Yeah, in the US a vast majority of the people working in the animal care industry are young, single, right out of college. The pay is ok for that life style. As time moves on, many change careers due to stress, long hours, low pay and it not being what they had imagined growing up. You either move up the chain of command or move on with time. Don't get me wrong - it's a great life if you are truely driven to work with aquatic animals. I just want to cover both sides of the issue. Alot of people like to only see the 'up side' of it without taking everything into account.
Most places over here will start entry level pay at anywhere from $7-9 per hour. If you want to make a lot of money in life, it's not the best first step. If you want to make a differece with animals, it's a great first step. I started off as a wildlife volunteer in high school. I had a low paying fish job while in college. I watched 90% of the people I work with leave the industry over the years. Over the years I had learn how to budget very well to make ends meet. Jump ahead a couple of decades to today - in the last month I filmed for Nat Geo, talked with ABC news, been in the water with sharks almost daily and have been able to help a lot of people start into career that have lead to some of the biggest and best public aquarium jobs you can find (my last one just started at GA Aquarium this week). I love what I do, and that is why I do it. The negatives don't outweigh the postives of sticking with it day in and day out. There are plenty of times when I don't get to see my family for extended periods. And to be honest, there are times when I wish I was there when I can't be. I'm blessed with a family that shares my passion for aquatic life, so they understand that animals don't operate on human time. Animals don't undertand weekends, holidays, over time, etc... we are there to take care of them 24 hours a day 7 days a week - no matter what.
Most places over here will start entry level pay at anywhere from $7-9 per hour. If you want to make a lot of money in life, it's not the best first step. If you want to make a differece with animals, it's a great first step. I started off as a wildlife volunteer in high school. I had a low paying fish job while in college. I watched 90% of the people I work with leave the industry over the years. Over the years I had learn how to budget very well to make ends meet. Jump ahead a couple of decades to today - in the last month I filmed for Nat Geo, talked with ABC news, been in the water with sharks almost daily and have been able to help a lot of people start into career that have lead to some of the biggest and best public aquarium jobs you can find (my last one just started at GA Aquarium this week). I love what I do, and that is why I do it. The negatives don't outweigh the postives of sticking with it day in and day out. There are plenty of times when I don't get to see my family for extended periods. And to be honest, there are times when I wish I was there when I can't be. I'm blessed with a family that shares my passion for aquatic life, so they understand that animals don't operate on human time. Animals don't undertand weekends, holidays, over time, etc... we are there to take care of them 24 hours a day 7 days a week - no matter what.
i really dont know what to do . especially since i spent the last 10 years or so , argueing with my parents to let me become what i wanted . i would love to spend time with animals and all that isn't my worry . i can live on a decent pay . but what iam worried about is ending up with debts i cant pay off , a family that might break up , kids that i can't afford to pay for , a house that i cant build , electricity bills and such . these things are really worrying me 
