Aquarium Careers

[Jay Hemdal]

This thread is for the general discussion of the Article Aquarium Careers. Please add to the discussion here.

 

[A+Aquatics]

@Jay Hemdal -

I am looking forward to checking out your publication. I've placed it on order just this evening.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

@Jay Hemdal -

I am looking forward to checking out your publication. I've placed it on order just this evening.

Hi, not sure what you mean "place it on order" - the full PDF is available to the right of the post, you can download the full book and read it for free.

Thanks,

Jay

 

[ichthyogeek]

A good read. Although as somebody actively in the job hunt for aquarium related jobs, it's always harder in practice than in theory.

 

[ichthyogeek]

Just want to throw this out there: a lot of the open "entry level" positions for Aquarist I's at public aquaria that I have found (research time: June-November 2020) still call for prior experience (usually around 2 years) at AZA accredited facilities, and from talking to others in the job hunt, sometimes they won't count internships or volunteerships as such experience. So...¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . Also there's talk about basically needing to network your way into those positions (I assume from direct internships/volunteerships at the specific facility)....

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Just want to throw this out there: a lot of the open "entry level" positions for Aquarist I's at public aquaria that I have found (research time: June-November 2020) still call for prior experience (usually around 2 years) at AZA accredited facilities, and from talking to others in the job hunt, sometimes they won't count internships or volunteerships as such experience. So...¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . Also there's talk about basically needing to network your way into those positions (I assume from direct internships/volunteerships at the specific facility)....

That has been an issue for as long as I've been in the business. What I did was write a couple of aquarium magazine articles and added copies to my resume. Still, it took me five years to land my first aquarium job, and then, only because the curator was also a writer.

There are, what people might call call, "starter aquariums". You go to work for one of those for two years and then you apply for a job at an AZA facility. Examples of "starter aquariums" might include Bass Pro Shops, Rainforest Cafes, even perhaps the Miami Seaquarium. You'll likely need to work two jobs, as these starter jobs don't pay well, and some are not even full time, but paid aquarium experience is what you need to have.

Jay

 

[ichthyogeek]

Wait, so Bass Pro and Rainforest Cafe are AZA accredited facilities?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

No, sorry if it wasn’t clear, I’m suggesting people starting out to “pay their dues” by working at a smaller non-AZA facility first, in order to get the needed work experience. Doing that puts you ahead of other people who just have internships or volunteer hours.

Jay

 

[Sallstrom]

Thanks @Jay Hemdal for posting this article!

A fun read for someone working at a public aquarium

 

[A+Aquatics]

Hi, not sure what you mean "place it on order" - the full PDF is available to the right of the post, you can download the full book and read it for free.

Thanks,

Jay

Mr. Hemdal,

I was suggesting that I was ordering your published work. DLing a free PDF doesn’t necessarily support your work or your furthering of the hobby with your literary additions.

It arrived today. Along with an additional aquaponics addition to our ever growing aquatics library. Looking forward to diving in.

 

[Jeffcb]

I had an aquarium service years ago back when we had phone books. Remember the Yellow Pages?
Red Lobster called me and wanted me to service there Lobster Tanks. I at least went and looked at them. No I said. NO!

 

[biophilia]

Thank you so much for this wonderful resource Jay. I'm just starting out in the industry (part time aquarist at a public aquarium) and found a lot of great advice in your book!

I got my foot in the door by volunteering for a year and a half at the aquarium at which I'm currently employed. My advice for anyone going that route is to treat it like a paid job. Show that you can be relied upon, and understand that it'll take some time, require quite of bit of unpaid labor, and likely still be a gamble.

In my case, I think the fact that I continually asked around to see if there were other things I could help with while volunteering allowed me to gain a more diverse range of experience than some of the other volunteers there. That, in turn, meant significantly less training invested on their end when they offered me the position (which in the age of covid and all of the associated budget cuts is a pretty good selling point).

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Mr. Hemdal,

I was suggesting that I was ordering your published work. DLing a free PDF doesn’t necessarily support your work or your furthering of the hobby with your literary additions.

It arrived today. Along with an additional aquaponics addition to our ever growing aquatics library. Looking forward to diving in.

Well, thank you very much, I appreciate that! I just thought you had missed the PDF link.
Jay

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I had an aquarium service years ago back when we had phone books. Remember the Yellow Pages?
Red Lobster called me and wanted me to service there Lobster Tanks. I at least went and looked at them. No I said. NO!

But - what if they paid you in cheddar bay biscuits!
Iay

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thank you so much for this wonderful resource Jay. I'm just starting out in the industry (part time aquarist at a public aquarium) and found a lot of great advice in your book!

I got my foot in the door by volunteering for a year and a half at the aquarium at which I'm currently employed. My advice for anyone going that route is to treat it like a paid job. Show that you can be relied upon, and understand that it'll take some time, require quite of bit of unpaid labor, and likely still be a gamble.

In my case, I think the fact that I continually asked around to see if there were other things I could help with while volunteering allowed me to gain a more diverse range of experience than some of the other volunteers there. That, in turn, meant significantly less training invested on their end when they offered me the position (which in the age of covid and all of the associated budget cuts is a pretty good selling point).

We often hire our own volunteers and interns as they are more of a “known quantity”. Volunteers from another facility are a bit less desirable, since we don’t know how many hours they actually worked, etc. paid aquarium experience always counts the most.
Jay

 

[Josh@BVA]

this is great. I look forward to reading up on more of your work. Its always amazed me how many hoops one has to jump thru to get even just the prerequisites for a job like this.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

this is great. I look forward to reading up on more of your work. Its always amazed me how many hoops one has to jump thru to get even just the prerequisites for a job like this.

Yeah - and then there is the high pay for these jobs (grin).

Jay