National Park Service Employees

Hands-on experience can be a distinct advantage if you are interested in entering this competitive field. You can get this experience by getting involved in the Volunteers-in-Parks (VIP) program. Park volunteers help park employees in any number of ways, including answering phone calls, welcoming visitors, maintaining trails, building fences, painting buildings, or picking up litter. For more information, visit https://www.nps.gov/getinvolved/volunteer.htm.

If you do not live near a national park, contact the Student Conservation Association (SCA), (https://www.thesca.org), which provides volunteers to assist federal and state natural resource management agencies. The SCA brings together students from throughout the United States to serve as crew members or interns within state and national parks and other locales. Programs last anywhere from a few days to three to five weeks.

Both the VIP and SCA experiences can help you prepare for careers in the National Park Service and help you determine whether you would enjoy such careers. You can also gain valuable experience by volunteering to work in various local or state parks on weekends or during the summer months.

Other ways to learn more about this career include participating in information interviews and job-shadowing experiences with National Park Service workers and volunteers and getting involved in summer exploration programs in environmental science, law enforcement, historic preservation, and other fields that are offered by colleges and universities.