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ParkRat09
12-23-2011, 00:16
I am a recent college and NOLS graduate and an experienced backpacker, both in the US and other countries. I am passionate about the outdoors and want to make it a career of mine. Does anyone have any contacts within the industry or know good places to apply to? ANY help or guidance would be MORE than appreciated!

ALLEGHENY
12-23-2011, 00:32
United States Army

leaftye
12-23-2011, 00:36
You'll need to get more experience before many places will consider you. When you get that experience, you might want to take a look at the Wildlands Conservancy, or a trail crew leader with the CCC, SCA or something similar. For now you could join an SCA trail crew to get another notch on your resume.

Amanita
12-23-2011, 02:41
Well are you looking for a Career or a job? I can name a lot of outdoor jobs that aren't too hard to get: camp counselor, AMC hut croo, ski lift operator, ski patrol, ect. These are all seasonal jobs that require a lot of flexibility in times, places, living arrangements, and vary greatly in compensation. As for a career, I don't have any advice on how to get into that, it might help if your college degree is in a relevant field.

Furlough
12-23-2011, 09:22
I am a recent college and NOLS graduate and an experienced backpacker, both in the US and other countries. I am passionate about the outdoors and want to make it a career of mine. Does anyone have any contacts within the industry or know good places to apply to? ANY help or guidance would be MORE than appreciated!

This link will get you to the federal govt jobs/career site. For first time users it can be a pain in the a$$, be persistent, patient and inquisitive.

http://www.usajobs.gov/

Furlough

hikerboy57
12-23-2011, 10:11
do you have any particular area of expertise?a degree in? you could try guiding,writing, join the usfs,research the effects of acid rain on the northeast, categorize fungi along the trail, analyze the mating habits of thru hikers at 7am, haul out sunflower husks,or just take on work whenever you need $$ and hike the rest of the time.If you want to spend your life outdoors, it doesnt take a lot of money to do.but whats your passion?now find a way to get paid for doing it.

Smooth & Wasabi
12-23-2011, 10:21
As mentioned it is hard to make a career without some degree of "dirtbagging" it. When I was looking I found the easiest to find outdoors career was with an outdoor therepeutic program(otp) for at risk children. By career I mean year round, salary, benefits, etc. I spent four years working my way through the trenches (24/5-24/30 for expeditions) before I had the opportunity to achieve a more normalized schedule. I now run our education department which is the result of BA coursework in Ed and working on my MEd while working full time, this is ideal because I basically spend as much or as little time in the woods as I want and family responsibilities allow. This work, while it involves tripping and year round outdoor living is more accurately described as primarily working with very difficult kids and secondarily as outdoors work. It also requires a very special skill set of extreme patience and empathy and has a high rate of burn out especially at the entry levels. This all being said my organization Eckerd has been closing (otp's) due to the economy and a paradigm shift away from residential treatment. There are several other organizations out there though that do similar things and google should help you find them. My experience is that these programs almost always need entry level counselors.

NotYet
12-23-2011, 11:11
If you are patient and like to work with youth, therapeutic wilderness programs can be a good place to work. Most of the programs around Asheville, NC are now affliated with SUWS of the Carolinas: www.suwscarolinas.com. They are often hiring.

There is a new non-profit program in the Asheville area called The Pisgah Center that is being developed. This program will serve older teens who have been in trouble with the law: www.thepisgahcenter.org. The first component for the youth at The Pisgah Center will be a 4 to 5 week-long wilderness experience. The program hasn't started hiring yet, but check out the site, and if you're interested contact the director--he'll be glad to talk to you. (The Pisgah Center was born out of "Camp Woodson" the very successful 35 year old state-run program that was closed last spring due to the NC budget crisis; so even though it's new, it has a long history!).

Good Luck!

ljcsov
12-23-2011, 11:26
Do you have a BS or a BA? If you have a BS you can go the ecology route or other form of biological outdoor research. In undergrad, I studied biology and graduated with a BS. For a summer, I had the opportunity to do research in the field and everyday I'd drive to a remote location to conduct tests and collect data. It was pretty cool but not my calling. however, many others love it.

Elder
12-23-2011, 12:24
Social work is not the only trail to outdoor jobs. Necessary, needed and appreciated by those of us that can not do it..
Consider the Outdoor Industry. Yes, Retail is a start. Learn the gear, the gear companies etc. Knoxville has River Sports Outfitters, 2 Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, Uncle Lem's Outdoor Store...Earth Traverse (if they are still there). Little River Trading Co. in Maryville is a good shop. Nantahala's Great Outpost in Gatlinburg might not be too far.
Meet the reps, and the companies.
I have managed to make my avocation my profession for...ever?

Lyle
12-23-2011, 13:57
I worked for 5 years for Vision Quest. They run residential programs (mostly "wilderness" settings) for juvenile delinquents - often inner city, at risk kids. They have programs across the US. National offices are in Arizona, Eastern Regional offices are in PA. Some of you may have noted one of their "Wilderness Camps" at South Mountain in PA. The AT runs within sight of their driveway entrance.

They look favorably on BS and BA degrees for their employees. Part of their program is doing Backacking, Bicycling, Horseback, Skiing, etc. quests as a right of passage for the youth. They have a VERY strong Plains Indian influence in their treatment methods. Since this is such a big part of their program, along with the Wilderness Camps and Wagon Trains, they do hire and maintain a specialized Wilderness Staff (currently called "Adventure Specialist)". In my five years with them, I backpacked in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Big Bend Park in Texas, and Florida. I also Bicycled in Texas. All of these trips also incorporated a couple of days of rock climbing and rappelling. I also spent six months sailing the east coast from the Gulf of Mexico to Maine on a 135 ft, twin-masted, wooden-hulled schooner. Unfortunately the OcenQuest portion of the program became much too expensive to maintain, and has been discontinued, but they are a constantly evolving company, so I do not know of all of the current opportunities they offer. Vision Quest was by far the most unusual, difficult, and rewarding job that I have ever had.

Keep in mind, however, that this is a very, very tough job. These kids are excellent manipulators, but when you do break through with them, it is extremely rewarding as well. When I was hired, I was cautioned that being a VisionQuest employee was not a career, but a lifestyle move. I agree wholeheartedly with that assessment.

I have been away from VisionQuest for over 15 years now, but I'm still very close to one of the young men I met and counseled there. I am close friends with his entire family: wife, daughter, mother, brother and sister to this day. We still visit back and forth frequently. These are strong bonds that are formed and encouraged by the management.

http://www.vq.com/index.php


If you would like any further information, just PM me.

ParkRat09
12-23-2011, 14:06
The retail and/or manufacturing side (Columbia, Mountain Hardware, Marmot, etc) is where I am most looking to get into (as opposed to outdoor education or research). I worked at River Sports for a couple of months and it did not work out for a myriad of reasons. I am also looking to get out of Knoxville in the very recent future, so anything retail here I am not really looking for. Do you know of other ways to get into the business? What do you do?

Social work is not the only trail to outdoor jobs. Necessary, needed and appreciated by those of us that can not do it..
Consider the Outdoor Industry. Yes, Retail is a start. Learn the gear, the gear companies etc. Knoxville has River Sports Outfitters, 2 Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, Uncle Lem's Outdoor Store...Earth Traverse (if they are still there). Little River Trading Co. in Maryville is a good shop. Nantahala's Great Outpost in Gatlinburg might not be too far.
Meet the reps, and the companies.
I have managed to make my avocation my profession for...ever?

Feral Bill
12-23-2011, 14:26
Have you noticed the Baxter State Park internship described on the WB opening page. It might be useful.

hikerboy57
12-23-2011, 14:44
The retail and/or manufacturing side (Columbia, Mountain Hardware, Marmot, etc) is where I am most looking to get into (as opposed to outdoor education or research). I worked at River Sports for a couple of months and it did not work out for a myriad of reasons. I am also looking to get out of Knoxville in the very recent future, so anything retail here I am not really looking for. Do you know of other ways to get into the business? What do you do?retail generally entails long hours, which would mean less hiking.i thought you were looking for an outdoor job

ParkRat09
12-23-2011, 14:53
retail generally entails long hours, which would mean less hiking.i thought you were looking for an outdoor job
I am looking in the outdoor industry, but more the business side to utilize my degree

Slo-go'en
12-23-2011, 14:59
The retail and/or manufacturing side (Columbia, Mountain Hardware, Marmot, etc) is where I am most looking to get into (as opposed to outdoor education or research)

If you want to work for one of the major gear manufactures, then you need to go to thier web sites and see if they have a "career opportunities" button. Then you can see what, if any jobs they have to offer and if you have any of the skills they need. Of course, 99% of these jobs would be for office workers. For the most part, manufacturing would be done off shore. Becoming a gear designer would likely require a degree in industrial design and/or mechanical engineering. If you have a degree in marketing, maybe you can get into the sales department.

Retail isn't a good career if your just going to be a sales person on the floor. But getting your foot in the door as a sales person might lead to a better position as a gear repair person (like if they rent mountain bikes or ski stuff) or becoming a guide for one of thier outdoor programs.

Then there are the self-employed side of things, like having your own outfitter store or cottage gear manufacturing. But of course, before you can do that, you need capital, some experiance and skill at managing a buisness, or you will be doomed to fail.

Seasonal work as a caretaker, outdoor ed group leader, ridge runner or the like is good to kill time and be outdoors with out it costing you much and maybe even making a little money, but isn't something you can do forever. Good luck getting into the forest service or park service.

Bloomer
12-23-2011, 18:43
Go out west and grow medical marijuana. You make more than any 9-5 job and the benifits are wonderful ;).... Agriculture and science job experience in a co-op can be used to furthur you career path...

4eyedbuzzard
12-24-2011, 10:51
Go out west and grow medical marijuana. You make more than any 9-5 job and the benifits are wonderful ;).... Agriculture and science job experience in a co-op can be used to furthur you career path...Whether one agrees or not, or supports such a choice, and even though the current administration is prosecuting such activities "selectively" based upon state laws, cultivation remains a felony under Federal law. There's a BIG downside risk if you get caught up on the wrong side of things. Fair warning.

Bucherm
12-24-2011, 11:40
United States Army

Damn! Second post, and right what I was thinking.

"Son, how would you like to camp AND serve your country?"

ParkRat09
12-25-2011, 22:18
Whether one agrees or not, or supports such a choice, and even though the current administration is prosecuting such activities "selectively" based upon state laws, cultivation remains a felony under Federal law. There's a BIG downside risk if you get caught up on the wrong side of things. Fair warning.
Thanks for the warning...not planning on growing weed any time soon haha