Animal behavior experts come from diverse backgrounds, including zoology and veterinary and behavioral medicine. To become a professional behaviorist requires a lot of study and preferably direct experience. The types of studies vary according to the area in which you want to specialize.
Steps
Step 1. Choose a career path
The options are many, for example you can decide to work in the field of applied animal behavior, helping the owners to train their animals. Or, you can work in a zoo, aquarium or wildlife reserve, as well as in animal behavior research institutes. Before deciding, consider whether you prefer to always be in direct contact with animals and their owners, or if you want to work exclusively with animals and other scientists, for example at a research institute.
Step 2. Get a degree
There are many disciplines available to become an expert on animal behavior, including biology, zoology, evolutionary biology, ethology, entomology, anthropology, psychology or veterinary sociology. To find work, in most cases, you need to have a bachelor's degree, as well as a master's or even a PhD. For example, you could study at the faculty of animal science, animal behavioral medicine, or biology. For a more complete training, many decide to also pursue a second level specialist degree, available in various universities.
Step 3. Do an internship
As with all professions, the internship is a great way to have a first approach with the animal field. Some employers also require both a college degree and direct experience with animals in order to hire. There are many facilities where you can work as a volunteer or as a trainee, for example at veterinary clinics, aquariums, zoos and research institutes.
Step 4. Start looking for work early
Don't wait until graduation to look for work. When you have decided on your area of specialization, immediately start looking for structures that may interest you to increase the chances of finding the job you want. Find out about the qualifications required, the type of work that is done in a certain structure and perhaps start with an internship to immediately start gaining experience.
