View Full Version : Jobs working in the park system
Hey guys, I'm just wondering if anyone here works for the NPS or any other related organizations. I will be done with school next winter, and after my 2012 thru, im going to be joining the rat race. I want to work outside, and work somewhere I love the only problem being that my degree will be in history, and i'm not sure that translates well into working for the NPS. Just wondering if anyone here has any tips, or experiences they could share with me.
v5planet
02-23-2011, 20:50
Hey guys, I'm just wondering if anyone here works for the NPS or any other related organizations. I will be done with school next winter, and after my 2012 thru, im going to be joining the rat race. I want to work outside, and work somewhere I love the only problem being that my degree will be in history, and i'm not sure that translates well into working for the NPS. Just wondering if anyone here has any tips, or experiences they could share with me.
History has no applicability to the NPS? Poppycock! You should scroll on over to the NPS website, and take a look at how many of our national parks are designated as historical sites. An appreciation for the continuity of the past into the present (both from a natural history and human history perspective) can be spun as a very good selling point for working for the Park Service.
A good friend of mine who attempted a thru with me last year took his International Relations major and ended up working at a great position in the park service in California, so fear not!
Tuckahoe
02-23-2011, 21:03
I think that the NPS has everything to do with history especially here on the east coast. I work for a state museum and have many friends that have worked for the NPS.
My advice is this --
If you are not already volunteering at a NPS, or even state or local site, start! It gets your foot in the door.
Realize that you wont get rich and that you will start at the bottom. Work hard and avoid the drama and you can go far. Also be prepared to move and transfer to other parks.
restless
02-23-2011, 21:07
Matt-I work for the NPS in Shenandoah. I started out 13 years ago worlking as a volunteer backcountry ranger with the Forest Service at Mt. Rogers. Since then, it's been an amazing ride working trails up and down the east coast from FL to ME. A history degree is a valuable asset in the Park Service. Just about every unit has a natural history office. But if history isnt necessarily your thing, I'm sure you could find something. The competition though is stiff. We had about 75 certified applicants for one position in trails. Plus, a lot of veterans are applying as well. Give it a shot and check out whats available at www.usajobs.gov. Thats the starting point for all federal positions. PM me if I can answer any other questions.
curtisvowen
02-23-2011, 21:09
I worked for the NPS for a few seasons.
Intern work for the NPS or the Forestry service would've been nice. They want to hire someone with experience. Plus you're interning for those that will/would hire you once you graduate.
Interpretation Rangers would be what your after.
There used to be a Government online application website. Browse through that. Give all the job requirements. I put in 20 apps in about 2 hrs.
I had friends with Forestry degrees but no intern work and they never landed anything.
Seasonal work, 6 months on. Lucky to get called back, based on Federal Budget. If you land a Seasonal job with the promise of a call back was what I wanted. Goof off for 6 months and then come on back to a job.
wow guys, thanks for all the advice and help! looks im going to do some research tonight. again thanks guys! :)
Trailweaver
02-24-2011, 01:50
Also, as a history major - you might consider doing some kind of "re-enactment" position. I visited a park in KY once where a "family" lived on a farm nestled into the mountains - they spent every day working at doing what a family would have done around 1850 in the mountains of KY - the women cooked a meal over a fire in an open hearth, the men did farm chores around outside (it was in the fall, so crops were already gathered in).
I also have a friend who works as a craftsman at a park where they have a "village" set up. He is a professional weaver, and he gets to do what he loves every day he works! He dresses in period costume and goes about his workday as he would have in that time period, and as he works, he just tells visitors what he does, how it related to everyday life then, and how important it was to everyday life at the time.
So. . . if you don't have one of those "skills" you might investigate learning something like that in your "spare" time (I know you probably don't have a lot right now) and just see where it leads you.
I have tried for years to get a job at a national park or national forest, but nothing so far. They have jobs posted but never fill them and the folks that have the jobs are there till retirement. With money being tight I don't expect any park to hire.