14 Vegan Job and Career Path Ideas

For most of my life I have lacked passion.

Sustained motivation and a feeling of any real purpose.

There were things I liked, but it never felt like any of those mattered on a real scale.

Until I went vegan.

Once you do that, I think most find passion in trying to live a more compassionate life, and hopefully rubbing off on those around them.

You can do that when working at most jobs, but wouldn’t it be nice if you could have a more direct impact on saving the lives of animals (and the planet)?

I’m going to go over 14 viable jobs that I think are perfect for vegans who feel this way.

We’ll start with entry level and “easier” jobs to get, and work our way up to harder ones.

1. Be a Vegan Grocer

More and more vegan stores are popping up, especially in big cities.

If those don’t exist, look into working for health food stores, which typically consist of mostly vegan products and groceries.

2. Work at a Vegan Restaurant

Being a vegan chef is just one option (although culinary school for a vegan is tough).

Even if you can’t cook, there are plenty of restaurant jobs available.

Vegan restaurants are way more common than vegan grocery stores, and can provide anything from a good entry level job (hosting, waiting, etc.) to higher paying jobs like managing.

It’s also a good way to learn the industry if you think you might want to open your own restaurant one day.

3. Work in Vegan Retail

When most people think of veganism, they only think of food.

But there’s another big part as well – clothing.

If you need an entry level job, consider working in a retail store that sells mostly or all vegan clothing.

4. Social Media Marketing for Vegan Businesses

Almost all businesses hire marketers.

Vegan businesses in particular hire a lot more social media marketers and managers than any other specialty.

This is due to vegans being younger, and both vegan products and activism being social issues that are captured best through media.

It doesn’t necessarily pay a lot, but if you’ve spent years on Twitter/Instagram etc., it’s a good job that doesn’t require much experience.

5. Be a Brand Ambassador for Vegan Businesses

Look at any job board and you’ll regularly see postings looking for brand ambassadors.

These jobs basically entail attending events and clubs and promoting a product.

Personally I’d hate doing that, but if you’re more extroverted, it’s a good entry level job that can pay well.

6. Work at an Animal Sanctuary

This is a dream job for many vegans, but unfortunately doesn’t pay so well.

However, if you’re young and don’t mind getting dirty, I can’t think of many jobs that are more rewarding and actually fun.

Look for job postings at any local animal sanctuaries or rescue centers. It might take some time, so be persistent.

7. Vegan Cooking and Baking

Since there are so many vegan restaurants opening up, there’s high demand for trained vegan chefs. Likewise for vegan bakeries and bakers.

Now these are “careers” that take years of training, but if you think you might like it, it’s a career path with a bright and growing future.

Note that you’ll probably have to relocate to a biggish city if you’re not already there.

8. Be an Artist

This is probably the hardest career path to pursue.

But if you have artistic talent (music, photography, painting, etc.), don’t necessarily abandon your dreams, as they can tie into veganism quite easily.

The right picture or lyrics can have a profound impact on individuals and groups of people, and you can spend some (or all) of your effort on work that points people towards veganism.

9. Vegan Event Planning

With more vegans every year, there are more people that want to throw vegan events (company events, weddings, etc.).

Most would prefer to hire event planners that specialize in vegan events, and those are starting to pop up more frequently now.

These companies need to hire people, and as a vegan you’re a prime candidate:

Again, this is a great way to learn about event planning and potentially open up your own shop one day.

And since you’re vegan yourself, it will be easy to cater for other vegans.

10. Become a Vegan Politician

While it might seem weird at first, politicians wield a lot of influence.

People like Al Gore and Bill Clinton are both vegans, but it unfortunately happened after they were in politics.

Politicians are both looked up to, and can influence legislature around climate change, animal rights, and public health, all which could involve veganism.

11. Found Your Own Vegan Business

This is my goal one day, I just don’t know what it will be yet.

VegFaqs is a sort of mini-business that provides a side income and lets me use my marketing and writing background to create resources to help vegans.

This is a difficult path, but if you’re an entrepreneur at heart, create a vegan business that you would like to see.

12. Become an Animal Rights Lawyer

Being involved in animal rights is a huge way to make a direct difference to the lives of animals.

Animal rights lawyers spend their time advocating for better animal treatment through legislature.

This is a career that will take years to prepare for, but could be incredibly fulfilling.

13. Be a Plant-Based Doctor or Nutritionist/Dietitian

There are committees like The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine who preach and advocate for the use of plant-based diets for certain patients.

Becoming a health professional can be quite difficult (in the case of becoming a doctor), but ties in more with veganism than most would think at first.

14. Be a Vegan Angel Investor

Plenty of people want to invest in vegan companies, and if you have a lot of capital at your disposal, you can help propel the next generation of vegan businesses to success.

I left this for last because very few people can fund this, but it’s an option for some nonetheless.

Where Do You Find Vegan Jobs?

Some of these you’ll need to search for businesses locally and monitor any “jobs” or “career” pages they have.

Additionally, you should regularly check vegan job boards like VegNews and VeganJobs.

If you think I missed any vegan job ideas, or you think of a good one, please leave it in a comment below.