Title: Vault Guide to Veterinary and Animal Careers
Authors: Liz Stewart and the staff of Vault
Publisher: Vault.com
Year: 2008
Pages: 141
ISBN: 978-1-58131-548-6
This guide should provide a good start for both young adults making a career choice and people considering a career change.
The Web-based Vault career guides have won high praise from a number of prominent magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Money, Fortune, and Forbes. Designed to answer some basic questions (e.g., "What are the career opportunities in working with animals?" "Is this the right job for you?"), this guide covers everything "from soup to nuts"—what jobs are available, how to get each one, and what each will be like.
Although the emphasis is firmly on the practical, the book begins by providing a brief background about animals in society. It then moves on to industry trends, from zoos to ecotourism and from scientific research to farming.
The core of the book features sections on the wide range of jobs available to those who wish to make a career of working with animals, including veterinary medicine (doctors, technicians, and assistants), breeding, farming/ranching, animal control, zoo and wildlife management, research, service industries, and corporate and government positions. Following this is a chapter on employers for each of these categories.
The discussion then shifts to how to get the job in question—education and training, breaking into the field at various levels (including starting a business), constructing a resume, and interviewing. The next chapter takes the reader on the job, addressing lifestyle and financial issues and providing "career snapshots" comprising interviews of people who hold the job in question. Interviewees offer details on duties, hours, and pros and cons, along with nuggets of advice.
The book concludes with a chapter on "alternative job opportunities" related to animals, such as education, sales, advocacy, law, and media. A useful appendix lists professional organizations, schools, and helpful Web sites.
This guide should provide a good start for both young adults making a career choice and people considering a career change. The approach takes a lighter tone—for example, listing "uppers" and "downers" for each job—but never diverges from the pragmatic. The language is clear and intelligent and does not "dumb down" the subject matter. And as befits the publisher's strong Web connections, the book recognizes the role today's information technology plays in the job market. For those who love animals, this book should help to determine whether their passion might translate into practical work.
Written by Patricia L. Van Horn, a freelance writer in Long Branch, New Jersey.
To Learn More
For further information about this book or to order a copy, visit vault.com.
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