Читать книгу Careers with Dogs - Kim Campbell Thornton - Страница 24

Reading books and magazines and surfing the Web are useful for acquiring background information, but there’s nothing like talking to people who work in a field. This is the best way to learn how to become established in a given career and what’s actually involved in a job on a day-to-day basis, and it will help you develop and refine your career goals.

Set up what’s known as an “information interview” with people in your desired field. It will probably be easy to find people who work in your hometown or nearby as animal-control officers, dog trainers, groomers, or veterinarians. Look in the phone book or talk to the people who care for your pets. Professional organizations, such as the National Dog Groomers Association, the American Pet Products Association, the Pet Care Services Association, and the Public Relations Society of America, can also help you find people in pet-related jobs. The Occupational Outlook Handbook lists organizations as resources for different careers, so look for leads there.

Once you’ve identified someone in the field, call to make an appointment to speak to that person by phone or at his or her place of business. Explain that you are not seeking a job interview but would like to learn more about the field as a possible career. Some busy people may prefer to answer your questions by e-mail, so be sure to give them that option.

For a phone call or personal meeting, write your questions down in advance, be on time, and take good notes. Don’t forget to send a thank-you note afterward. Such a gesture of courtesy can pay off when you need a reference for a college or graduate-school application or for an apprenticeship. Even if you just speak casually to your veterinarian, groomer, or another pet professional about his or her job, be sure to thank that person.

Try to talk to more than one person in a given field. For instance, if you want to be a dog groomer, speak to one who owns his or her own business, one who works for a veterinarian or a pet-supply store, and one who runs a mobile grooming van or do-it-yourself dog wash. If you are interviewing veterinarians, talk to a general-practice one and an emergency-room one as well as a couple with specialty practices in fields such as cardiology or dentistry. If you’re interested in a career in pet products, interview the owner of a pet boutique and the manager of a pet-supply superstore.

If you’re not sure where your interests lie, do as many different information interviews as you can. Think, too, about where you’d like to live, the lifestyle you want, what salary you need, and what type of organization you’d like to work for. These factors affect such decisions as where you choose to go to school or apply for a job. As you review interview notes and compare them with notes about career desires and skills, knowledge, and needs, you’ll start to develop a picture of what career to pursue.