We've been relaxing in Port Aransas, TX, for about 3 months now. My parents got my brother and I a tutor. She has recently decided that she is too busy to come to us anymore, her reason being that she is very busy. She gave us a project a couple of weeks before her departure, however. The objective: Choose a career you are interested in, and write a 7 paragraph paper on it (However, I'm not sure the conclusion counts as a "paragraph"!) So I wrote mine on the topic below!
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I might be interested in becoming an Animal Curator, or a curator that works for a zoo/aquarium. A curator is the brains of the operation, or at least a section of it. They tend to all of the animals' needs, such as food, health, training, breeding, environment, and even emergencies. Most of the time, curators will need at least a 4 year degree in zoology, biology, or a related field. A master's degree is preferable in those fields, however. Curators are typically available at any time in order to care for their creatures' needs. They may control the whole place, or just a part of it. Curator is only 1 level of progress, though. If they work hard enough, they can officially become the director of the entire workplace! These people might ALREADY practically own the building, but that depends on size and location.
The place you choose to work is key. Choosing a bay or an area near water may contribute to the type of building you have. For example, you may study marine biology if your work is near an ocean, or tropical birds in a rainforest environment. Speaking of environments, you have the ability to upgrade your skills based on what kind of animals you have and your workplace. You may learn how to train dolphins to do backflips, or teach macaws to land on a shoulder. There's no shortage of possibilities in this career choice! Curators are also fortunate enough to be able to choose who they work with. They get to hire the staff for their branch of research. Maybe they'll hire some trainers for the birds, or doctors for the medical department. Surprisingly enough, curators only get paid an average of $53,000 per year. That's not a whole lot for running the show!
Animal curators must have the skills to communicate properly with their coworkers. They have to know how to speak clearly and in a way that their employees will understand. Plus, if they need money, they may need to write a grant. Writing grants takes a lot of effort, and you must make sure that your grammar is proper.
Curators must measure out lots of animals' food daily. They must know how much to feed them, and how much each animal weighs. They must have a medical staff to help them with their animals' dietary needs. For example, a sloth might be 8 pounds over the average weight. The curator must figure out how much to feed that sloth daily to get it back to a healthy weight. Plus, it helps to be able to manage your finances!
Curators will want to be able to help the building grow and succeed, so they will need the skills possible to make good decisions. They may need to decide on a new tank to add in, or something larger like how much money to loan from a bank. Social studies can help people learn about their local landmarks as well. I mean, it doesn't hurt to know your area's history! Curators also need diplomatic skills to make sure their staff is getting along.
For someone to be an animal curator, they must know a lot about animals. They must know tons of biological knowledge about all of the animals they work with. They must know this because in their job, not only will people be asking questions about them, but they have to understand what foods their animals can eat, their breeding habits, the proper people to hire to work with specific animals, etc. They must be prepared to answer any question and deal with most situations.
I'm still fascinated by this career. I love animals, and taking care of them would be cool. I'd have to research quite a bit though!
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Thanks for reading my blog! Stay tuned for semi-usual-not-really-often blogs, coming up sometime in the future!
