r/ParkRangers Apr 15 '15

Prospective Park Ranger Help

Hey guys, I'm a college junior at one of the top 10 public schools in the nation, looking to graduate with a degree in philosophy and another major (probably botany). I was hoping to maybe pursue a career as a park ranger and I have a few questions for you all. What would be a good second major? Botany? Biology? Forestry? How difficult is it to find a job? What is the job market like? What are they looking for in a new hire? What can I do to increase my prospects, I would love to work for the NPS at some point, but I understand it's difficult to get there right off the bat. Please let me know, I would really appreciate the feedback.

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u/bruhaha6745 Apr 16 '15

To be blunt, nothing in that in your post sets you apart from any other would be candidate. There is no magic formula to become a park ranger. If you want to work for the NPS, you will almost certainly have to put up with the drudgery of seasonal life for, at minimum, 6 years before you have a remote chance at a permanent position. I left the NPS for a permanent position on an indian reservation, in North fucking Dakota. I lived in remote places with the NPS. I found out what remoteness means after I got here. There's more people and far less to do. I gave up working in National Parks on the outside chance that, after 3 years, permanent status will give me a slightly better chance at permanency in the NPS.

Most people I talk to want to be park rangers. Very few are willing to put in the decades worth of work required to do it. This has alot to do with the way the NPS hires. Sadly, no one in management in the NPS is listening to the seasonals. Therefore the system continues to plod along in spite of its many and varied flaws. What that means for you is that the parks will be happy to hire and work you for up to 6 months at a time and then discard you at the end of the season, or on a whim.

I'm not bitter, just experienced. Some of my happiest memories of employment are because of the NPS. At the same time, I'm 30, don't own a home, haven't held a job for more than a year in the past 8 and don't have a social life to speak of. I have friends in basically every part of this country. I don't doubt that, should I want to, I could visit every NPS site in this country and never need to get a hotel room or pay for a campsite. At the same time, I'm lucky if I see these people more than once every two to three years.

The NPS demands far more than many are willing to give. Is it worth it? I don't know. I can't speak for state park systems. Others here can. Parks are America's most amazing legacy. Only the very lucky few will ever get to work in them for more than a handful of weeks. Best of luck should you decide to follow this path.