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Park Rangers

Tips for Entry

Get involved with the Student Conservation Association (SCA), which provides high school-aged members with hands-on experience through internships. To see what projects SCA offers, visit https://www.thesca.org/serve.

If you would like to work for the National Park Service, consider a federal internship. Go to https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/?k=internships to see a list of current openings.

Volunteer at a local park and speak to a ranger about his or her job responsibilities. Most parks use volunteers to manage invasive plants and maintain trails and listing this experience on your resume can help greatly with securing future employment.

Visit a variety of parks to help determine which work environment appeals to you most: dunes, prairie, forest, desolate or high-traffic lands. Consider which roles of being a ranger most interest you; specifically either tasks that are people-oriented (law enforcement, teaching visitors about plants and animals) versus research-related (archeaology, hydrology, etc.).

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