Careers Creating Social Change
Careers changing laws, modifying behavior, or affecting culture are among the most dramatic as well as diverse animal-related professions. Careers creating social change include fields like
- Activism - Learn how The HSUS Factory Farming Campaign works to ease the suffering of billions of farm animals. The campaign uses a range of strategies such as corporate outreach, grassroots advocacy, and legal and legislative challenges.
- Legal, ethical or legislative careers
- Careers in international policy that may require global travel and proficiency in several languages, as well as understanding of many nations' legal systems, trade policies, and the requirements of international wildlife treaties.
- Learn about the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) an international cooperation to safeguard certain species from over-exploitation in international trade
- Human services professionals who work with human clients in areas such as social work, psychology, child protective services.
- People in these areas may be interested in learning about the connection between animal cruelty and human violence (consider taking the HSU online course First Strike: Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence)
- Teachers and other careers in education
- Learn more about humane education and environmental education
- Learn more about the use of animals in education - The HSUS offers a wide variety of information for teachers and students pertaining to dissection and the use of animals in education.
Get Involved!
See how you can get involved at the HSUS Take Action page
Learn about The HSUS Government Affairs department's activities. High school students and younger, learn about the Dissection Campaign Packet and the need to replace the practice of killing and cutting up animals for education with effective, humane alternatives Attend the Taking Action for Animals Conference designed to motivate, skill, and inspire activists nationwide Consider an internship helping farm animals with Farm Sanctuary Sirch, Willow Ann. 2000. Careers with Animals. Fulcrum. (Part Six: Specialty Careers). Jackson, Donna. 2000. The Wildlife Detectives: How Forensic Scientists Fight Crimes Against Nature. Houghton Mifflin. Francione, Gary. 1995. Animals, Property,and the Law. Temple University Press. Listen and Learn. Balcombe, Jonathan, PhD. 2000. The Use of Animals in Higher Education: Problems, Alternatives, and Recommendations. Humane Society Press. Check the news for animal-related law and policy conflicts.
Suggested Readings and Activities to Learn More
Listen to an archived NPR interview with noted animal rights attorney, Steven Wise, about his book Rattling the Cage: Towards Legal Rights for Animals (Perseus Books, 2001).