Trying to take a new life path

[tank]

So I know that none of you know me personally. But I have decide to have a new path in my life. I have been working in jobs that don't suit me ever since I got out of college. I have my bachelors degree in Fine arts.
I have worked in a pet store medicating and taking care of sick animals (something I enjoyed because I got to work with animals but disliked because it was both a pet store and corporate retail.) I worked in a screen print shop which I liked but didn't get paid as much as I deserved. I worked in tourist retail because I was desperate. And now I work in a do it your self dog wash, which I both love and hate. I won't get into the reasons I hate it, but the reasons I love it is I like having a repeat customer base that I know and that trust me with my advice etc. I get to spend time with dogs all day and get to bring my dog to work with me.

Now, by my background I am an artist. I am really good at fine art but lack the motivation to get stuff done that people would actually buy from me.

I am really good at animal care, although I don't think I have it in me to be a traditional vet (never mind the money to go back to school for something that involved.) I don't want to be a dog trainer. I enjoy training my own dog but don't think I would find it fulfilling to train with other people in their dogs full time.

Now I know that the obvious answer, even without seeing my art is that I should try to get a job in the art business or start my own business selling things I like to make. But, I feel like any of the actual jobs that have felt comfortable for me have had to do with coaching people on proper animal care and having people trust my opinion because I educate myself and care more about animals than I do about "selling products."

I'm thinking that once I quit my current job that I will probably have to find something fast and whatever I can get because of the crappy job market. But I really want to start doing something proactively to help animals whether it is helping educate people or donating my time to giving shelter dogs walks or something. I have heard that actually working at a shelter is a thankless job at first but once moved up the ladder it can be good and rewarding.

My biggest concern right now is that I don't drive although I am working on it.

What I am getting at, is what do you guys think I should do with my life? Should I just volunteer at a shelter or rescue or should I try to get another job in the animal field?

I know I am only going to get my ultimate answer in myself, but I figured enough of you run rescues and volunteer your time that you might have a better look at it than I do. The only volunteering I have done was when I was a youngster I volunteered at a ferret rescue, cleaning up cages and supervising playtime. I really liked that. I really don't mind messy work as long as it actually helps make an animals life better. I have a lot of small animal knowledge, a bit of reptile and fish knowledge and obviously some dog knowledge, but no real substantial cat knowledge.

[RealPitBull]

I think you should try volunteering at a shelter. It can be EXTREMELY rewarding and might satisfy your need to do something to help animals. The right shelter would really value your knowledge and true love of animals. You could also specifically seek to do adoption screens and counseling, in addition to dog walking, training, or something like that.

I've said for a while that I would love to have a full time shelter job. I love shelter work and being around the dogs makes me extremely happy. However, I also know that it is tiring, low-paying (except for a lucky few), the politics SUCK, and it is emotionally draining. If you start volunteering at a shelter that you find you really end up having a problem with (because of the people, how business is conducted, etc), you can just go find another shelter to volunteer at. But if your bread and butter is that shelter, it won't be so easy to pack up and leave, and probably even harder to find another similar job.

Maybe find a shelter with paid employees that you could volunteer with and then eventually get a job with. This way you are testing the waters before jumping in to a full, life-changing commitment.

[andreacassel]

The only draw back to working at a shelter would be getting attached to the animals and then knowing that if they are not adopted they could be euthanized. That is why I never pursued shelter work as a full time job (I just volunteer for "after-hours" work which is normally cleanup and walking). I don't know how well I would handle falling in love with an animal and then knowing that he/she was scheduled to be euthanized Tuesday at 2pm - yah know?? I would either end up with a broken heart or a house full of animals (not that a house full of animals is a bad thing, unless they all get sick at the same time.....)

If I were you I would volunteer - make sure you can seperate your emotions well enough from work to home - before I pursued that career. Unless you have far thicker skin than mine I am just afraid that you will get your heart squashed by the "system".................