TRAINEE LIVING HER DREAM – WORKING WITH ANIMALS

Proud Kamilaroi woman, Kayla Muir, gets to work with animals everyday thanks to her traineeship. Currently completing a Certificate III in Business with electives in Agriculture at The University of Sydney – Camden campus, the traineeship has highlighted the many career options available to her in the Animal Science Industry.

“When I started off, I had high hopes to be a vet but thanks to the traineeship now I know there’s so many other pathways to go down where you can work with animals that is just as a good as a vet!” Said Kayla.

Kayla wasn’t quite sure which career pathway to take after completing school, but all she knew was that she loved animals and wanted to work with them. Her family mostly had trade backgrounds and Kayla wanted to change things up and go in a different direction.

“I think the curiosity of wondering what else is out there really influenced me… to think where I could end up if I really tried. I was a bit nervous to go for It, but I thought to myself, what’s the worst that could happen.

“I saw this job advertised on seek, which is how I found out about AFL SportsReady and I’ve been blabbering my mouth about how good it’s been ever since.”

In her role, Kayla is exposed to a lot of different areas, her day could vary from office work to being out in the fields handling livestock.

“I work in the main vet campus, and I have my little office here with everyone else, so they’ve made me feel right at home. A lot of the work I do is alongside professors, post doctorates, PhD students and honor students, so there are really smart people all around me and I always feel inspired.”

“An average day for me can be behind the desk helping with processing data, watching video observations and photo scoring. I could also be out in the field all-day taking bloods, spinning them in the lab, handling animals, feeding them and doing all sorts of interesting things.”

Camden University has several farms throughout Australia, beef farms in Queensland and dairy farms in NSW. This allows Kayla to get hands-on and learn in these particular fields, which is something she really enjoys.

“It’s definitely different but I feel like once you get comfortable and learn what to do and what not to do its really fun. It’s actually really interesting to not just work with dogs and cats but work with all different animals, they’re all super cute.”

Through her journey Kayla has a strong support system around her to help her achieve her goals.

“I’ve honestly felt so supported  through my traineeship with AFL SportsReady. My lovely mentor Glen is someone I know that I can contact anytime if need and my manager Cameron at the university has inspired me to keep aiming high. He has given me the support and faith that I need to keep pushing on.”

Thanks to her traineeship, Kayla feels confident this is the career path for her. After she completes her traineeship, she aims to continue with study whether that be through Tafe or other education pathways.

When asked what advice she would give to anyone looking at going down this road she said –

“Just take every opportunity on board and do it with a smile, obviously as you start off, you’re not going to get all the jobs you want to do but you will be given more opportunities and more exposure, and this will open up so many amazing avenues for you. A traineeship confirmed this is the industry I want to be in while giving me all the networks, the skills and the knowledge to succeed in my career.”