One of the more frequent questions I receive from potential, new, and long term vegans
alike, is what to do about employment.
How do you find a vegan job?
What if your current place of employment conflicts with your values?
Well today I’ll give you some basic pointers and a boatload of additional resources on
the blog post, so you can stop working for The Man and start working for The...
Vegan…Man…
Hi it's Emily from Bite Size Vegan and welcome to another vegan nugget.
Going vegan usually sparks a growing awareness of the rather astounding number of ways in
which our species exploits other beings and our planet.
As the vast majority of the world is not vegan, it stands to reason that the vast majority
of employment options involve not-so-vegan-friendly elements.
From the blatantly obvious, like being a server at a steak house, or vivisector in a research
lab, to the more subtle, like a sales rep for products tested on animals, or barista
at a coffee shop.
For most people, immediately quitting their job upon going vegan without any alternative
in place is not feasible, nor prudent.
However, the idea of continuing on in an exploitative vocation is unthinkable.
Before we jump in, let me just say preemptively: to any concerns or questions about whether
any job or human activity can be 100% vegan or totally free of any form of exploitation,
please see the videos linked in the description, which delve into that issue.
When looking for a vegan job, there are an infinite number of possibilities, though it
may not seem that way initially.
One of the first things to determine is your area of interest.
What is it you want to do?
Of course if you’re looking to get out of your current job as fast as possible, apply
for every vegan option you can find and take whatever comes first.
Then you can start fleshing out your long-term goals.
Do you want to be your own boss?
Are you interested in nonprofit work?
Do you want to work directly with animals?
With people?
Do you have a location requirement or are you willing to move?
Do you want to work remotely online?
What is your skill set?
As a side note, the availability of location-dependent jobs will of course vary greatly depending
on your location and ability to commute.
You can always look up employment assistance centers and organizations specific to your
area and country.
Writing down your goals ideals can be helpful in narrowing your search and knowing where
to start.
One of the most basic jumping off points are job search websites.
You can even search mainstream job posting websites with “vegan” as a keyword.
I have included a list of these on the blog post.
Additionally, there’s a fantastic website by Vegan Mainstream called the Vegan Job Board.
Another approach is to check out the websites of existing vegan companies, organizations
and nonprofits.
Most will have a section for employment opportunities.
Some common examples are: vegan publications, restaurants and cafes, retail companies, farm
sanctuaries, activist organizations, educational nonprofits, and more.
One important thing to remember is that vegans are needed in all areas of employment—just
like vegans come from all walks of life and have wide variation in their diets, vegan
jobs are also infinitely broad.
Maybe you are a web designer and decide to work with an activist organization on their
website.
Perhaps you’re in the financial sector and decide to help other vegans find investments
that align with their values.
Maybe you’re in law school or already a lawyer and decide to transition to animal
law.
Or want to work in another capacity in the animal law sector.
Additionally, while many vocations, as within medicine and nutrition, have an existing anti-vegan
bias or may be rife with misinformation, that’s all the more reason for more vegans to enter
those fields!
So don’t limit yourself with any preconceptions of what a vegan job is supposed to be.
Finally, there’s always the option to set out on your own path.
Maybe what you want to do doesn’t exist anywhere.
Maybe you want to start your own business, found a nonprofit, work as a freelancer in
any number of fields.
This can be an incredibly rewarding path to take, though it does require with a great
deal of commitment, persistence, and risk.
I personally quit medical school to go full time with Bite Size Vegan.
It was an incredibly uncharacteristic move on my part, and was simultaneously the best
and most terrifying decision I’ve ever made.
And thanks to my Nugget Army of patrons who support my work, I’ve been able to continue
and grow Bite Size Vegan to the point where I’m now working on building my own team.
If you do want to set out on your own but aren’t able or don’t want to just take
a flying leap, you can always use the time you have off from your current job to start
pursuing and building what it is you really want to do.
I hope that this has been helpful.
Please refer to the blog post linked below for links to job postings and search engines
as well as other helpful guides from Vegan Mainstream, The Vegan Woman, Our Hen House
and more.
Be sure to subscribe to the channel and enable notifications for more fresh vegan content
every week.
If you liked this video, do give it thumbs up and share it around to help others find
their calling.
To help support the work of Bite Size Vegan, please see the support links below or click
on the Nugget Army icon or the link in the sidebar.
Now go live vegan, get a job, and I’ll see you soon.
And now I prepare myself for the onslaught of “YouTube is not a real job” comments.
I get it.