She Wants To Quit Her Dream Job As A Zookeeper, Because She Always Smells Disgusting, But She Feels Guilty Since Her Friend Helped Her Land The Role
When this 24-year-old woman was about halfway through college, she thought she had finally found her calling.
She first entered university without any real idea of what she wanted to do with her life. But then, she attended a guest talk by a zookeeper, and a lightbulb went off. All of a sudden, she felt a big urge to become a zookeeper, too.
“Talking to them and thinking about it more, I thought I finally found something I could be happy doing with my life,” she recalled.
At that point in her college career, however, it was too late for her to switch majors. Plus, she had already accepted a different kind of internship that summer.
She also realized that the zoo field was extremely competitive, so she knew it would be tough to land a zookeeper job and would likely require some internships following graduation.
Eventually, though, she met a friend after inquiring about the profession. And while her friend was not a zookeeper, they were acquaintances with one.
So, her friend wound up being extremely helpful, and they became super close. First, she got put in touch with a farmyard animal rescue for an internship after graduation. That way, she would be able to build up experience on her resume.
Then, after graduation, she was even allowed to live with her friend for free– while getting financial help for her expenses and food– until she landed her first zookeeper job!
Anyway, through her friend’s assistance and all of her hard work, she eventually received an offer from a very large accredited zoo– the exact same one her friend’s connection works at.
Ekaterina Pokrovsky – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Since starting her dream job about four months ago, however, things have taken a turn, and she no longer believes she is cut out for zookeeping.
First of all, the zoo apparently has her working with seals and penguins.
“And I was excited at first and wondered why more experienced keepers would leave those roles open for a newcomer,” she explained.
“I soon found out why.”
After work, she often finds fish scales everywhere– from in her hair, clothes, boots, and pockets to random places she didn’t even realize were possible.
Plus, the fish scale stench has invaded her life, making her car, house, and everything she owns stink.
So, for her, the hard work and low pay really are not the problem with her new job. In fact, she actually expected all of that and learned to work in those conditions during her farm internship.
Instead, she actually just feels as though her love of animals has been changed by her new career.
“Like I’ve grown to be resentful of the animals I work with for ruining my life, even though I care about them and would hate to quit and never see them again,” she revealed.
“I don’t know… when I see how all the other keepers never complain and seem to love the animals unconditionally, it makes me wonder if I don’t belong here.”
She also never anticipated just how much feeling gross all the time would take a toll on her mental health. And she is sick and tired of hearing from other zookeepers about their tips and tricks for removing the odor.
Instead, she claimed to have tried them all– with no successful results. Plus, the zookeepers who try to provide her with strategies for removing the stench also still stink. And she knows she does, too.
That’s why she now feels like she wants to leave zookeeping behind and pursue a different profession.
However, the idea of going through such a huge change has also made her feel guilty.
“Both for the animals and because my friend sacrificed and helped a lot to get me here,” she vented.
So, she’s been left wondering whether quitting her dream job and throwing all of that hard work out the window would make her a real jerk or not.
Does she have a right to change career paths, even after receiving help from people along the way? Even so, is four months enough time to figure out if she really doesn’t like being a zookeeper? Or does it take more time to get acclimated and find your footing in a new role? What advice would you give her?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
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