Day Nineteen

If you've been reading this and going, "Oh my gosh. This is amazing! How do I get an internship like yours? Can it be at the Center?"

The answer is: Yes, it can!

Let me go in detail.

Last summer, I was laying on the floor of my apartment (it's been good, 601-5. It's been good) doing some genetics homework or something. You see, I was taking a genetics class because it was required to graduate. I had heard it was very difficult and wanted to take it during the summer, when I had no other classes to worry about.

Of course, I started procrastinating. I went on Facebook and scrolled through my timeline to read the posts I had made in the past. I saw a post about when I got the zoo internship, and started reading the comments (lots of "Lions, tigers, and bears oh my!" comments. These get old). My friend Liz, who was one of the first interns at the Center, congratulated me and told me to consider an internship at the Conservator's Center.

Naturally, because I was a sophomore (it literally means "wise fool"), I didn't think much of it, or I thought I had plenty of time to apply.

Then junior year started. Organic chemistry, physics, ecology, and my internship consumed my life.

At the end of my junior year, during my three weeks course in genetics, I came across my Facebook post. And I got excited.

And even though it was June and the summer internship had already started, I e-mailed Janine and asked if it was too early to apply for next summer (meaning: this summer). She responded almost immediately (read: the next business day. Still pretty good turnaround!) saying that, no, it wasn't too early. It would never be too early.

So I applied. Then forgot about it.

Heh, isn't that how it goes?

I got an e-mail from Janine in December inviting me to a work interview. They are typically done in February, but since I lived approximately 700 miles from North Carolina nine months out of the year, she asked me for my earliest available time. I made it just a couple days after the New Year, and off we went.

The work interview was basically a typical morning at the Center. I showed up, signed a waiver (this only happens once), and got to work checking chickens and learning how to sort through meat. I then got to go around with Carolyn, Thomas, and other volunteers in the large compound feeding and cleaning. At the end, I met with Janine for a brief casual interview before she sent me home.

If you apply and get called for an interview, trust me. Don't stress out too much. Do work, listen to the keepers, don't get out of sight and you'll be fine.

From my understanding, the internship gets more and more competitive each year, as it should. So how does someone make himself the best candidate for the internship?

I can't answer that 100%, but I can make some suggestions.

• Have some sort of experience with animals. It doesn't have to be with exotics - we had an intern this session who worked at a veterinary hospital. Volunteer at an animal shelter, work with your local vet.
• Be willing to try. Throughout my work interview, Thomas always told me I didn't have to do something if I didn't want to. If I didn't want to go in and pick up poop, I didn't have to. I didn't have to help prep chickens. However, I did. I think that was an attribute they were willing to consider. Yes, I'm grossed out by many things. But, I do try to get over it and do my best anyway. 
• Work well with others. 
• Ask questions. The keepers, volunteers, everyone at the Center loves it when people ask questions instead of making assumptions. During my interview, I was continuously asking Thomas the human, "How do I tell the difference between Thomas and Ra Lions? Why do they get skinned chicken? Why does Mufasa get a turkey and not a chicken? What is that serval doing?"
• Be honest. Seriously. Don't say you love to pick up lion poop when, truly, it makes you want to cry. If you don't want to prep chickens, speak up. Say, "I'm not comfortable doing that." Don't say you love working with computers when you actually hate it and are applying for an IT job.

The thing is: if you, at any time, tell someone at the facility that you do not want to pick up poop or touch a chicken, you will not be considered. Cleaning and preparing food is an integral part of this operation, and if you do not want to do either, you are missing out on a major part. This internship isn't all sunshine and butterflies and playing with tigers. As illustrated on this blog, there are some grisly aspects, and you have to do these to enjoy the animals.

Still interested? Hungry for more information? Here you go. Good luck!