We were lucky to catch up with Shannon DiRuzzo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shannon, appreciate you joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

I am trained as a veterinarian and started working at a traditional small animal practice in Alaska. After 1 year I knew that I would not be able to thrive and be content in this type of structure. So I quit my job and started Alaska Veterinary Relief Services, where clinic owners would fly me all over the state to run their clinic while they were away. I got to see alot of the state, that I would have been able to see or experience in my previous position.

I got bored with that after about 5 mostly because I wanted to improve my surgery skill and see more exotics. So I accepted a position at a great 5 doctor clinic that also provided the vet care for the Alaska Zoo.

Five years later I was sone with the Alaska weather working in clinics and in the middle of a recession, I quit my dependable job with benefits, got in my camper and got a job in the Mojave Desert with desert tortoise.

I met my husband and founder of Turtle Island at my first job in the desert. I presently live in Austria, am the vet for our Turtle Island Centers and seasonally work in the desert usually for the marines at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. My desire to care for animals as well as my desire for change and a non traditional life are fulfilled. Don’t be afraid to change. Sometimes the backdrop has to change for a positive outcome to occur.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

After working as a small animal and zoo veterinarian in Alaska for over 10 years, Shannon joined Turtle Island. Since 2011, she has been busy working for Turtle Island and various other international turtle conservation projects combining veterinary medicine with the conservation of nature, further supporting her lifelong engagement in the protection and pursuit of wellbeing for all animals.

She is also a desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) conservation biologist for solar energy projects and the US military in California and Nevada.

In 2018, she founded and is the President of Turtle Island Corporation, a U.S.A. based nonprofit with 501(c)(3) status. She is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Amphibian- und Reptilienkrankheiten (AG ARK) and Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde (DGHT).

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

I am trained as a veterinarian and started working at a traditional small animal practice in Alaska. After 1 year I knew that I would not be able to thrive and be content in this type of structure. So I quit my job and started Alaska Veterinary Relief Services, where clinic owners would fly me all over the state to run their clinic while they were away. I got to see alot of the state, that I would have been able to see or experience in my previous position.

I got bored with that after about 5 mostly because I wanted to improve my surgery skill and see more exotics. So I accepted a position at a great 5 doctor clinic that also provided the vet care for the Alaska Zoo.

Five years later I was sone with the Alaska weather working in clinics and in the middle of a recession, I quit my dependable job with benefits, got in my camper and got a job in the Mojave Desert with desert tortoise.

I met my husband and founder of Turtle Island at my first job in the desert. I presently live in Austria, am the vet for our Turtle Island Centers and seasonally work in the desert usually for the marines at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. My desire to care for animals as well as my desire for change and a non traditional life are fulfilled. Don’t be afraid to change. Sometimes the backdrop has to change for a positive outcome to occur.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

Yes, I have been able to create the life I wanted and change many times with the same professional training. You just have to seek out your options and be creative.

Contact Info:

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