The First Day Of The Rest Of My Life
Well after a few years of weighing options, considering courses of actions, and discussing plans…
After several months of frantic application procedures (thank you to ALL of you who helped me in this, you know who you are)…
After nearly a month of “holding my breath”…
I GOT ACCEPTED!
As most of you know I’ve wanted to work with animals ever since I can remember. Many of my jobs and most of my education have focused on working with animals. My career goal has long been that of a Zoo keeper or Aquarist.
Over the years I’ve struggled to align the desire to work with animals and the reality that it is really very hard to get into this profession. There have been times when I’d almost given up on my dream, times when I figured that I should just grow up and get a real job. That’s been a temptation, because it would be far easier to make a lot more money doing “regular” work, than it will be to get ANY job in the professional animal care industry.
When Ashley and I moved to Oregon a few years ago, I decided to take a break from my professional pursuit of animal care, in order to reinforce my educational credentials. I will (hopefully, but likely) graduate from Oregon State University with a Bachelor’s degree in General Agriculture. Most of my class work has been focused in the fisheries and wildlife science side of the agricultural spectrum, and while this background does qualify for most public animal care facility’s requirement of a “four year life-science degree” for all applicants, it would most likely leave me at a disadvantage against better qualified applicants. So over the last few years I started thinking seriously about methods for amending my education with more specific training.
I learned about OCCC’s Aquarium Science Program shortly after I moved out here, but at that time I still needed to finish my bachelor’s degree before I could apply for the one-year certificate offered at this school. So last year, as completion of my degree was in sight, I decided to apply.
As some of you know, I applied for the 2010 – 2011 class year at Oregon Coast Community College’s Aquarium Science Program. Today I got accepted.
As Ashley has already pointed out, this means a LOT of changes and BIG things happening for us over the next few years.
But the ball is rolling, it is all really happening!
I’m…a bit emotional about it.
More to come…
After several months of frantic application procedures (thank you to ALL of you who helped me in this, you know who you are)…
After nearly a month of “holding my breath”…
I GOT ACCEPTED!
As most of you know I’ve wanted to work with animals ever since I can remember. Many of my jobs and most of my education have focused on working with animals. My career goal has long been that of a Zoo keeper or Aquarist.
Over the years I’ve struggled to align the desire to work with animals and the reality that it is really very hard to get into this profession. There have been times when I’d almost given up on my dream, times when I figured that I should just grow up and get a real job. That’s been a temptation, because it would be far easier to make a lot more money doing “regular” work, than it will be to get ANY job in the professional animal care industry.
When Ashley and I moved to Oregon a few years ago, I decided to take a break from my professional pursuit of animal care, in order to reinforce my educational credentials. I will (hopefully, but likely) graduate from Oregon State University with a Bachelor’s degree in General Agriculture. Most of my class work has been focused in the fisheries and wildlife science side of the agricultural spectrum, and while this background does qualify for most public animal care facility’s requirement of a “four year life-science degree” for all applicants, it would most likely leave me at a disadvantage against better qualified applicants. So over the last few years I started thinking seriously about methods for amending my education with more specific training.
I learned about OCCC’s Aquarium Science Program shortly after I moved out here, but at that time I still needed to finish my bachelor’s degree before I could apply for the one-year certificate offered at this school. So last year, as completion of my degree was in sight, I decided to apply.
As some of you know, I applied for the 2010 – 2011 class year at Oregon Coast Community College’s Aquarium Science Program. Today I got accepted.
As Ashley has already pointed out, this means a LOT of changes and BIG things happening for us over the next few years.
But the ball is rolling, it is all really happening!
I’m…a bit emotional about it.
More to come…

congrats brian!