National Park Service

Ranger

May - August 2019 • Vienna, VA

What I liked

A fun job with a lot of different skill areas. I learned about public speaking, the importance of public lands, the music business, visitor services, and youth education. My bosses were invested in me and my coworkers. They wanted to see us grow and be happy, and they fostered a supportive and enjoyable environment.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Visitor Use Assistant

May 2017 - August 2019 • Empire, MI

What I liked

I loved the people I worked with and it was a beautiful place to work.

What I wish was different

Advice

Don’t be afraid to work for the government. It’s not always has bad as you think.

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Beach Lifeguard

May 2017 • Highlands, NJ

What I liked

Positive and encouraging work environment and sense of community between employees.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Social Service Aid

May - August 2018 • Yellowstone National Park, WY

What I liked

I like working with teenagers and giving them one of a kind recreational experiences in Yellowstone.

What I wish was different

Bureaucracy within the federal government prevented me and all my co-workers from starting on our established start dates and was a complete hassle to deal with.

Advice

You need to know how to be professional but still fun in this job.

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Public and Legislative Affairs Intern

May - August 2018 • Denver, CO

What I liked

Opportunity to learn about the wide range of jobs within the NPS

What I wish was different

I wanted it to be longer

Advice

Know what you want to get out of the experience before you start. Don't let yourself be spread too thin by random tasks. Pursue the work that will challenge you and help you grow.

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INTERPRETIVE RANGER

May - October 2018 • Cedar City, UT

What I liked

Great people , environment and job.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Wilderness Ranger Intern

May - August 2018 • Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

What I liked

Got to spend time outside backpacking and interact with backcountry visitors to the park.

What I wish was different

My training wasn't very well thought out. The employee (fellow Ranger) who trained me didn't realize he was going to do it until the day we both showed up for the job.

Advice

If you are looking to get a job in the National Park Service, absolutely look at internship opportunities first.

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Laborer

July - August 2018 • Browning, MT

What I liked

Like working in the park and enjoying the outdoors

What I wish was different

Wish I would have started early and stayed a little longer with the job.

Advice

Great experience and opportunity to succeed

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Interpreter

June - August 2018 • Empire, MI

What I liked

Educating the public through programming I created myself.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more time to prepare my programs.

Advice

Use your time wisely, and get thin socks if you are working in the summer.

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Tour Guide

June - August 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

I worked at the African Burial Ground National Monument. It was a wonderful experience. I got to give tours of the full site and assist with the running of the indoor museum part of the park. My coworkers were amazing and I got to learn a lot about the site and the history of NYC in regards to slavery.

What I wish was different

I wish it had been a paid experience as I put in over 200 hours worth of work over the course of the summer.

Advice

Investigate the internship possibilities of the park. They do exist, they can just be difficult to track down. Reach out to them directly if you are interested.

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Park ranger

May 2018 • Baker, CA

What I liked

Excellent coworkers, rewarding work, flexibility

What I wish was different

Isolated location

Advice

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Vegetation Intern

June - September 2018 • Grand Canyon, AZ

What I liked

It was amazing working completely by myself. I was given a lot of responsibility and learned a lot.

What I wish was different

I wish I had a little more direction going into the internship. I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

Advice

Working for a big organization like the National Park Service really gives you a lot of amazing connections and can open a lot of doors. It is interesting to see how organizations like this work from the inside.

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Trail Maintenance Worker

March - August 2018 • Alaska, Prince Edward Island

What I liked

This experience was amazing. I loved being able to mix my love for the outdoors in addition to understanding how the federal govt and national park service work on the inside.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Park Guide

June - August 2018 • Washington, DC

What I liked

I was able to learn a lot about natural systems and ecology and I got to be outside interacting with the public.

What I wish was different

Part of my job was handing out roller skates and I was not informed about this until I got there. I ended up having to basically learn my job by doing and then make a handbook for new employees.

Advice

I would say to make sure that you get all of the details before you start, don't just let them tell you it changes day by day.

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Camp Counselor

June 2018 • Lafayette, LA

What I liked

I liked helping and getting to know the kids and park rangers. I also liked the activities we did such as movies, crafts, and canoeing.

What I wish was different

I wish I could have helped at more sessions of the camp.

Advice

Do volenteer work. Even though you're not getting paid, volunteer work is beneficial. At a summer camp like the one I volunteered at, you learn how to interact with children and how to work together with the other couselors and adults.

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New Media, Design, and Production

January - September 2018 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Personal and professional development, supervisors that care about your growth

What I wish was different

Advice

Don't be afraid to ask for help!

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YCC Crew Leader

May - August 2018 • Bryce, UT

What I liked

The supervisors and the learning experiences.

What I wish was different

Nothing really, it was a great experience.

Advice

Be prepared to work with kids who don't care to listen very well.

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Park ranger

May - August 2018 • Wall, SD

What I liked

I loved being outside and working with people that shared the same passions

What I wish was different

I wish I had a different salary but that could be fixed by applying for a higher GS level

Advice

Be open for any opportunity and any location to work

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Bat Monitoring Technician

June - September 2018 • Ashland, OR

What I liked

I loved getting to do field work and learning about bats. I was able to travel to almost all the National Parks in Southern Oregon and Northern California for work which was really cool!

What I wish was different

I wish my schedule would have been more regular.

Advice

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Custodian

May - October 2018 • Glen Canyon, UT

What I liked

If nothing else, working for the National Park Service (NPS) came with a substantial collection of benefits, including annual leave, health benefits, and due to the infinite amount of visitors at the park, job security.

What I wish was different

all in all the job was a great gig. in my personal experience the day started at 6:00am every morning, so if it were up to me i’d start a bit later, but every park is different so i can’t imagine everyone working for NPS would have to wake up so early

Advice

The National Park Service isn’t always super picky about employees, so even if you make mistakes don’t worry about it, just do a better job as you go along and you’ll get along just fine with the government, especially if you work holidays.

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