Animal Trainers

Skills

People in this career need to:

Communicate

• Express ideas clearly when speaking or writing.
• Listen to others, understand, and ask questions.
• Read and understand written information.

Reason and Problem Solve

• Judge the costs and benefits of a possible action.
• Analyze ideas and use logic to determine their strengths and weaknesses.
• Understand animals by studying and working with them.
• Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong.
• Identify problems and review information. Develop, review, and apply solutions.
• Use reasoning to discover answers to problems.
• Combine several pieces of information and draw conclusions.
• Develop rules or follow guidelines for arranging items.
• Think of new ideas or original and creative ways to solve problems.
• Concentrate and not be distracted while performing a task.

Use Math and Science

• Use math skills to solve problems.

Manage Oneself, People, Time and Things

• Check how well the animal or the animal handler is learning or doing something.
• Manage the time of self and others.
• Decide how to spend money to get the work done and keep track of how the money was used.

Work with People

• Use several methods to teach others how to do something.
• Be aware of others' reactions and change behavior in relation to them.
• Persuade others to approach things differently.
• Look for ways to help people.
• Solve problems by bringing others together to discuss differences.

Work with Things

• Determine the causes of technical problems and find solutions for them.
• Determine the tools and equipment needed to do a job.

Knowledge

People in this career need knowledge in the following areas:

• Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of providing special services to customers based on their needs.
• Sales and Marketing: Knowledge of advertising and selling products and services.
• English Language: Knowledge of the meaning, spelling, and use of the English language.

Interests

People in this career are people who tend to:

• Consider independence important. They like to make decisions and try out ideas on their own. They prefer jobs where they can plan their work with little supervision.
• Consider relationships important. They like to work in a friendly, non-competitive environment. They like to do things for other people. They prefer jobs where they are not pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
• Consider achievement important. They like to see the results of their work and to use their strongest abilities. They like to get a feeling of accomplishment from their work.
• Have realistic interests. They like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like to work with plants, animals, and physical materials such as wood, tools, and machinery. They often prefer to work outside.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education.