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What career should I look into if I want to work with animals but do not want to be a vet?

I would love to work with animals in any capacity, but do not necessarily want to do all of the schooling that goes into becoming a vet, or deal with some of their responsibilities.

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Steph’s Answer

If you love animals but don’t see yourself becoming a veterinarian, there are still a ton of ways to work with them. Animal shelters are a great place to start—many hire for entry-level roles, and you can also get your foot in the door by volunteering. It’s a great way to see what it’s like to work hands-on with animals and get a feel for different parts of the job, like basic care, behavior, adoptions, or even helping with medical needs. Shelter work can be super rewarding, but it’s also tough sometimes—you’ll see sad situations, like neglect or abuse cases, and the pay isn’t always the best. But if you care deeply about animals, it can be really fulfilling.

There are also other ways to help animals without working with them directly. Some people go into law, politics, or nonprofit work to fight for animal rights and push for better laws and protections. You might not be with animals every day, but the impact you make can be huge. I honestly wish someone had told me about these options when I was your age—so it’s awesome you’re asking now. Volunteering at a local shelter is a great first step to see if it’s a good fit for you!

Steph recommends the following next steps:

Visit your local shelter!
Apply to volunteer
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Heather’s Answer

Hi, Elizabeth. You could start by looking into careers that support veterinarians, like vet techs, where the schooling may be less and still gives you the opportunity to be in a similar type of work. The other option out there are things like groomers, pet boarding, pet trainers, etc. where you could still work with animals though you'd have to consider the lifestyle and pay differences. The other option would be to be animal adjacent. There are so many people who do different work for zoos and aquariums that don't have degrees related to animals but instead are in marketing, PR, retail management, etc. You could do work that puts you in close proximity to animals without actually having to care for them.

I'd recommend talking to folks in different animal related careers to learn more and see if anything sparks your interests. Better, if you could job shadow some folks and really get a feel for what a day in the life looks like. If you don't know anyone you can talk to you, could also see if anyone has published a YouTube video or podcast about work in the field which could still help you get some ideas.

Good luck in figuring out what is the right fit for you. Always, know that even if one thing doesn't work out you can always try something else.
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