This is a partnered post with Kronos and Find Your Influence. All opinions are my own.
“Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life.” I’ve had several jobs over the years and this statement hits home. If I enjoyed the job I looked forward to work. Of course we all have our off days and times we would rather be somewhere else, but most of the time I woke up ready to jump out of bed and start the day. The not-so- fun jobs? Eh. How many times could I hit snooze before I had to force myself to climb out of bed? Last month I found a new site, 1inonehundredmillion, dedicated to telling the stories of ordinary people in the workforce who love their jobs. Each month, Kronos, the producers, feature a new video sharing a personal story. Some of the jobs are “ordinary,” like a Firefighter and a teacher. Others are more exotic, like the story of Royce, the Alligator Wrangler.
This month’s story focuses on Jenny Theuman, a zookeeper at Cosley Zoo. Jenny’s personality and passion for her job shines through in her 4 1/2 minute video interview. As a child, Jenny struggled in school and didn’t want to pursue higher education. She found herself in a culinary arts career, which “didn’t strike a passion with her.” She decided to enroll in college and talked to her adviser of her love for animals. He shared with her the careers she might be interested in pursuing, including zookeeper. Her reaction, “People get paid for that?” made me laugh.
After falling in love with the job during an internship at a local zoo, she began to pursue her career in earnest. She received a master’s in zoo administration through a partnership program with Association of Zoos & Aquariums and, 13 year later, has never regretted her decision. Jenny says people are often surprised by the amount of science involved with her job and often fields questions (and accidentally monopolizes conversations) when she shares her daily activities with others. How does a zookeeper spend the day? “Eating, cleaning, training, enrichment, repeat! The day isn’t over until everything is finished,” Jenny says with a laugh.
The best parts of her job are the fact she never stops learning something new and watching others making an emotional connection with the animals. What does it take to be a good zookeeper? Jenny sums it up with this statement, “To be a good zookeeper you need a sense of humor, the ability to be a good problem solver, a desire to learn, and to own good pair of boots.” Zookeeping is a competitive field, but Jenny’s administrators say, “She is the epitome of a dedicated worker. This is a way of life for her and not a job.”
Want to share the passion of seeing people pursue the careers they love? You can subscribe to Krono’s 1in100Million #WorkForceStories Video Series. While I haven’t decided to become an alligator wrangler, it’s fun to see the enthusiasm the employees in the videos share.
What is your dream job?
I have had two jobs that I love. One of these was teaching and the other is blogging.
I think my kids would love to feed the donkeys on your farm! You can forget the alligator wrangler! Too scary for my taste!
What an awesome advisor! I’m so glad Jenny found her dream job. I am not quite to mine, but I am definitely well on my way.
I think it is always exciting when you can find a job that you love rather than sitting on one that came through under various circumstances. I run my own my Business which gives immense pleasure & am just loving my job.
An alligator wrangler? Um, no thanks! My dream job would be to work with animals!
I feel very fortunate. I have actually really enjoyed all of the jobs I have ever had and am currently doing my dream job.
What a great program. My dream job would be the manager of the New York Yankees!
My dream job was always an ultrasound tech. But, now? It’s being a blogger. I wouldn’t change my job for anything in the world. It’s rewarding and I get to stay home, so its perfect.
Love these stories.
I’ve had a career in TV, then now a career as a blogger & freelancer. Now my outspoken 5 year old has told us he wants to become an actor!
It is so important to like the job you are doing. It is amazing when you are able to do your dream job. I am working on that right now.
Being able to make an emotional connection with the animals really is nice. I always love to hear when that is encouraged. House full of animal lovers over here. 🙂
I am doing my dream job. I am a mom, wife, and blogger. It is perfect!
I think it’s very important to have a career / job that you enjoy doing. Makes all the difference in the world to wake up and want to go to work!
Interesting site…my husband just read a book on discovering your “working identity.”
I love what I do also, working full-time blogging and other fun posting stuff!
There so many things I enjoy I don’t think I have a dream job. Fascinating to learn about others’ job though especially this one!
Oh boy, this is a hard one. I really don’t know what my “dream job” is, not even at the age of 35. I don’t dread the job that I currently hold but I’m not sure it is my “DREAM job.” I’m going to have to think on this one. Either way, a cool idea that could be very inspirational. I need to check into this more.
That sounds like a lot of fun. I would love to share that with my children. It’s good to see a variety of options are out there, and seeing a positive attitude towards work.
What a great concept! I love hearing about other people’s outside of the box jobs!
It’s always been my aim to have a job that I love. Life is so much better that way.
I love my job and I wouldn’t change anything. It feels great when you find the the job that you really love to do.
I think it’s always nice to find people who truly love and adore their jobs. I can say, now, that I love my job and wouldn’t change anything!
I love this story. I love how the advisor helped her figure out a career that she’d love. When I was in college the advisors were more concerned with pushing us toward careers that would make the school look good.
Often times, I see that advisors do indeed push you towards careers that will make the school look better. It’s always nice to find an advisor who is more concerned with your likes and interests.
I love when people find their passion and think – wait, I get to get paid to do this too? That’s so wonderful, sometimes it’s best to find what you’re passionate about because you tend to put more energy and time into it and naturally excel in it!
I actually LOVE my job. Being my own boss, being creative, and getting to have amazing experiences is more than I could hope for.
It’s great that Jenny was able to find a job she loved. Royce really has quite the job too! It’s cool that they are highlighting all sorts of jobs!
OMG, A gator wrestler?! NOT my dream job! 😉 I’m living a blessed life being able to work from home with my kids. It’s perfect for me.
This is such a neat idea. It is fun seeing and learning about other job’s. In my dream job I would be a professional bowler.
I’m living my dream job, and I feel so blessed. Most people can’t say that. I’m a full time blogger, and I love it!
What an awesome idea! I’m going to check out their site – although I don’t think I’ll become an alligator wrangler either!