wildlife-conservationist:

wheremyscalesslither:

thelazypetowner:

why-animals-do-the-thing:

zookeeperproblems:

Looking for an enthusiastic person to join our team! We need someone with…

• The expertise of a curator
• The experience of a manager
• The knowledge of a scientific researcher
• The flexible schedule of a recent college grad

Must have all of the above, plus:

• The salary expectations of an intern

This is, unfortunately, pretty darn true. Like any non-profit field, the zoo world isn’t great about compensating employees appropriately for their time / labor / and expertise, but what’s I find truly frustrating about it is that rather than acknowledging that fact, most zoo folk end up talking about forced austerity like it’s an indicator of moral purity. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say, literally, that ‘you don’t work in a zoo for the money! that’s what second jobs are for.’ Wanting to be paid a living wage to work full-time in a keeper position at a zoo is something that’s considered almost inappropriate by the general industry – to the point that bringing it up is sometimes considered an indicator that you’re ‘not dedicated enough’ to the field. 

When I interned at the zoo, I was literally told I should find another career (by a colleague). Not because of anything about that specific zoo or its staff, but because it’s incredibly stressful to work a job like that for the pay you get. My cousin worked as a carnivore keeper for years, but she got a different job as a soccer coach or substitute teacher (or something like that), and it paid more than her years at the zoo.

All of this is also 100% true, and I was warned about these things if I decided to go down that career path.

I was a zoo educator for nearly 10 years. I poured my heart and soul into educating the children and adults about the perils our ecosystems face, the danger that causes us, and how we have the power to change it all for the better.

I was a strong public advocate against climate change, and believed zoos had the power to save species. I still do.

For nearly a decade my life was spent at the zoo, first as an on call staff for YEARS which meant that i came in when they needed me which was frequently an odd schedule that varied weekly. One Monday id have to be there at 7 am and the next 5 pm. I might have a Tuesday and Wednesday off then have to do an 8 hr shift on Thursday and Friday. Slow season frequently meant no work for at least a month at a time.

I put up with it because i believed this was my career path, and every zoo professional said i needed to get experience in any way i can. So on-call was better than nothing, right?

4 years later i was “upgraded” to part time. No, not promoted. They didnt use that language. At this point in my life, im supposed to be getting my degree and finishing college, so the extra income was exciting.

College came and went and im begging for more hours. I cant support myself solo, i cant afford to move out of state for a new zoo job. A loyal employee of the zoo for what… 7 years now and they still keep me suffocating. And my hours are still wonky. I cant find a second job that wont interfere with my zoo life. Administration tells me im the best- an asset to the zoo- really valuable to the department. Their actions dont match their words.

I beg again for hours and the administration tells me legally they cant give me more than 29.5 hours a week as an average for the whole year, or theyd be forced to give me a health care plan. But thats too expensive.

I get diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. Expensive specialist trips happen. I miss work. I give up on ever getting health care from my literal dream job.

Fast forward to this year. New HR is hired, sees these abscences from past illness, and a few times depression nearly killed me this year, and decides its unacceptable. They yank all my regular hours. Im on call again. Commanded to only show up when im ordered, and leave immediately after. Im not on call for long, i give my 2 weeks the same night.

My boss replies “im sorry this had to happen, youre the best we have on the team and we will miss you”

I cry. A lot. I feel guilty for leaving. I feel ashamed for losing my dream job. And i am judged by the zoo employees for not being able to “suffer through it” like they did to get their jobs. Im weak to them because i didnt hold out. They had to hold out, its a rite of passage for any zoo employee. Suffer for the love of your job.

A month later im invited for a job interview at the high school i attended. I am offered a part time student-teacher postion. 35 hours a week. Health care, dental, and a retirement plan provided. They unexpectedly bump up my hours and give me a full time job anyway, because i am a valuable asset to the team and im really good at my job.

And the kicker?

I make over 2x as much money working as a teacher than i ever earned working at a zoo for almost a decade.

Same. Recently got out of the wildlife rehab and animal care industry. I got sick of working two jobs after 5 years. Now I make enough money to care for myself and own animals, while still having a meaningful job I love in environmental science.

aniplamo:

newtypestring:

dude really brought a gun to a mecha fight

Someone had to put the gun in Gundam

titleknown:

titleknown:

Fun fact, every time time some dipshit with a social science degree and zero knowlege of comics history says that superheroes are inherently reactionary, if you listen closely. you can hear the sounds of Shotaro Ishinomori and Jack Kirby rolling in their fucking graves…

Also, given that these types like all superheroes fit under the “What if there was one cop and they were also God” mold, that’s a pretty clear sign that their knowlege of superheroes as a genre basically begins and ends at the Nolan Batman Films and the Marvel movies,

ISN’T THAT RIGHT BRETT?!