I think zookeeper probably encompasses a lot of career paths, though perhaps not under that specific title. Even in veterinary medicine the jobs can vary tremendously. We have a relative who ended up becoming a wildlife vet. Her career included a period of time where she was the director of an international animal foundation, focused on management of an endangered species. She had a very interesting mix of direct animal care and consultation, speaking/lecture engagements, policy work, etc. It involved a lot of travel, to multiple continents. She also worked as a high-level government employee for a period of time, primarily involved in policy and management of wildlife. We also have an acquaintance who ended up studying animal behavior- he’s currently a graduate student studying primates.
I also wanted to mention that a lot of labs can involve field work. The one my DD worked with was in environmental engineering, and there was a lot of field work involved (jiust not in my DD’s case). She is considering an earth science term that involves primarily fieldwork western Canada and the US, as well as some alternative emergy-related work in South Africa. There are a lot of interesting alternative energy-related opportunities in Germany, as well.
I guess the point I was trying to make is that exposure to less-traditional careers and pathways can be eye-opening. I didn’t mean to be suggesting science olympiad (our kids also hate the competition, and only manage to do well out of a huge sense of responsibility to their teammates). But I wanted to point out that it broadened their sights, and showed them possibilities. It also helped them to see the mentors and adults working and volunteering in all sorts of fields. And it taught them to persue and learn about opportunities themselves, independently.
Our kids sound similar in that school did not engage mine, either. The work was fairly rote, most of it, and often seemed to have little practical relevance. It was important motivationally for my kids to find outlets that preserved their love of learning and fueled their curiosity. However you can do that, I think it might help your DD get through the slog that is competitive high school today, and focus on the exciting opportunities that can come afterwards.
And one last random thought- any interest in architecture? I don’t know much about it, but the skill set seems like it might overlap with your DDs.
