Does anyone here work for the NPS or want to in the future? It's

I've worked for them at two different parks and have also worked for the forest service, ask away.

Also, inb4 the butthurt anti-government poster.

>>907826
How's the pay/difficulty?

>>907826
Any interesting stories you'd like to share?

What states did you work in?

Do you prefer working for NPS or Forestry Service? My ex works with the Forestry Service.

This thread again, here we go.
I've been a backcountry ranger, only worked in big parks, (two alpine parks in intermountain, one in the southeast) dont trails, park guide type stuff, a little interp. Backcountry is where I want to be

ask away....

>>907841
Sorry, I'm pretty new to this board. Just curious to hear other people's experiences. Any interesting stories? Let me live vicariously through you. Lol.

How much education was required for you to get the job? What did you study?

>>907843
I personally don't have a ton of fun stories, I've had some great memories and experiences, mostly interactions with coworkers and dealing with unpleasant stuff at work you get to laugh about after.

I went to a 4 year college for environmental science, I'm not sure if it actually helps me get jobs or not. I started interning as an SCA during my summers and by the time I graduated I was able to land a seasonal job. I'm not sure how much my education helps me, it definitely primed me for the mentality a ranger is supposed to have regarding the environment, but what really counts is the experience I had as an intern. Of course it might have been more difficult to get those internships had I been studying accounting.

If you're out of school, but still in your early twenties, joining a conservation corps is likely the best way to go if you want to get real experience and do actual outdoor work. Otherwise, if you don't have applicable experience/education, you'd need to get your foot in the door doing something less specialized. Fees, permitting, dispatch, that kind of thing.

It also depends largely on what kind of ranger you want to be. Backcountry, climbing/mountaineering(good luck), trails, interp, LE, wildlife, veg/exotics. There are also many accessory roles in the NPS, or any other LMA agency, if you have trade skills, plumbers, carpenters, maintenance, etc.

>>907850
Thanks for the info! I'm 21 and I have been planning on going to a 4 year college for environmental science as well. I don't have any sort of experience really.. I figured it might be a good idea to start volunteering at the national park nearby? I would be fine with a maintenance job as well. At least for awhile before I can become a ranger.

>>907857
Yep, start volunteering, even if its just front desk stuff, that will immediately open doors to interp/park guide type internships and eventually a job. Stay away from maintenance if you don't have any other applicable skills at this point, you will hit a dead end there and it will be hard to transition out of. Pay the fee to join the SCA's website and take a look at internships (Not sure if you actually need to be a student or not) at this point, or look at conservation corps in your state. Being a student is good because you can work summers anyway and that's the on-season for park work. Most supervisors I know don't care if you have a degree, though an associates in something related would look good. There are some schools that offer programs to turn students into "rangers" but those are mostly bullshit. You can't teach someone to like working 10 hour days digging holes, or hiking in the rain. If you're not into that, there are other avenues in the park service.

Here's a tip. I'm only 2 years older than you, and I took my first internship the summer I turned 21 and I was a backcountry ranger by the time I turned 22. You're going to have to get after it and be as productive as possible, but you could be where you want to be in a few years if you really try. You should go to school anyway though. Most rangers I know studied env sci, wildlife bio, bio, history, horticulture, parks and rec management, or an unrelated degree.

Lastly, you might find out that you don't even want to be a ranger. We have this thread every week for a reason, its a cool job and easy to romanticize, but you have to put in a lot of work to get it and the pay sucks. You will pack up your life every 6 months and employment will generally be an uncertainty. The park service and other similar agencies are riddled with bureaucracy and red tape. I sort of stumbled into it by accident, but if you can normalize the lifestyle and all it entails, its the only way to live.

>>907869
I'll definitely start volunteering. The national park in my state is really close by. The only problem with that is that the school I would have to go to is 2 hours away. That may make internships pretty difficult... Maybe there is a state park closer to the school? I'll have to look into that more.

Honestly, I can't see myself doing much else. Maybe I'm just hyping myself up for it but I haven't been more passionate about any sort of dream/goal in my life. I'm hoping it works out or I don't really know where I would go from there..

I'm also a bit worried about the possibility of not being steadily employed after graduation. I'll probably have to use student loans to afford it even though it's a pretty cheap school. I love traveling and seeing new places so that part doesn't seem bad. Hopefully I don't change my mind along the way.

Sorry for the shit formatting of my posts. I'm on mobile.

>>907826
I don't know if you can answer this but I'm looking to work for the NPS as a biological science tech. I'm looking for fieldwork more than labwork. Is getting a 4 year degree worth it and is there another way to work in the same position without one? How much fieldwork is actually done in comparison to lab and desk work? Is there a lot of mobility between positions and parks?

>>907826
Empowered anti-Federa government poster here.

I'd be wary of signing up for any position with the NPS. I doubt it will exist at the end of Trump's first term and most definitely not in his second.

On the bright side the State government that takes over the park might hire you at a greatly reduced salary and increased workload, so you would have a chance to contribute to society instead of being a drain.

>>907841
>this thread again
Well If you're so fucking sick of these threads then why post in them, retard? You need the attention that badly?

>>908540
Yeah, I was just trying to start a discussion that I'm interested in. Haha

>>908078
I can't imagine that the National Park Service would be removed. It brings in a lot of tourist $$$

>>908664
Yeah, but how much of that goes towards trail maintainance and paying the salaries of the fat fucks that greet you at the gate? The Forest Circus is already doing incredibly inefficient and poor work managing it's forest's, and the NPS is worse in my opinion since it doesn't do any forest management whatsoever, yet they charget you to go camping on public land.

>>908078
t. Fry cook

>>907829
>>907843
>>907837

(1/2)

I'm a biological science tech at the GS 5 level so I get around $15/hr. If you have a bachelors degree, the entry level is a GS 3 to 4 which is around $11/hr to $13/hr. I only have a job 6 months out of the year (you pretty much always start out as a temporary employee), so I only make ~15K a year and have to find something the rest of the year. If you want to go higher, you need to get more education, but the GS 6/7 level can be attainable if you have enough experience. It's a little different for interpretation and law enforcement, but the entry GS levels are about the same.

As for difficulty, it's pretty hard to actually get a job with either the NPS or the USDAFS. You want to make sure that you stand out in your undergrad in someway, either by volunteering at a forest/park, doing undergraduate research, and/or being a part of some kind of campus organization. Even with all that, you also have to compete with veterans for jobs, as they are given preference over non-vets during hiring. I probably apply to around 100 jobs throughout the year.


As for which one is better, I couldn't really decide. I loved working for them both.

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850KB, 1250x828px

>>908760
(2/2)

As for the jobs themselves, it depends on where you are and what you're doing. The forest service is all about flex time, so, if your boss is okay with it you can pretty much set your own hours, as long as you do 80 in a pay period. When working for the forest service I usually try to do four 10 hour days so I get 3-day weekends and maximize my field time, but I've worked anywhere from 8 to 12 hours a day. The NPS is a bit different, but your boss is typically pretty open to working with you depending on what they need you to do. I've done a range of work for both organizations ranging from GIS/data entry office work to field work controlling invasive weeds, doing habitat surveys, patrolling for sea turtle nests, trapping and tracking animals, etc. Most jobs require a mix of both office and field work with most of your time out in the field. You should be in alright shape before you start work as you'll be doing a lot of hiking and carrying shit on your back. You should also be comfortable with biting and stinging insects, getting rained on, and heat and cold.

As for where I've worked, I have worked in Texas, Wyoming, New Hampshire, and West Virginia, with Wyoming being my favorite location so far. Working for the NPS and USDAFS opens up a bunch of really cool opportunities. I got to handle a black footed ferret, had 10 bats cuddle with me underneath my shirt, climb Devils Tower, hike and travel all over the US, go caving in Jewel Cave outside the tourist routes, eat lunch every day on some amazing vistas, and visit some awesome off trail places.