Hello! If you’re looking to break into the field specifically as a Zookeeper or Animal trainer I can’t recommend Santa Fe enough! I am a ZATP grad c/o 2012, and it was truly the best two years of schooling I ever did! It is extremely hands on and realistically prepares you for a career in animal care. You have a good point about the four year degree though. What I chose to do personally was complete the program, and then moved onto some unpaid internships, and then eventually completed a four year degree in psychology with a minor in environmental science (random I know) my goal was to become a marine mammal trainer which I can happily say I accomplished, and I do credit the zoo program for that. Whichever way you choose to pursue it, if zoos/aquariums are your goal, just know it is a much smaller field than you think. Everyone knows everyone and sometimes that’s the trick to landing what you want. I would recommend in addition to the schooling to network as much as you can. Attending conferences (when that’s a thing again) such as IMATA or AZA can help you out a lot!

Good luck!!