I know it doesn’t count for much when it comes to government or federal jobs in the hiring process. But I put in two applications for the NPS in both were referred to the hiring manager. And I’ve done enough reading and research to know that being “referred” doesn’t guarantee anything. But I’m still excited that my application is moving through the system.
Hello, I'm thinking of making a career change. I currently work as a medic in a metro hospital and am having a hard time with wanting to stay in the field. I currently have 4 years of EMS experience with mostly doing 12 hour shifts. Almost 2 years of being a paramedic. I have my AS as a paramedic.
My question is what would I need to do to get a job with the National Parks Service? FYI, no law enforcement. Also moving is not an issue. From looking at other reddit posts and the website, general skills in carpentry, electrician, Land management, or general biology would be helpful, however I don't really have skills in any of these. All of my college experience is wrapped up in healthcare. I do see you need public speaking and customer service skills, which I do have and learning how the land works would probably be the easiest for me to learn.
I understand whatever job I get will probably be temporary at first which I'm fine with, but I want to understand where I could go from here. I enjoy learning and am willing to put in the work to enter this world, but I'd like to develop a plan to enter it.
I am a male,19 yrs old, I've been a US citizen since birth(Ohio) and want to change my life. I dont care if its a large forest, desert, snow, mountains/volcanoes, or anywhere inside the US. i want to know how to get a life long career, be close with natural?
(I know thats very open ended I just dont really know where to start other then just applying to the local fire station and i dont even live near any huge unhumanized land.)
Hello I would really appreciate some help here because I am kind of stuck. I’m interested in becoming a maintenance park ranger and from what I’ve seen it is very competitive to get a park ranger job but on the other side of the coin I’ve seen people say that maintenance jobs aren’t competitive and usually go unfilled. How true is that because I was planning on getting a couple of certifications through a community college nearby in EPA and OSHA while also volunteering at a local park, then this summer I was going to join my states conservation corp in trail maintenance to get a leg up when I start applying. Does this sound like a good plan? Also one other question I would love to be a park ranger but I don’t really want to live in the park I don’t mind commuting to the park, is it unheard of for park rangers to live in the city or suburban area and commuting to the park for there full time job? All answers are appreciated thank you!
(pls read to help with life goal, im stuck) so ive been on and off after graduating highschool for about 4 years trying to figure out what i want to do in life. i am 21 now and ive been very very very interested in wildland firefighting. i did all my research except the pay. im usually not the type to care about the pay but damn getting paid that low for an entry job. crazy work.
anyways now im contemplating on what i actually want to do but like im so locked in with wildland firefighting. like in my head i have this path:
-> fall semester take wildland firefighter classes cuz my community college offers them and during fall i gain knowledge and strength.
- i wouldnt be in the fire academy just classes.
-> then december im finished and next year i wait if i can see if i can get into the CCC( california conservation corps)
- im already in touch with my recruiter did my interview and just need to keep sending my fitness checks. and then hopefully by next year ill be on top of the waiting list.
then i complete the CCC and then hopefully get a job somewhere but i just dont know how low the pay will be yes of course itll be an entry job but i just thought like with the certification of my wildland firefighting at the CCC, are there jobs in national parks that would want to hire me i guess is my main question...
my goal in life is to not work a hardworking job and get paid lower than a brandy melville worker ( $20-23 an hour) . idk if this is a good path for me... also i know theres trails, and resource conservation and emergency response in the CCC but like damn i already made my whole wildland firefighting goal with my recruiter.
edit : sorry i went like all over the place in that paragraph.
What is the longest your application status said RECEIVED?
Struggling to find clarity anywhere.
Visiting Yosemite on 2 consecutive days (staying outside of the park, driving in both days). I can see the $35 vehicle pass is valid for 7 days but is the non resident $100 fee the same or is it per entry per person?
If not, it'll be cheaper for buy the annual pass for $250 for us both but I can't find any info anywhere if we have to pay per entry...
Hey everyone, I'm currently writing a book and I have a character in it that I would like to be a former Park Ranger. Former, in this case, because an apocalyptic event happened to Earth. And I'd love to have y'alls input so I have a better sense of authenticity. I'm specifically looking for Interpretive Park Rangers to give me an idea of what your day to day looks like, what kind of training did you do to prepare yourself for the role? The good, the bad, and the ugly. I would assume the duties and responsibility of Rangers drastically differ from park to park, so I'm hoping to get a variety of input here.
If anyone's interested in the book, it's a LitRPG series so if you know how any of your awesome Park Ranger skills could help in an apocalypse, definitely include that lol
Attempted to do this one on 7/31 but wildfire smoke made it impossible. Grateful winds pushed the smoke east so I could fit this in before heading back to the east coast.
A friend of mine sent me a reel about the usage of prisoners who were chained up together to create trails in national parks and forests. I tried looking up more information about this but eventually it got to a point where I wasn't sure of what I had been reading. Is prison labor still used to build trails? Are prisoners actually chained up together? Is there anything that can be done to stop that, if it is true?
Hi guys,
We just touched down in California to do some national park hopping on a trip from Ireland.
We usually do a few trips per year to hit up the national parks in the US, so I have had the last 3 American the beautiful passes.
I was aware of the price increases coming up at the start of 2026, so I bought a 2025 card last December online. I got it from the site usparkpass.com.
I’ve just realised that I forgot it at home… I have order screenshots, but as far as I am aware they are not accepted. Plus I don’t believe the site is an official NPS site.
What should I do? I was supposed to be going to Yosemite tomorrow, but it’s a bit disheartening to realise my mistake will put me out $250.
Thankful for any advice.
Anyone know when the next hiring window is going to be for NPS LE?