Animal lovers, particularly those who care for dogs, can find self-employment along those lines, an animal control officer has pointed out.
Benjamin Licorish, an assistant control officer with the Animal Control Unit, was among those taking part in the National Career Showcase organised by the Barbados Association of Guidance Counsellors on Thursday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Licorish said that working with animals offered career possibilities for special services.
“Like grooming or walking dogs, this may not be popular here, but it is catching on.
“If you have a lot of space you can offer services like boarding when the owner is overseas. It is just another option. Instead of trying to seek a career where you have to work for somebody you can create your own thing. If they really love it they can go on into veterinary medicine,” he said.
Some of the young people, he explained, could start their venture early and have a financial boost by the time they were ready to begin college.
The response from the students was very promising, he said, adding that a lot of students were enquiring about the qualifications needed to pursue a career with animals or to get into the Animal Control Unit.
Among those at the career showcse were Graydon Sealy Secondary School students Toni Wharton and Theo Browne.
Wharton said she was still searching out a career but her mind was leaning towards accounting or teaching. The hearing-impaired student said if she did pursue the entrepreneurial line she would open a private school for the deaf or write and publish books for the deaf or disabled.
Browne, who wants to be a doctor, was attending the fair to get more information about that field as well as others that may be of interest.
He has a love for physics and chemistry and is already pursuing sciences at school.
Fifth form student of Ellerslie Secondary School, Klea Rochester, has an interest in accounting and is hoping to get guidance on the right path. She said she was also open to seeing what other jobs were available that suited her personality.
The display by the West Indies Federal Archives Centre attracted the attention of some students who wanted to learn about the uncommon job.
Archivist Halycon Wiltshire showed students how to clean and store items and also some of the insects that commonly destroyed books and other items.
Fifth form student Muaaz Chothia, who has an interest in mechanical engineering, attended the fair to see how he could further his studies.
The Al Fallah Secondary School student said he wass exploring what the Barbados Community College had on offer.
Colleague Abdullah Patel has set his sight on a career involving computer science and electronics. He was seeking guidance on which subjects he should study. (LK)
