I'm 17&need a part-time job.How would I go about getting a job at a day-care or animal shelter?

Question

First,i've never worked before.I'm tired of going after what people call "c**p jobs"(McDonald's,kroger,wal-mart,etc) and getting no results.So I obviously need to expand my horizon.I like helping kids and I do love little animals,but I have no formal training in child care or animal care.Also,I don't get out of school til 3:05 and aren't most day-cares closed by like 5 or 6?That wouldn't be very many hours.Any ideas?

By the way,I don't know anybody that works in child care who could help me get a job at one of these places.

I do have interest in child care.I want to either be a nurse that handles newborn babies or a children's dental hygienist.

Answer 1

Working with kids is a big hassle.  Not the kids themselves, but getting a job with kids can take a long time, and as an after-school job, it's not worth it.  You have to go through so much documentation, fingerprinting too, and I personally wouldn't bother.  Especially if it'd only be for a couple hours a day.  

Animal shelters (at least in my area) typically don't hire anyone under 18, they only accept volunteers that young.  And even people who are 18 need some kind of training to work with animals, otherwise they're given a job in the shelter office.

I'm pretty much in the exact same position as you, and have only found volunteer opportunities for working with animals.  If you wouldn't mind all the work of getting a day-care job, and only getting about 20 bucks a day, then go for it.  

A lot of schools have after school day-care programs, so first try them and see if they have any openings.  I'd imagine that a school would be very sympathetic to a high school student looking for a part-time job.  

Answer 2

At 17, you won't be hired by a daycare or animal shelter.  You need training for jobs like that.

Don't look down on fast food job.  My best friend paid her way through nursing school working at Taco Bell.  She has a nursing degree, but she still works at the Bell because the hours are better, the stress is lower and she makes more $ than she would as a starting nurse. (She worked her way up to district manager)