I'm a 22 year old student studying wildlife and fisheries management at the biggest university in my state. I was a unit counselor for girl scouts last summer, so I love working with kids and I am CPR certified. I've volunteered at my local park for invasive removals, river cleanups and teaching kids how to print with leaves. I kayak, camp and hike regularly. I'm just now an officer in my university's naturalist society where the totebags I printed by hand with linocut prints I designed myself raised over 300 dollars. I'm outgoing and love talking to people.

I thought I'd be a really good candidate for a seasonal interpretive ranger in my local state parks. This is my second round applying for seasonal interpretive ranger. Would 23 be too old to apply for a seasonal interpretive ranger job?

I know everyone has things they need to improve about themselves: what should I do to make myself more appealing as a potential employee?

I volunteered with an SCA trail crew as a teenager, have a degree in Environmental Studies and an expired WFR.
I was just offered a crew member position with American Conservation Experience- is it the best step towards a seasonal wilderness ranger position, or am I better off getting my EMT, or applying for GS-3 trail maintenance positions? Any advice appreciated!

I've been looking at openings on USAJOBS as I want to get a feel for what requirements I might need for future jobs. I've noticed that all off my searches only cover positions for GS5 and above. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong?

I understand a degree is not necessary, but rather I should specialize in a trade and obtain certifications such as OSHA, water treatment, pesticide, etc. But my goal in life is to still earn a degree so other than the usual recommended degrees such as environmental science or natural resource management, are there any degrees you would recommend even if I want to make a career out of being a maintenance ranger?

Hello! I’m an art professor and I have worked in education, outreach, design, and the development of educational and museum exhibition materials. I’ve been curious about switching careers to be a park ranger for years. Working as an interpretive park ranger seems to be the best fit for my interests and skill set.

Is it possible to get into this career without a BS? I have a BFA in Design and an MFA in Art. Would I have to go back to school in order to get a job in this field or are there other ways which I can make up the experience?

I've been a state park ranger for almost a decade (my job mostly entails LE, resource management, and interp.)

Long story short, I have kids now and weekends are getting old.

What career fields has anyone had success switching into?

I'm considering maybe environmental compliance?

Hey y'all,

I'm a wilderness ranger for the USFS on a GS5/6/7 ladder, making 7 in about a month. I work a 13PP on, 13PP off schedule, and try and find work on my off season, as well as trying to pursue a rangeland management degree. Working 40hrs a week doesn't leave time to take too many classes, which makes FAFSA irrelevant for me. My job gives me a pension and year round healthcare, but again, only paying in 6 months of the year.

Last week I got cold called for a three year GS7 term position in a higher cost of living--albeit very, very cool--town a few hours south of me. The office seems a lot healthier, I'm very intrigued, but my housing costs would go up substantially. Having run the numbers, it's a slight loss of income as I dont expect I'll be getting an overnight perdiem, but I'd finally have some stability in my life--I haven's spent more than six months in one place since 2019 on account of seasonal work, and I'm feeling like Odysseus trying to get back to Ithaca by this point.

Is holding onto a 13/13 a better career move than three or four years with a guaranteed end date?

I am currently going to College in Mankato, MN as it has the only program in Minnesota accredited by The Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions and I have the opportunity to go to the UofMN which for all intents and purposes is a “better” college but they don’t have the same programs, I am just looking for insight from people working the job I am planning to go into what I should do.

Two years on a USFS Type 2 IA handcrew, EMT, WFR. Worked under the FS EMS program which is very similar to the NPS one. Trying to secure a PSAR/park emt job at one of the larger parks for the summer. Thanks folks.

Hey folks, I am currently an interpretive park guide and have an interview coming up for a county park ranger position out of my state. The pay and benefits is a huge jump for my family, and I am really wanting to expand my roll and gain more experience than my current position. I'm trying to decide if this is a gain for my career I should uproot my life for if given the opportunity.

I currently live in Appalachia and my current end goal is to work with state in quite literally any park around my home area. I don't mind traveling away from my mountains for a few years, but would like to circle back with more experience and with a more competitive hire-ability.

The massive gap I see is currently I do everything a ranger does but without law enforcement or emergency medical cert. I may get more experience in assisting those departments being a county ranger, but not certified like I would be at state level.

Would being a county park ranger, gaining that experience, and going from park guide to park ranger in this way benefit the climb up to state, or would it bottleneck me more than anything without certifications? I'm sure this sounds convoluted, I've just been trying to step up from park guide for a while now and hoping for better opportunities down the line with more expansion on my skills. I'm still in my 20s and just trying to get my foot in the door, but just feel lost on which foot to lead with. Thanks for any guidance or insight.

I'm 29, working as a Systems Security Engineer for 4 years now. I'm bored of the desk work and have always wanted to work in a national or state park.

Based on my understanding, Park Rangers don't really get out much. What are some other jobs that I could do that would allow me to be in nature and maybe even travel to different nature parks with a crew?

I'm also into investigation work and interacting with people and most skilled in compliance, and administrative work like technical writing and requirements analysis.

Hi there, I’m thinking about applying as a non LE park ranger recruit in Sacramento county. There’s a lot of mixed information out there about regulations and restrictions. I smoke weed a couple of times a week and was wondering if that would disqualify me from being hired on. I’ve never touched any actual drugs and if I have to stop smoking weed to become a park ranger I will. I was just curious if there was anyone here who knew the specifics for how they do things in Sacramento? Thanks in advance

Hi all! I recently left my PhD program back in January and have been applying to jobs. Aside from applying to jobs in my field, I applied to a few NPS jobs. I don't have the relevant work experience, but I have a BS and MS in Environmental Sciences. I was over-the-moon when I was selected for an interview to be a NPS Park Guide. Today I got the call and was offered the position. I have until Wednesday to make a decision, but I am torn.

Along with being offered this job, I strongly believe I am a top candidate for a state government agency position (just finished the background check and driving report). This job is great because it's permanent, pays well, and I would enjoy it. But another part of me thinks I'm crazy to pass up working with the NPS and see where that leads me. I've been wanting to work for the NPS for sometime now.

My question for everyone here is about the position title itself. I tried searching for older posts on this subreddit but couldn't find concrete information. I've read that it is very hard for Park Guides to become Park Rangers. (This position is 0090 grade series.) I've also read conflicting information on a Park Guide transitioning into an Interpretation Park Ranger. I just wanted to see if anyone could confirm or provide further information on this.

I would love to work for the NPS but I also want a career that offers professional growth. I'm scared having the label "Park Guide" will limit my chances of acquiring other positions with the NPS.

I have another day to make a decision and I wanted to consult here first. I'm fortunate to have another career option on standby, but I really want to see if this position is feasible for me. Thank you for your time.

First off I would like to thank everyone who helped me out in the previous posts I made on becoming a park ranger! I feel like this is a small accomplishment but I’ll be volunteering a historic park soon and I feel very proud of myself, on top of that I’ve been applying to as many part time ranger jobs as I can and I got a reply back from one of the park visitor chiefs interested in my application! Thank you everyone who has helped me I feel my dream of being a ranger is very in reach from this point forward!

How competitive is it to get a seasonal maintenance ranger job? Am I better off applying within my states agency and what trades do they tend to look for when it comes to a permanent position?

Hi, has anyone here worked as an educational ranger with the NC Forest Service? If so, what was the interview process like?

Kinda caught between a MS in Recreation and Sports Management or a MAg in Natural Resources Conservation.

In the former you can get a certified parks professional cert, and courses are more focused on things like facility and personnel management. The latter is pretty broad, but more interesting to me, personally. Courses included environmental law and policy, silviculture, and statistics for animal science. As someone without a natural science background, I was hoping the MAg in natural resources could help fill some of those educational gaps in the natural science area.

I have over 3 years of local and state park and preserve experience from selling permits out of the booth to land management. I've done prescribed burns, shaded fuel breaks, made reservations, and cleaned bathroom haha. Titles include customer service rep, park maintenance worker, natural resources tech, and park operations specialist. But I still struggle to land permanent entry level park ranger, arborist, or natural resources jobs locally. I'm doing maintenance now.

The plan was to get equipment experience to really transition into fire and land management, but I don't know if that's my lane anymore. I'm interested in interp, recreation coordination, resource communication/outreach, outdoor programs etc... I'm not against park management. I've also seen stuff like wildfire mitigation specialist that seems like outreach for wildland fire groups. Local park ranger jobs seem like a mix of technical conservation work and outreach which also is up my alley.

I guess I'm not sure which degree might be more valuable as far as a return on investment. I feel like the natural resources degree is more broad and could help me land some more natural area outreach positions. It also may help cancel out my lack of a natural resources bachelor's for those jobs that require it. While I've learned a lot on the job, I still have a lot of gaps in my academic knowledge when it comes to natural science. The parks focused degree has some valuable practical courses. All of these places have personnel and facilities and finances to manage, after all. Lastly, I am eligible for my ISA arborist cert, and I'm studying for that.

Any advice appreciated!

Im a 3rd year ecology student who is loving their courses on wildlife management but im currently dealing with some stuff that is likely heart related and cant really do the physical element of being a Ranger atm. I have done previous volunteering with my local rangers before, and I want to do more, im just wondering if its possible to earn experience in stuff like desk based jobs while I recover?

I have been offered a GS-7 seasonal position at a small remote park. Would this park be my first choice? No, it’s very far from home where my wife and my family live. However, I’ve never worker a season before. How real is the advancement track through seasons at a GS-7 level? If I accept now, should I keep interviewing for other positions closer to home? Does this sort of experience transfer well to working in state parks? I’m currently working a low paying outdoor education job, so I’m really looking for any way to advance. Thank you for any input you all have.

I’m currently deciding between two seasonal gigs at different parks, one GS 5 and one GS 9. I feel crazy asking about this since I feel like it would usually be a no brainer to take the 9. But the 5 is a precursor to exactly the job I want in the NPS, and the 9 is in a job I wouldn’t want long-term, but would give me experience that I’m pretty sure would help my application for jobs that I actually want. I feel like I can’t go too wrong either way but is there a smarter move?

Be well, colleagues!

Hi all, I currently work for Virginia State Parks (for almost 5 years with varying position changes). I am looking at graduate school at UNC Greensboro (Parks and Rec Management). What is it like working for NC State Parks? Any tips on getting my foot in the door with them? Are there internship opportunities I can apply for next summer as I plan to move to NC?

I am an Irish citizen with a dream since i was little to become a Park Ranger in America. But because if everything going on in America and how hard it is to get in I’ve settled for Canada. I’m wondering what do i need to become a Park Warden and what is preferred. I’d love to do it in Jasper national park if possible.

Hi! I (22F) am a senior Ecology major. I want to be an interpretive ranger, do educational kids programs, be a lookout, etc... something along those lines. I need to be applying for jobs but im scared to apply federally. Its been my main focus and literally the only thing I want to do, so im pretty devastated with current events. I almost lost my Americorps trail work job this summer :(

Now that im graduating, I need to really find something. I'm good with seasonal and i'm working on my license so I can drive/ live in my car as necessary. I dont enjoy research and strongly prefer active jobs with outdoor rec and conservation. I just don't know what to even apply for or where to look.

My question is: Where do I look? Are there certain organizations or job titles that I should consider? I've spent 99% of my time learning how to navigate the federal system but now im worried about even trying.

I know were all in the same boat but id appreciate ANYTHING. Very scared for the future :(

Edit: Thank u everyone for the helpful advice and info!!

I have my BS and MS in Environmental Sciences. I've spent about five years total doing research at my university--half of it strictly GIS research, other half scientific research in projects I led. I was hoping my expertise in my field would make me a strong candidate to be a ranger (at least in the sciences), but every time I apply for a position, I feel like no one would even hire me.

I have a majority of my time in academia. I am in my late 20s, finally left my research position, and was hoping to be a ranger at LEAST once in my life to see if it's something I want to continue pursuing. I have dreamt about being a ranger for the last few years and now I'm in the position in my life where I can see if this is a career I want to pursue. Given my current life path, I unfortunately have not had direct experience working for state/federal parks. I think this is what disqualifies me. I know it's technically not too late to start, but at my age and living in an expensive state, I don't know if it's sustainable.

I bookmarked some NPS jobs and began applying. These questions are just stumping me... I have no experience with lost and found, monitoring backcountry conditions, patrolling areas, etc. Is it even worth applying if I have no experience or minimal training for every single question? It feels so embarrassing. I can always give up this dream and find another job, but I just really wanted this to work :c Does anyone have any advice?