National Park Service

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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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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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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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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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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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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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 Intern

May - August 2023 • Lackawaxen, PA

What I liked

I enjoyed the work environment, my coworkers and supervisors, and even the work itself. It was both enjoyable and fulfilling.

What I wish was different

I wish I got paid, but the work was definitely rewarding. I wish I was able to work there for longer

Advice

Be ready to meet and talk to a lot of people, from a lot of different places and backgrounds.

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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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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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Research Assistant

July - November 2021 • Boone, NC

What I liked

Helped me focus my interests, brought the passion back to my studies, gained valuable experience in a multitude of areas

What I wish was different

It was an unsupervised position which was great but there were times when I wish I had someone to train me a little bit more

Advice

Great experience, not to be missed.

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Research assistant

September - November 2019 • Chester, CA

What I liked

Hiking, field work, doing radio telemetry to find bats

What I wish was different

More availability and longer study.

Advice

Biologists have to be resourceful and flexible in a wide variety of challenging situations they need to get the job done while being part of a team or alone.

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Research Assistant

May - August 2019 • Orick, CA

What I liked

Everyone working out of the NPS office showed a dedication to education and protecting public land resources.

What I wish was different

I wish that we had more freedom to work with other divisions of ecological restoration and protection. I would love to see how Fish and Wildlife, Botany, and other Forestry crews spend their days.

Advice

Open yourself up to getting dirty, being uncomfortable and even scared, because that’s when you learn the most about yourself.

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Interpretive Ranger Intern

June - August 2019 • Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

What I liked

Working with the Park Service staff was an amazing experience. I was able to get experience in different positions throughout the Park.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Trail Maintenance Worker

May - August 2019 • Seward, AK

What I liked

Being out side and hiking

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

Enjoy where you are

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Natural Resource Volunteer

May - July 2019 • Sharpsburg, MD

What I liked

Guidance and coworkers

What I wish was different

I had more time

Advice

Fun and a great learning experience, but you have to commit

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EMS and Search and Rescue Intern

May - August 2019 • Bryce, UT

What I liked

I absolutely loved my job this summer! I was able to help sick and injured individuals every day, and it was very rewarding. I was also able to work very closely with Law Enforcement, Interpretation, and Resource Management to help park operations run smoothly.

What I wish was different

This summer was a transition period for the Law Enforcement Division, as 6 out of 8 employees chose to move on to a different park last year. The park was still trying to fill those positions throughout the summer, so we only had a total of 2 permanent staff and 3 seasonal staff for most of the season. Because of this, guidance/mentorship and structure was lacking.

Advice

If there is something you want to do, go out and do it! I would also highly recommend anyone interested in helping people and having fun while doing it look into employment in the medical field.

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Camp Counselor

June 2019 • Lafayette, LA

What I liked

Sharing South Louisiana’s culture & history with the kids

What I wish was different

Longer camp

Advice

Working with kids can be difficult but just try to remember how you felt at that age.

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Herpetology intern

May - November 2019 • Thousand Oaks, CA

What I liked

The work was gratifying

What I wish was different

Advice

Be patient and able willing to roll with punches

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Astronomy and Interpretation

June - August 2020 • Waco, TX

What I liked

I got to experience living on my own for the first time and gained significant experience in the field I want to pursue. I gained life long mentors and friends.

What I wish was different

I wish there had need more intern-intern interaction, I only met with them over the internet a few times

Advice

Make sure you’re talking and getting to know your supervisor and coworkers! Networking is how you ensure you get a spot next year and when you graduate

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