentists, veterinary doctors have to make a long-term educational commitment to their profession.  Not only must they graduate with a BA from a four-year college (usually with a major in the sciences) and attend a four-year veterinary school, but they must also maintain active involvement in continuing education courses within their sub-specialty. There is no doubt that being a veterinarian includes taking on a life-long commitment to ongoing learning and professional development.

Here are some basic facts about vet schools and the students who attend them:

•    There are 28 accredited schools of veterinary medicine in the U.S.
•    2,100 students graduate with an advanced degree in veterinary medicine every year
•    More than 8,500 students enrolled at any given time
•    Approximately 3 out of 4 vet students are women
•    To be accepted to vet school, you will need a strong background in science and math, although a major in one of those fields is not required; vet schools also look for a well-rounded educational background, including courses in history, humanities, English and foreign languages
•    Admission to veterinary school is extremely competitive.  The average acceptance rate is 43%.
•    Most students admitted to veterinary school have a GPA of at least 3.0. Students must take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination).

After graduation, many students pursue either an internship or research fellowship to further their skills before landing their first full-time job. 

Sub-specialties such as pathology, surgery and radiology require a residency program of two to five years.

Even once veterinarians have finished school and passed all their licensing examination, their education never stops.  In addition to reading veterinary medicine journals and attending professional seminars, at least half of the states require licensed veterinarians to participate in annual continuing education classes.

To begin researching vet schools in the United States, see JobMonkey’s comprehensive list of veterinary degree programs.  You can also learn more about tuition and other fees in this article about the cost of veterinary school.