BARKS features Sheila S. Blanchette of Heart of Feathers

Changing Career Paths

Dr. Sheryl L. Walker details some of the lessons she has learned throughout the trajectory of her career and why it pays to expect the unexpected

Life is never a straight path. And much to my dismay, when I was 18 and a freshman at Michigan State University (MSU), my lifelong dream of being a veterinarian was completely dismantled: I passed just one point above flunking chemistry in college. I was aiming for either a zoology or prevet med degree but both required several hard science courses, including chemistry, biology and physics.

So, after a very young midlife crisis, or so I thought at that time, I changed my major to psychology. I decided I wanted to be either a child/school psychologist or criminal psychologist. That is, until I traveled to Australia and did an independent study on the communication/ behavioral differences between dingoes and wolves. The animal behavior flame was ignited yet once again, and I took all the animal behavior, animal welfare, and applied anthrozoology courses that I could fit into my last three semesters at MSU.

2006: From East Lansing to Kalamazoo, Michigan Three weeks before graduation, fascinated by my professor’s knowledge and expertise as he talked about indicators of behavioral welfare in chickens, I received a call from a contract research organization in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They invited me to interview for a research technician position in reproductive toxicology working with rats and mice, and within a week, I received an offer.

2007: From Psychology to Behavior Analysis I have always loved learning and loved school. I took a year off formal education and attended my first professional conference. It so happened that Western Michigan University was 20 minutes away and had a behavior program in their psychology department. Before too long, I had begun the adventure of a master’s in behavior analysis. Full time in graduate school. While working full time. While raising a puppy during the last 10 months of my program. Some say I was crazy. I say I was (and still am) goal oriented. It’s all about perspective!

2008: From Research Technician to Quality Assurance Auditor About a year into my master’s, I changed departments and was introduced to the field of quality assurance. I loved it. It catered to my natu

© Sheryl Walker Having taken a somewhat circuitous route, author Dr. Sheryl Walker (right) is now close to applying to be a certified applied animal behaviorist, a goal of 19 years

ral skills of being organized, detail oriented, and in control over my workload. During that time I became a certified registered quality assurance professional – good laboratory practices (RQAPGLP).

2010: From Kalamazoo to Lafayette, Indiana I wasn’t quite satisfied with my formal education, so I started looking for companion animalrelated Ph.D. programs. I contacted Dr. Janet Siegford at MSU to see what type of animal research programs were there –all large animal. Interesting, but my passion was companion animals. She sent me towards Dr. Andrew Luescher, a boardcertified veterinary behaviorist and director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. I emailed him, and within five months, I had accepted a graduate research assistantship in the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at Purdue University.

I spent four and a half years learning how difficult a Ph.D. really was as well as seeing some of the worst of humanity at an open admission animal shelter. Nevertheless, it gave me the chance to combine dogs, shelters, and academic research and I was grateful to be doing what I did.

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2014: What They Don’t Tell You During a Ph.D. Of the 500+ jobs that I applied to I was only asked to interview for a dozen of them. And while to be told that I was “overqualified” was a great compliment for the first few times I heard it, it became classically conditioned to mean “Dear Jane: For whatever reason, the Universe does not want you to have this job.” I spent a year and a half unemployed post graduation. They definitely don’t tell you THAT in a Ph.D. program! And so I took the opportunity to start the Karen Pryor Academy – Dog Training Professional course in 2016.

2017: From Unemployment to Something Completely Different I was tired of the direction my life was going in, so I gave in and tried something new: a staffing agency. Within a few days I was placed with Purdue University’s marketing and media department as an administrative assistant/assistant project manager. I loved it! I learned so much about an industry I knew nothing about, and I completely embraced their work ethic and social culture.

I was also back to being able to pay my own bills again. And for someone who is as independent as I am, that was a huge step for my selfesteem. So much that I eventually took my Uncle Fred’s advice to start my own company, using the skills that I learned during my Ph.D. and utilizing it as a paid hobby. He created the name Wonderful Animal Guidance Services (WAGS), and it stuck. I am now the sole proprietor of my own business, with complete control of where I want to take it.

2018: From Marketing to Institutional Review Board Because I was a temp, there was no way for my job in marketing to be fulltime. Soon I was on the job hunt again, although this time, I only needed to complete a few job applications, instead of 500. I quickly was hired into a human subjects research protection program, where I was a protocol analyst for the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Life brought me back to the world of regulatory compliance. I enjoyed the work responsibilities, but found the work environment somewhat toxic. I felt I deserved better, so I fought for better.

2019: From IRB back to the CRO World I have always been a natural observer with an eye for detail. I applied for a quality assurance auditor position at a local bioanalytical company. I was denied for the position. I was denied for all 20+ jobs that I applied to. I started thinking back to advice that I received from a fellow Ph.D. graduate while we waited in line to walk across the stage: “Take your Ph.D. off your resume. Downplay yourself. It will get you further.”

I was shocked. Wouldn’t you want to boast to the world that you conquered a Ph.D.? Fast forward five years. I took my Ph.D. off my resume so that I wouldn’t look too “overqualified,” applied for the quality assurance auditor position again, and I was hired two days later! It was the biggest salary I’ve made as an adult. I played the game, and I won. 2020: What the Future Looks Like for Me I celebrated my oneyear anniversary last July with one of the best jobs that I’ve ever had. It doesn’t quite have the camaraderie that I had with my people in marketing, but it sure does give my husband and me a little bit of financial freedom.

I am now on the Canine Committee of the Pet Professional Guild, and writing articles for this professional publication. Something that I always wanted to do, but never thought I would be able to with the way my life’s path was taking me. I’m months away from applying to be a certified applied animal behaviorist, a goal that I’ve had for 19 years.

I’m now taking my business, WAGS, in the direction of being proactive and setting families with puppies on a path to success. My sheltering experience taught me that it was too stressful for me. So I’m taking what I learned during my Ph.D. and making it into something that I can call my own. I also am really interested in research, so if anyone out there reading this wants to collaborate with puppy research, please contact me!

Final Thoughts So in closing, here are some parting words. Consider the following: • Where do you want to take your career? Be prepared for something completely different. Something that you may not have ever imagined. Something that may not be related to animals. But it might be the best thing for you and your wellness. • Although I’m an introvert, I would not have gotten where I am today without networking, professional conferences, asking questions, pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, building my resume/curriculum vitae, and letting go of what I thought my life would look like when I was 18. • By talking to people I normally wouldn’t talk to, I have created lifelong friendships and professional connections. • Open yourself up to ALL types of opportunities. Pitfalls are inevitable. Learn from them. • Things often come down to the right timing. If it feels like you’re forcing something, think outside the box and try to understand why. It may not be the right time. • Whether your interests include veterinary medicine, zoology, marine biology, training, behavior consulting, breeding, sheltering, insects, or large/small/companion/wild/exotic animals – wherever you want to take your career, in my experience at least, everything will work out the way it’s supposed to. n

Sheryl L. Walker holds a master’s degree in behavior analysis and a

Ph.D. in animal behavior and sheltering. She also operates WAGS:

Wonderful Animal Guidance Services in Lafayette, Indiana, specializing in puppies. She is currently working toward her Certified Applied

Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) certification, and her current research interests are puppy socialization and training.