Do you dream of a career in animal health? Whatever your expertise, if you love animals, there’s a place for you. Animal health companies need people with all kinds of skills, from IT to finance. They even need lawyers!
Here’s a sample of what you can do in the animal health industry without an animal health or veterinary degree.
Talk to the Animals
Experts in communication, writing, or the liberal arts? Apply for jobs in sales, marketing or customer relations, or in advertising agencies that specialize in the animal health industry. The industry needs your ability to explain, educate and inspire employees, customers, and the general public.
Tech is ‘IT’ for Animals
Apps are where it’s at in animal health these days. Precision farming is one of the fastest growing areas in the industry, as is the market for pet apps. If your cat’s name is Full-stack and you know how to code, an animal health technology company could be a great home. And with technology so important to every business these days, plenty of animal health companies need IT support: from enterprise software to global communications technology, they use it all.
Root, STEM and Branch
Science is critical to animal health. The animal health industry needs many types of scientists: biologists, pharmacists and chemists are at the heart of researching and developing new products. Many post-docs find their first job in the animal health industry and stay for their entire career. Pharmacists, engineers and environmental experts work in manufacturing and quality, producing life-saving and life-improving products for the animals we all love.
Physicians, nurses and other human medical professionals who want to branch out to other species can become excellent study monitors, trial coordinators and even marketing experts.
Lawyers are not our black sheep
Legal eagles can build comfortable nests in the animal health industry too. Corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and regulatory affairs teams are all homes for lawyers who want to work in animal health. Companies need your expertise, your attention to the fine print, and your ability to spot potential issues.
Counting heads and tails
If your expertise is in marketing, economics, finance or logistics, there’s a barn for you in animal health too. Depending on your background, you might enjoy being in sales or marketing. Here you can work directly with veterinary staff, pet owners or farmers, or work in a B2B environment. For example, large animal nutrition companies often sell ingredients to other companies, which then incorporate them into feeds sold to farmers.
In a global business like animal health, supply chains often cross national boundaries. Join a company in the US and you could find yourself working with colleagues everywhere from Nebraska to the Netherlands as you help get products to animals and their people.
If you’re a finance whiz, animal health companies need accountants and business analysts to count their chickens and make sure their eggs are in the right baskets.
Room in the barn for everyone
Whether you work in Human Resources, Finance, Administration or Packaging Design, there’s an animal health company looking for you. In animal health, you can build a career in one area, or broaden your knowledge of the industry. One major advantage of animal health compared to many other industries is how easy it can be to move between functions. You might start off in administration, move to customer relations, and then move to quality or marketing. It’s up to you!
Share your animal personality
Whatever your background, the animal health industry has a comfortable den with your name on it. Highlight your animal experiences and interests when applying for jobs in the industry. It’s not just about working with veterinarians or at zoos. Showing sheep, taking your dog through agility training and teaching your pet iguana to walk on a leash or do tricks all show your passion for animal health. The animal health industry is built on a love of animals. If you share that love, your skills will be welcome.
Learn more about applying for jobs in animal health at our sister site, Animal Health Jobs. Post your resume, register for job alerts, and check out our recent blog posts on finding the best jobs in animal health.
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