Qualifications for National Park Ranger??¿¿

I would imagine something like an AS in natural sciences or ecology would look good. What do you think you'll be doing as a park ranger?

>Working for the NPS
Dont do it m8.

A criminal Justice degree will put your resume at the top of the pile m8.

>>827077
>life as a park ranger

>do you work here?
>where's the bathrooms?
>where's the exit?

>>827077
I'm going to school for Biological Laboratory Studies and Environmental Biology and it's really opened the door to many DNR research positions. Every park needs someone who is willing to wade through shit in the name of science

>>827077
just don't be a faggot and ticket ppl for smoking ganj in the middle of nowhere thx

>>827169
Don't listen to him OP, if there's some Law That says you shouldn't smoke, and they smoke, worse if it's weed, fuck thse degenerates, last you need is a fire..

Where a live there's a Mountain (Serra do tabuleiro / cambirela) some fuckers did some fires and smokes. Then we had a fire on the top of thr Hill. (We don't see rain in some weeks..)

>>827090
Well the program would give me a POST certification, that plus a criminal justice degree would make me essentially a cop inside the park. So patrols and probably helping people figure miscellaneous shit out. Im gonna keep going to school even after/if i get the job to qualify for higher positions.

>>827134
Youre probably right, but, that really doesnt sound that bad. Assuming its not the whole job.

>>827163
Where would openings like that be listed? Also youre probably going for at least a B.S. for a research position, right? I just dont do well in school usually so thats probably not my first choice.

>>827169
>>827221
Well im 90% sure itll be completely legalized this year in CA. But the fire concern is valid either way.

>>827100
>Dont do it m8.

Why not?

>>827268
Im actually hoping to enter a masters program later on so yeah at least a BS. All state jobs in my state are posted on the same website, so maybe try to find something like that. I have an internship lined up next summer to work at a weir in alaska, so that should be a lot of fun

>>827169
You probably reek of B.O. and stale bong smoke. Take a shower and do your laundry smell a fucking hippie.

>>827271
NPS is run like the military. Promotions only happen when someone retires or dies. You might be hired in one park and then six months later theyll tell you that you have to go to another park or youll be fired. Most of NPS jobs are seasonal which keeps people from gaining influence/power in the hierarchy. Its shit m8.

>>827264
if you've not seen the ken burns national parks series, they kind of jokingly say that, but sadly there is truth to it

of course there are always the off-tourist seasons too

Get a bachelors
Be /fit/
???
Profit

>>827270
Federal land
Federal rules

Park Rangers can still arrest you

>>827290
The rangers are run as a military organization. A lot of people coming back from various wars and entrenching in the NPS have seen to that. Natural resource divisions, fees, and maintenance are a lot more lax.

The seasonal aspect blows, I really enjoy working for NPS, but its extremely hard to advance and to line up something for winter. I almost have merit promotion status which is conferred on you after working 2 total years in the DOI or the forest service, so we'll see if that's actually worth it.

>>827320
I got some pretty stupid questions and some nasty comments, but mostly it was old people coming up and telling me how nice we made the park.

>>827390
Oh, and yelling at people for doing stupid shit like feeding prairie dogs.

Telling them they carry plague and tularemia typically usually scared the poop out of them enough.

Also, be prepared for corruption and incompetence. People aren't usually fired for it, they're promoted and moved. It's kinda sickening. You do meet good honest people though. I had a boss tell me one time that "she hopes all the bullshit doesn't get to me, because we need good people like you."

>>827290
Shit man. That really sucks to hear. I was finally set on a career. I guess i should reconsider trying to avoid school.

Im guessing you were a ranger at some point?

>>827281

This is starting to sound like a better option

>>827390
I was thinking about maintenance, but natural resources sounds better in the long run.

Would you suggest getting a degree in something specific like biology, or something like forestry and environment managment type stuff?

>>827401
If u want to avoid school go into a union trade apprenticeship. Enough money to support a family on ur own after you get ur journeyman ticket in most trades

Or you could be wildland firefighter

>>827409
Its hard to get work. I apply to about 100+ jobs a year and get callbacks for a handful. It gets easier every year, but it's still a pain.

Get used to seeing the veteran candidate rejection email, because it happens a lot.

>>827409
Going for a forestry degree would be pretty smart right now, the forest service is in desperate need of foresters. If that doesn't interest you, there are a wide variety of degrees that can apply to multiple positions.

Biology, history, archaeology, wildlife, environmental science, recreation/parks/tourism, botany, forestry, etc.

>>827417
Also, be prepared to move around. It's almost unheard of to not have to move. You have to be flexible and mobile. I've moved 6 times in 3 years.

>>827390
>>827416
>>827417
>>827419

What do you think is the most stable position? Would the research positions require the same amount of moving and reapplying?

Btw thanks for the replies. Its a pretty boring thread. Very helpful though.

>>827468
None are, you start as a temp and can eventually get a permanent position and it takes awhile.

Has anyone served with the Conservation Corps? I've got an interview Thursday with the Forage Fish Crew here in WA.

File: Screenshot_20160801-163515.png (350KB, 1440x2560px) Image search: [Google]

350KB, 1440x2560px

>>827419
>>827416

It says permanent? Something im missing?

>>827077
TL:DR the thread but I work for the NPS as a wildlife biologist.

I get paid to drive around in a company truck and watch for apex predators, watch prey animal reaction to them, trap them and put tracking collars on them to figure out what they do and where they go.

Sometimes do the above in a helicopter.

Nice shit. I essentially get paid to go innawoods for reasons.

Pay isn't very good and in park housing is minimalist, but you are living in a national park so who really cares. Could make more cash elsewhere as I have a BS in FWM and an MS in Wildlife Biology, but money isn't everything.

>>827660
Do you mind sharing specifically how much you make? Living on my own is super important to me rn.

>>827077
Look up the job postings on USAjobs or the internship postings with Dept of Interior NPS and they'll tell you exactly what they are looking for.

>>827643
>State

I'm talking federal level

>>827696
So you mean all this shit about instability applies to federal level only? What keeps you from a stable job in a state park as opposed to a national park??

>>827728
To be honest, I don't have any experience at the state level. So I couldn't tell you.

Of all my biologist friends, though, I only really know like one who works at the state level. Everyone else is in a grad program, academia, consulting, or at the federal level.

I currently work as a corrections officer at a federal prison and I'm hoping to just put in enough time to have a go at becoming a park ranger.
You'll have to go to Glynco, GA for a few months (this is what I was told when I was down there) to be a federal park ranger. It's a great place to stay and shouldn't be a problem if you don't have anything tying you down.
And get ready for corruption and questionable practices wherever you go in the federal system. It's fucked.

>>827794
I will also say that I have never wanted to strangle someone as much as I did when I was transcribing data from a pest monitoring project that we had the state level guys collect for us. One state didn't even bother taking any data because they didn't find any pests and didn't seem to understand that ZEROES ARE FUCKING IMPORTANT TOO. I would say out of like 7 states, one did a good job. It was pitiful.

>>827100
That's bull. I have a BS in crime justice, and volunteered at state and natonal parks throughout high schoil and college. They still look right over it. They want a degree in natural sciences like ecology

>>828042
*criminal justice

>>828042
>I have a BS in CrimJust
>in high school
I see why they skipped you m8.

>>828047
Typing on a phone, not everything will get spelled correctly when I'm driving ass wipe

>>828047
>>828044
>>828042
>>827100

why do they want people with criminal justice degrees?

How about if I have a BA in Anthropology? Do I actually need to know about ecology to become a park ranger?

>>828264
One of the duties of park rangers is policing. I assume some rangers having more knowledge in the are would be beneficial.

A lot of people ask /out/ about becoming a park ranger, but very few folks seem to realize that NPS employees are all super specialized. There is no general "park ranger" job.

Within most parks there's:
>Law Enforcement rangers
The park cops who ticket you for doing stupid shit
>Wilderness rangers
The super-knowledgeable guys you run into in the backcountry and who issue wilderness permits
>Interpretation rangers
The ones who give educational programs, sit at the desks in the information center, and wander easy-access trails to inform people about neat stuff
>Campground staff
Check you into your campsite, make sure you aren't burning the place down and throwing trash everywhere
>Maintenance
Plow the roads, drive the trucks, fix the broken stuff, saints who take on the thankless task of cleaning the bathrooms after the Chinese tourists have destroyed them
>Research
Biologists who sometimes do super-cool things
>Entrance kiosk workers
Say hello to you and take your money so you can get in
>Trail crew
Saw, shovel, haul, and otherwise keep the trails in shape
And a host of other volunteers/contractors/concessional employees

Regular seasonal employee at Yosemite here, enjoying a weekend off in the Bay Area.

>>830920
This is accurate. Although I'll admit as much as LE's are just federal cops, they do get to a lot of cool shit sometimes too. Also climbing rangers in parks that suit it. I'm a ranger at Rocky, know a lot of people from Yose, mostly trails though.

>>830920
At smaller parks the lines blur more. I've definitely done each of those Johs in Natural Resources.

>>831017
Jobs*

>>827077
You can get in low and work yourself up. To be a ranger you can get in on past work experience, you don't need a degree. If you have experience doing construction you can get in on the bottom rung.

>>830920
>>830925
I'm a river patrol ranger at Sequoia national forest, though we've also got loggers/foresters who go through the forest and determine/mark which trees are okay to log. There's also the ohv patrol and lookouts, and all the fire people if you consider them as part of it.

>>827411
This.

There is a shortage of people willing to take blue collar jobs.

Find one that appeals to you and get the training you need. Union is usually better but not always.

> diesel mechanic 15 yrs. 70k a year.
> 6m of schooling, 2yrs hands on.