Environmental Education Program Directors

Any experience creating and teaching environmental education programs will be useful for aspiring program directors.

Program directors need to be organized, creative, flexible, and patient. They work with a variety of people and personalities every day—students, teachers, administrators and other staff members, as well as parents. The ability to juggle demands while creating stimulating, rewarding educational programs that meet students' needs is important in this work. Strong communication skills are critical, both for writing program outlines and for leading students through different subjects. The work can be demanding, yet program directors need to stay focused. Having an open and curious mind is an asset in the job. Program directors keep reading and researching throughout their careers. They constantly dig deeper—through books, journals, magazines, films, videos, Web sites, and by attending workshops and classes. This helps them create fresh, up-to-date educational programs, and it also sharpens their brains.