My name is Alexandra, I'm 26 years old and since I was the age of 4 I have always known I would be a dolphin trainer!
I decided to follow the lead of a fellow blogger and record my own story about becoming a trainer! Many trainers share their stories only after they have achieved their dream but few share their stories while making it a reality. So in order to help and motivate others here is my adventure so far...
Quick Background:
I was born and raised in New York City and moved to Gainesville Florida when I was 14 years old to attend the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo Program after high school. I graduated the program, which is AMAZING, with an A.S in Zoology and quickly found jobs in veterinary hospitals and boarding facilities since Gainesville does not have a zoo or aquarium.
On December 24th 2010 ,I got married to Devon but instead of having an actual wedding we decided to use that money to move to a location that had a dolphin facility. My husband knows what being a trainer means to me!
I had been trying to decide where to go months before and had ended up with either settling in Atlanta or St. Augustine....
I'm not entirely sure why I chose St. Augustine. My gut instinct and little coincidences, that could be considered silly to most, lead me here. So far I have never been happier!!
Back to 2011
As soon as I found a place in January I went straight to the dolphin facility and began pestering the staff so I could volunteer. Things were a little complicated since they were in the process of joining another facility but in February I got the news that I would be joining their volunteer team!
For now I educate the public and have a blast doing so! I get to meet tourists from all parts of the world and share my enthusiasm for these animals! The best part though is when I get a special interaction with one of the dolphins prior to opening to the public. .
March 2011
3/25: Last Monday I wore a bright red sweatshirt and noticed a calf following my every move. Seeing that I had her attention I ran across the window and then hid behind the wall. We ended up playing hide-and-seek for about 5 minutes, all the while I had
squealed and giggled like a little girl!
squealed and giggled like a little girl!
Unfortunately my giggling didn't last long. That afternoon I met 3 new girls who got hired on to work with the public. Even though I thought I had been doing all that I could with being on top of getting a chance to be hired, constantly asking current employees and looking online, I failed to get the information that jobs would be posted on the facility who bought them, not their original website that was still being used. I've been trying not to feel down but when you want something so bad its hard to keep cool knowing you missed out on an excellent opportunity....
But I shall be patient, I know another chance will come!
From experience I know that the window of opportunity to find employment for zoos and aquariums is VERY small. These facilities get so many people saying "Oh I love animals and this is my dream job!" or "I'm very passionate about dolphins and will work very hard!" and end up with them quitting after a week when they see its not all fun and games. YOU have to show them that you are not just anybody, you know that being a trainer means these animals come first! So feeding, cleaning, medications, cleaning, etc all come before you actually get a chance to spend some personal time with them....and then some more cleaning. But if you are like me and know that working with dolphins, in my case, is all you ever want then scrubbing walls, floors, and buckets will be done with a smile everyday! And so far I've learned its even harder to get noticed at marine mammal facilities so don't give up!
3/26: Today I helped with a festival in Palm Coast. I got to spend some time with the facilities educator and met some wonderful trainers from Bush Gardens who had some really funny stories! Now I'm just preparing for the long workweek ahead....
3/27: This is exactly what I was talking about when I said that everyday day trainers are bombarded with the same statement. And this person isn't even a trainer to begin with! Even though it seems like the majority of these comments are from people under the age of 15 there are still adults with the same mentality.
http://birdhouse.org/blog/2005/02/21/dolphin-trainer/
If you have questions about being a trainer visit dolphintrainer.com!
June 2011
6/10: About a month ago I had an interview with the facility. I was so nervous and excited that my hands wouldn't stop sweating! It was also a group interview which made things 100 times worse. Standing out in a room with seven other people who share the same passion seems impossible. What can you say that the other interviewers haven't said already? After not being called within the first week, I thought I had lost my chance and felt sick . But then today I received a called.
The position is seasonal,very short, and I will be losing my current full time job but this opportunity means so much to me how could I not take it! For whatever the reason a small window of opportunity has opened up for me and if you ever happen to be in the same boat as I am just TAKE IT!!!!!! I will make these next 3 months the best 3 months :) ...
November 2011
11/2: Definitely been a while since I last updated! My 3 months have now turned into 5 and so far no end in sight!!! I have gained so much valuable experience and confidence and have met some of the most amazing trainers! Their passion and energetic personalities has only fueled my determination to get an opportunity to join their team. Some of the things I have always known has been reinforced here, for example the great importance of a positive personality. This can be hard to bring some days since life can interfere and seeing your goal everyday can bring some frustration but fake it till you make it. Besides the impact you have on guests visiting your facility is very important to the animals in your care even if you are not working with them directly!
Oh, and don't forget to swim, swim, swim!! That is something I have been slacking for various reasons but luckily the local YMCA might be able to help me get my flippers back :-)
3/27: This is exactly what I was talking about when I said that everyday day trainers are bombarded with the same statement. And this person isn't even a trainer to begin with! Even though it seems like the majority of these comments are from people under the age of 15 there are still adults with the same mentality.
http://birdhouse.org/blog/2005/02/21/dolphin-trainer/
If you have questions about being a trainer visit dolphintrainer.com!
June 2011
6/10: About a month ago I had an interview with the facility. I was so nervous and excited that my hands wouldn't stop sweating! It was also a group interview which made things 100 times worse. Standing out in a room with seven other people who share the same passion seems impossible. What can you say that the other interviewers haven't said already? After not being called within the first week, I thought I had lost my chance and felt sick . But then today I received a called.
The position is seasonal,very short, and I will be losing my current full time job but this opportunity means so much to me how could I not take it! For whatever the reason a small window of opportunity has opened up for me and if you ever happen to be in the same boat as I am just TAKE IT!!!!!! I will make these next 3 months the best 3 months :) ...
November 2011
11/2: Definitely been a while since I last updated! My 3 months have now turned into 5 and so far no end in sight!!! I have gained so much valuable experience and confidence and have met some of the most amazing trainers! Their passion and energetic personalities has only fueled my determination to get an opportunity to join their team. Some of the things I have always known has been reinforced here, for example the great importance of a positive personality. This can be hard to bring some days since life can interfere and seeing your goal everyday can bring some frustration but fake it till you make it. Besides the impact you have on guests visiting your facility is very important to the animals in your care even if you are not working with them directly!
Oh, and don't forget to swim, swim, swim!! That is something I have been slacking for various reasons but luckily the local YMCA might be able to help me get my flippers back :-)
