Careers With Animals: How to Choose the Right Path

By Chris Gaglardi
| Last Updated September 4, 2026

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Wanting to work with animals is a good starting point. It is not, by itself, a career plan.

The useful question is what kind of work you want to do around animals. You could provide medical care, train dogs, groom pets, care for animals in shelters or kennels, enforce animal-control laws, tend livestock, conduct research, or study wildlife. Those paths can require anything from no formal educational credential to a professional veterinary degree.

They also differ sharply in pay, job availability, public interaction, schedule, physical demands, and how much time you actually spend handling animals. A job can sound perfect because it involves dogs or wildlife and still be a miserable fit if you hate client conflict, laboratory work, outdoor conditions, or years of college.

This guide compares the major U.S. animal-career paths using current Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data from May 2025 and employment projections for 2025 to 2035. Then it helps you narrow the field by education, income goals, work setting, and daily reality.

Animal Careers at a Glance: Pay, Education, and Outlook

This table uses national occupation-level data, not job-board salary estimates. Median pay is the point where half of workers in an occupation earn more and half earn less. It is not a starting salary. Annual openings include replacement needs as well as newly created jobs.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics and 2025-35 Employment Projections. BLS combines some niche titles inside broader occupations, so a groomer, zookeeper, kennel attendant, or laboratory animal worker may not have a separate national median.

What jumps out from the numbers?

• The highest-paying paths generally require the most schooling. Veterinarians have by far the highest median in this group, but entering the profession requires a veterinary medical degree and state licensure.
• High animal contact does not automatically mean high pay. Animal caretakers have the strongest growth rate in this table and lots of openings, but a $35,360 median.
• A small occupation can have respectable pay and still be hard to enter. Animal scientists have only about 3,400 jobs in the 2025 BLS employment base. Zoologists and wildlife biologists have about 19,500.
• Annual openings are not the same thing as new jobs. Many openings come from workers changing occupations or leaving the labor force. For example, BLS projects about 62,800 animal-caretaker openings per year even though the occupation is projected to add about 44,100 jobs over the full decade.

Start With the Kind of Animal Work You Actually Want

The biggest mistake in choosing an animal career is starting with a species instead of the work. Loving dogs does not tell you whether you would rather monitor anesthesia, clip coats, teach owners, clean kennels, or study behavior data.

Veterinary Careers: Three Very Different Education Levels

Veterinary medicine is one career family, but the training commitments inside it are wildly different. A veterinary assistant can enter with a high school diploma and on-the-job training. A veterinary technician usually needs a two-year veterinary technology program plus whatever credentialing the state requires. A veterinarian needs a professional veterinary degree and a state license.

Veterinary assistant

Veterinary assistants handle routine animal care and support veterinary teams. Depending on the workplace, that may include feeding and exercising animals, cleaning and disinfecting cages and work areas, sterilizing equipment, restraining animals during examinations, and helping with routine procedures.

BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent and short-term on-the-job training as the typical entry path. Formal veterinary-assistant training can still be useful, but it is not a national legal requirement. NAVTA's Approved Veterinary Assistant (AVA) designation is a voluntary credential tied to NAVTA-approved training programs.

Veterinary technician and veterinary technologist

Veterinary technicians and technologists do clinical work such as medical testing, laboratory procedures, radiography, and anesthesia-related tasks under veterinary supervision. BLS combines the two titles in one occupation. Technicians usually complete a two-year associate degree, while technologists usually complete a four-year bachelor's degree.

Credentialing is jurisdiction-specific. Most jurisdictions use the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) and require graduation from an accredited program, but the American Association of Veterinary State Boards also documents on-the-job-training and alternate eligibility pathways in some jurisdictions. That means the safest rule is simple: check the veterinary board requirements where you intend to work before choosing a program.

If this is the part of animal care that interests you most, compare the roles in our vet assistant vs. vet tech guide, then explore veterinary technician and assistant training options.

Veterinarian

Veterinarians diagnose and treat animals, prescribe medication, perform surgery, advise owners, and may work in companion-animal clinics, food-animal practice, public health, research, or other settings. BLS reports a 2025 median wage of $130,100 and 9 percent projected employment growth from 2025 to 2035.

The education commitment is substantial. Veterinarians earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or equivalent professional degree from an accredited veterinary college and must meet state licensing requirements. Veterinary programs generally take four years after the required college-level prerequisites. Many applicants already hold bachelor's degrees, but describing the path as universally "four years of college plus four years of vet school" is too rigid because admissions prerequisites vary.

Pet Care, Grooming, and Animal Training

If your goal is maximum day-to-day contact with pets and a relatively short path into the workforce, companion-animal services deserve a serious look. Just do not confuse easy entry with easy work.

Animal caretaker

Animal caretakers feed, exercise, clean, monitor, and provide basic care for animals. BLS uses this broad occupation for workers in settings such as kennels, shelters, zoos, stables, pet stores, veterinary establishments, and animal shelters. Pet sitters and some specialized care titles also fall within the broader animal-care landscape.

With a $35,360 national median, animal caretaking is not a high-paying occupation overall. Its advantages are accessibility and opportunity: BLS projects 12 percent growth and about 62,800 openings per year from 2025 to 2035.

Pet groomer

Grooming is more specialized than general caretaking, but BLS does not publish a separate national groomer wage. Groomers are generally included in the animal-caretaker occupation, so a precise "average groomer salary" pulled from that occupational median would be misleading.

Training is not nationally standardized. Some groomers learn on the job, while others complete private or vocational programs. The practical questions are whether training includes supervised handling, bathing and coat care, safe use of tools, animal behavior and stress signals, sanitation, and enough hands-on practice to become employable. If you want to compare animal-care training categories rather than a single career, start with our animal care schools and career training guide.

Animal trainer

Animal trainers teach animals to respond to commands, adjust behavior, or perform specific tasks. The work can involve dogs, horses, service animals, or other species. BLS reports a $39,990 median and 4 percent projected growth. The 2025 Employment Projections data also show that about 39 percent of animal trainers are self-employed, which makes business development and client communication unusually important in this field.

There is no single national license for companion-animal trainers. Employers and clients may value experience, apprenticeships, or voluntary certifications. If canine training is your target, our dog training career and school guide goes deeper into that path.

Shelter, Rescue, Welfare, and Animal Control Careers

People who want to "help animals" often picture rescue work, but this family includes two very different kinds of jobs: direct shelter care and public-protection/enforcement work.

Shelter and rescue animal care

Many shelter workers who feed animals, clean housing areas, assist with intake, monitor behavior, and support adoptions fit within BLS's animal-caretaker occupation. The work can provide constant animal contact, but it also involves cleaning, lifting, noise, distressed animals, adopters, surrendered pets, and sometimes euthanasia.

Job titles such as adoption counselor, rescue coordinator, or shelter attendant vary by organization. National wage data generally do not isolate every title, so local employer requirements matter more than a made-up national salary for each variation.

Animal control worker

Animal control workers handle animals for investigations of mistreatment and for control of abandoned, dangerous, or unattended animals. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent plus moderate-term on-the-job training as typical. The May 2025 median wage is $45,660, with about 1,500 annual openings projected over 2025 to 2035.

Actual hiring standards vary by city, county, or agency. Some jobs emphasize field capture and shelter transport; others add code enforcement, investigations, court documentation, or public education. "Animal cruelty investigator" is better understood as a local job function within animal-control, humane-law-enforcement, or related investigative work than as one nationally standardized occupation with its own BLS salary.

Livestock, Equine, Animal Science, and Research Careers

There is a huge difference between loving horses and wanting a career in commercial animal agriculture. This is the part of the animal-care universe where romantic expectations collide hardest with production schedules, weather, machinery, biosecurity, and the economics of food and livestock.

Horse and equine jobs also do not map to one national occupation. Depending on the actual duties, an equine worker might be classified as an animal trainer, animal caretaker, animal breeder, farmworker, veterinarian, or another occupation. That makes a single national "equine career salary" a lousy number to build a decision around.

Farm and ranch animal worker

BLS's occupation for farmworkers who tend farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals includes workers who feed, water, herd, handle, and monitor animals and may maintain related facilities and equipment. The typical entry level is no formal educational credential plus short-term on-the-job training.

The 2025 median is $36,670. Employment is projected to decline about 3 percent through 2035, but BLS still projects roughly 26,600 openings per year because large occupations need replacement workers even when total employment shrinks.

Animal breeder

Animal breeders select and breed animals according to genealogy, characteristics, and offspring. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical entry education, a $51,130 median wage, and about 1,000 annual openings. The occupation is small, with about 6,900 jobs in the 2025 projections base.

Specific breeding businesses can have additional federal, state, or local rules depending on species, activity, and business model. Treat those as location-specific compliance questions, not a universal credential attached to the occupation.

Animal scientist

Animal science is much more agricultural than many prospective students expect. BLS describes animal scientists as researchers who typically study livestock, including genetics, nutrition, reproduction, disease, growth, and ways to improve production of meat, poultry, eggs, and milk.

The occupation typically requires a bachelor's degree, has a $68,940 median, and is projected to grow 6 percent. But it is tiny compared with pet-care occupations: BLS lists only about 3,400 animal-scientist jobs in 2025 and roughly 200 openings per year. Advanced research roles may require graduate education.

If what appeals to you is the biology rather than the agricultural-production focus, compare this path with careers you can pursue with biology training before committing to a major.

Laboratory animal caretaker

Laboratory animal care is a distinct setting even though BLS combines laboratory animal caretakers with veterinary assistants in SOC 31-9096. The overall occupation has a $38,150 median, but the May 2025 industry median for workers in scientific research and development services is $49,230. That is an industry-specific figure, not a guaranteed salary for every laboratory animal worker.

Research facilities may use the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) certification ladder, which progresses through ALAT, LAT, and LATG. Those are voluntary professional certifications built around education plus documented laboratory-animal experience and exams. They are not veterinary licenses. This path can fit people who like structured husbandry, research protocols, biosecurity, and less customer-facing work.

Wildlife, Zoo, and Marine Careers

Wildlife careers are real, but this is where listicles most often make a small labor market look like a giant one. Titles such as zookeeper, wildlife rehabilitator, aquarist, marine-animal trainer, conservation officer, and wildlife biologist do not all share the same education, employer base, or wage classification.

Zoologist or wildlife biologist

BLS reports a $76,780 median for zoologists and wildlife biologists, with a bachelor's degree as the typical entry education. The occupation is projected to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,400 openings per year. The employment base is only about 19,500 jobs nationwide, and BLS notes that demand may be limited by government budget constraints.

Zookeepers and other captive-wildlife care roles

BLS does not publish a standalone national zookeeper wage. Zookeepers are generally included within the broader animal-caretaker occupation, while individual zoo employers set their own education and experience requirements. That is a good example of why a broad occupational median and a specific job title should not be treated as identical.

Fish and game wardens

Fish and game wardens are law-enforcement professionals, not general wildlife caretakers. BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry education, a 2025 median wage of $74,060, and a small employment base of about 6,200. Employment is projected to decline about 6 percent through 2035, with roughly 500 annual openings.

If wildlife is your main goal, do not cram your decision into this broad page. Our wildlife careers guide goes deeper into conservation, zoology, rehabilitation, enforcement, and related paths.

Which Careers With Animals Pay Well?

If pay is a major constraint, the data point toward a fairly simple tradeoff: higher animal-care earnings often come with more education, more technical responsibility, or both.

• Veterinarian: $130,100 median. Highest by a large margin, but it requires professional veterinary education and licensure.
• Zoologist or wildlife biologist: $76,780 median. Bachelor's degree typical, with a relatively small labor market.
• Animal scientist: $68,940 median. Bachelor's degree typical, and the work is primarily agricultural/research oriented.
• Animal breeder: $51,130 median. A shorter formal education path on paper, but a very small occupation whose jobs are concentrated in breeding and agricultural settings.
• Veterinary technician/technologist: $47,380 median. Among the clearest animal-health paths with a typical associate-degree entry point.

Be careful with self-employed career claims. Trainers, groomers, sitters, and other independent pet-service operators can earn more or less than payroll workers depending on pricing, market demand, hours, overhead, and business skill. BLS occupational wage estimates generally do not capture self-employed earnings the same way they capture employee wages, so a single national figure cannot tell you what a successful local business owner will make.

Animal Careers Without a Four-Year Degree

If you want a faster entry path, you have more choices than "veterinarian or nothing." Current BLS education categories put several major animal occupations below the bachelor's level:

• No formal educational credential: Farmworkers who tend farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals.
• High school diploma or equivalent: Animal caretakers, animal trainers, veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers, animal control workers, and animal breeders.
• Associate degree: Veterinary technologists and technicians as a combined BLS occupation, with technicians typically following the two-year route.

"No degree required" does not mean training is useless. Vocational programs can help people build practical skills in areas such as veterinary assisting, grooming, and animal training. But those programs should be evaluated on what employers and regulators actually require. Do not pay for a credential because a school page makes it sound mandatory when the occupation itself is unlicensed.

Once you know the work family you want, compare animal-care training options and then verify the specific employer or state requirements for that occupation.

Reality Check: Working With Animals Is Still Work

Animal careers can be meaningful, but the good parts are usually packaged with less photogenic responsibilities. Before you commit to training, make sure you are okay with the whole job.

• You may work with people almost as much as animals. Veterinary teams deal with worried owners. Trainers coach clients. Shelter workers support adopters and people surrendering pets. Animal-control workers may meet people during stressful or adversarial situations.
• Animals can hurt you. Bites, scratches, kicks, lifting injuries, and difficult restraint are real occupational hazards. BLS specifically notes injury risk in veterinary technology, veterinary assisting, animal care, and agricultural work.
• The schedule may be ugly. Animals need care on weekends and holidays. BLS notes that veterinary technicians and assistants may work evenings, weekends, or holidays. Caretaking and agricultural work can also require irregular or seasonal schedules.
• Some work is emotionally hard. Veterinary and shelter environments can involve abused, badly injured, seriously ill, or euthanized animals. Caring about animals does not make that easier.
• Wildlife and research jobs may involve less handling than you imagine. Data collection, paperwork, lab procedures, ecological analysis, biosecurity, and field observation can be a larger part of the job than touching animals.
• Low barriers to entry can mean lower wages. Accessible animal-care roles often have modest national medians. That does not make them bad jobs, but it should be part of your financial plan.

Five Questions to Answer Before You Choose Training

1. Which animals do you actually want to work around? Companion pets, livestock, horses, laboratory animals, captive wildlife, and wild populations lead to very different industries.
2. What do you want to do for them? Medical care, basic husbandry, grooming, training, enforcement, research, and conservation require different skills and temperaments.
3. How much education are you willing to complete? Decide whether your realistic ceiling is on-the-job training, a short program, an associate degree, a bachelor's degree, or professional school.
4. What income and job-market size do you need? A $76,780 median is less useful if the occupation is tiny and you are unwilling to relocate. A lower-paying occupation with tens of thousands of annual openings may be easier to enter.
5. Which hard parts can you live with? Be honest about blood, smells, cleaning, aggressive animals, distressed owners, outdoor work, euthanasia, public conflict, weekends, and physical strain.

Once you can answer those five questions, the phrase "I want to work with animals" becomes an actual shortlist instead of a mood.

Frequently Asked Questions About Animal Careers

What jobs with animals do not require a degree?

Animal caretakers, animal trainers, veterinary assistants, animal control workers, animal breeders, and many farm-animal workers can be entered without a four-year degree. Requirements vary by employer and location, and some workers complete optional vocational training or certification.

What animal careers pay well?

Among the occupations compared here, veterinarians have the highest national median at $130,100. Zoologists and wildlife biologists have a $76,780 median, and animal scientists have a $68,940 median. Those higher-paying careers typically require at least a bachelor's degree, and veterinary medicine requires professional education and licensure.

What is the difference between a veterinary assistant and a veterinary technician?

Veterinary assistants typically enter with a high school diploma and short-term on-the-job training. Veterinary technicians typically complete a two-year veterinary technology program and must meet state credentialing requirements. The legal scope and credential title vary by jurisdiction, so check your state veterinary board before enrolling.

Do I need a degree to work with animals?

No. Animal careers span every education level, from farm-animal jobs with no formal educational credential to doctoral veterinary medicine. The best training level depends on whether you want husbandry, training, clinical medicine, science, agriculture, or wildlife work.

Which animal jobs have the most annual openings?

Among the occupations in the comparison table, animal caretakers lead with about 62,800 projected annual openings, followed by farmworkers who tend farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals at about 26,600 and veterinary assistants/laboratory animal caretakers at about 23,200. These are average annual openings projected for 2025 to 2035 and include replacement needs, not just new jobs.

Are wildlife careers hard to get into?

Many are. Zoologists and wildlife biologists have a relatively small employment base of about 19,500 jobs, and many wildlife occupations require a bachelor's degree plus relevant field experience. Zookeeping and specialized marine roles can also attract lots of applicants even when the number of positions is limited.

Sources

Labor statistics and credential information were checked against current primary sources on September 4, 2026.

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational projections and worker characteristics, 2025-35
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
• BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Veterinarians
• BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
• BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers
• BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Animal Care and Service Workers
• BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Agricultural and Food Scientists
• BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Agricultural Workers
• BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
• American Association of Veterinary State Boards: VTNE application pathways
• National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America: Approved Veterinary Assistant program
• American Association for Laboratory Animal Science: ALAT and technician certification pathway

Turn Your Shortlist Into a Training Plan

If you have narrowed your interest to hands-on animal care, veterinary support, grooming, training, or related programs, explore our animal care schools and training guide. Compare the credential employers expect, how much supervised practice the program includes, and whether any state credentialing rules apply before you enroll.