It seems like something absolutely inconceivable. Where many organizations are laying off as much as thousands of its employees, our country’s national park system is reporting its suffering from a personnel shortage. They are especially having problems finding, of all things, park rangers.
Yes, you did read that right. The America’s “crown jewels,” as some call them, is facing as great as a 44% labor shortage. It’s not just Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon, either. For those who like more urban settings it also includes major urban parks such as New York City’s Liberty Park and Philadelphia’s home of the Liberty Bell, Independence Park. Even more confounding is the average salary is actually quite good, at $50,000 a year.
That isn’t all. The National Park Service reports that the situation is only going to get worse. With 55% of its current staff reaching retirement age in the next five years, they are anticipating even greater workforce shortages in the very near future. If they don’t do something to fill these openings, such national landmarks such as Mt. Rushmore and the Statue of Liberty could either have their hours cut short or closed down completely.
As one might imagine, the job of a park ranger actually can come with quite a bit of satisfaction. First it should be understood that there are two key types of rangers, law enforcement and ambassadorial. The law enforcement ranger are usually trained in criminal justice or environmental issues and out to protect the parks from anything ranging from littering to possible terrorist attack. Ambassadorial rangers are those who help tourists with anything from historical information, the best ways to get to key landmarks or such important information as the restrooms.
Here’s another interesting thing about joining the National Park Service. It is actually on the hunt for a very wide range of personnel. Aside the Criminal Justice majors, it will gladly accept those who are studying American History, soil scientists and even those studying anthropology and zoology. One way they have started to encourage college students is to set up an internship program in Philadelphia, where one not only gets training, but also credit and/or pay to show students around the city’s numerous national parks.
Salary is highly dependent on where one works as well as experience. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that salary actually does have a wide range, from $35,000 to $78,000. It also comes with standard benefits for a government employee.
Besides work-study, there are also a number of other ways one can obtain financial aid and/or grants. A good suggestion is to not only go on the web and see what the National Park Services has to offer, but also sit down with an on campus or online college financial aid counselor.
No matter what, if one has a love of the outdoors, American history or both, one can’t do much better than being a park ranger or entering into another green career with their environmental education degree. It is an occupation that may seem a bit on the unconventional side, yet has an incredible satisfaction rate for those who do. Students will find that online college programs give them the tools they need to succeed in a great career.
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