If you love animals and you’d love to work with them, whether it be in a zoo, a vet’s or in their natural habitat, there are hundreds of jobs out there for every degree level and interest. Below are a few of the most popular jobs related to animals.

Zoologist

Zoologists work with animals, usually in captivity but sometimes in the wild. Some find zoos to be cruelty to animals, but there is so much more than putting animals on display for the public. If you enjoy science, zoology could be a perfect match for you as you will need to learn the biology of many different species to understand what they need and how to keep them safe. You can specialize in a certain species that interest you and your job will be split into two separate components; field work and laboratory work. Your aim as a zoologist to understand how to conserve and help these animals to breed and survive in our ever-changing climate. This job will require a bachelor’s degree in zoology, or if you want to progress further, a Ph.D.

Veterinarian

Having the ability to heal sick animals and keep the health of animals in check is a very rewarding but hard career. You need to be able to deal emotionally with the deaths as well as all the lives you will save. You may work with smaller animals such as cats or dogs, or you can train to work with exotic animals within zoos such as elephants and giraffes. This role comes with a lot of responsibility and many years of training but is well worth the time and energy. Quality Education and Jobs have a list of the top veterinary schools to start your career with the best education possible with the United States.

Dog Handler

If you’d like to help animals as well as the general public, this job can offer you both. A dog handler may help to train police or military dogs that can save lives through chasing down criminals and sniffing out bombs, as well as train guide dogs for the blind. Both dogs are extremely important in keeping the public safe, and you need to have a good relationship with your fellow canine friends to be able to train them. There are many other roles that dogs can take including search and rescue and herding sheep. Becoming a dog handler requires a lot of patience as training dogs can be hard work and can take up a lot of time, but as an animal lover, being paid to spend time with your favorite four legged friends for such a great cause is worth it.

These are just a few of the careers you could pursue if you love animals or want to make a difference for those who require dogs to assist them with everyday living. If you love animals, being paid to work with them could be the career change you have been waiting for.