I want a job at the aquarium, any info or help please

S

spooledup

New member
Hello I am in the middle of trying to figure out what I want to do in life career wise. I have though long and hard and I feel my best bet is to get in with the city of ABQ. I wish I could go back to school but bills at the moment keep me from being able to do that. I would love to work for the ABQ aquarium and wanted to see if anybody here might have advice for me. BTW I am 24 years old.

I know getting in with the city is very difficult and I know many of the jobs at the aquarium would require a degree. I have about 3 years of college, 95% core done and some of my business core done. I lost interest and moved to ABQ after realizing I did not want to be in the business field.

Does anybody know the best way to get my foot in the door at the ABQ aquarium? Again any information or help is appreciated.

Thanks

Cisco
 
Work for free. The best way to get your foot in the door is to volunteer.

I could be wrong but I dont think the Aquarium is run by the City.
 
I was told several weeks ago that there are still two temp jobs open there....all you have to do is get certified for scuba after starting there...Heres the downside you only get $8/hr..not even enough to survive in this economy..Temps work for two years then their contracts get finished and they cant work there for 3 months..At that point the city decides if they want hire you..Unfortunately due to budget cuts they are short handed..

Although I have heard some interesting rumors . I cannot tell you on here as my source is confidential.. pm me if you are really interested..I have several contacts there so I usually know the scoop..

Eric
 
i was going to apply... just send your resume to the aquarium Manager (Holly Casman), after 12 month probation you'll get 17.50 + full benefits!
trust me i had to do the research, the reasons i dont work there is no scuba cert., equipment, and i drive a 425 caddilac and live in rio rancho (ouch!)
 
Uh yeah Rio.. this is not really the case..the temp jobs are $8/ hr and they are hiring 2-3 or so..as a temp you have to work 2 full years ..then you are laid off for at least 3 months..You might be hired after that...To work as an Aquarist 9099 you are a city employee..have to usually meet criteria either minnimum assoc. degree..bs preferred..or experience interchanged for this..You do not need to be diver cert. but will have to become certified within a time frame..after six months on probation(standard for any city employee) them you become an aquarist.. You do not need equipment..I guess you are really trying to make this sound easy to get in..you should be experienced and only a few of these positions come up every once in a while..two positions were posted unfortunatel they close today..
 
believe me reign.... i know salt/fresh, ive done my fair share of working at a couple of LFS, a aquarium would be great. plus i worked for the city as a c/o you can beat that time frame if your a good worker. it is easy for the right person, dont kill someones dream.
 
Wow so I guess anyone who works at a LFS should apply to the aquarium since they are so qualified as rio pointed out.. LOL... O and ya temp jobs are 8/ HR as Reign pointed out.. not your 17.50 as you claim.. I did a behind the scenes tour of the aquarium and they did mention things about a degree.. Just because you worked for the city before dont mean that you can "beat the time frame" as you point out.. Dont mean to "Kill your dream" But it sounds like to me my friend you need to research things a bit more. I highly doubt that since you "worked at your fair share of LFS" they are gonna be like oooo your perfect for the job!!! Also as I remember when I talked to them on the tour they said temps dont dive.. They CLEAN..
 
Wow ..this has gotten heated..I was just stating the facts of this situation and yes rio ..you dont need to have a degree to work there that is why experience is interchangeable..I was not "killing somones dream"..I was trying to help someone get the CORRECT information so they can fulfill their dream and know what to expect..I have personally known 3 individuals who worked as temps for the time and still were not hired there ( one actually had a marine science degree, was hired and shortly thereafter let go)..There are politics that surround this and the city does follow a budget..get in as a temp do your time see what happens...TO be a full fledged city employee and classifed is a little harder..I know and have known several aquarists there for years..My suggestion is put an application in and see what happens..
 
Its been a busy past few weeks for me. But I did get a chance to visit the aquarium and I talked to one of the workers. They did not give me much info and I am still in the same position. I really would like to work there but I cant survive off $8 an hour. If anybody has an information on how I might be able to get past that I would be very grateful. I could handle low pay for the normal 6 month period like the other city jobs. Also I am scared to put in three years making very little and not being sure If I will even pay off in the end. I want to get the ball rolling to retirement. Again any info helps.

Cisco
 
Did you apply for the city position in time? It was open for only a short time and closed this last friday. If not it could take a while..
 
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