With An Environmental Education Degree From Distance Learning Course Programs Career Choices Are Wide Open

Usually, when the newspapers report about personnel shortages, they think of hospitals needing more nurses or the computer industry needing more scientists. As it turns out, there’s another major shortage coming, one most of the American public would never think of, park rangers.

According to the National Park Service, the federal agency charged with the maintenance and protection of the parks, they are facing as much as a 44% personnel shortfall right now. If that isn’t confounding enough, it isn’t the national parks out in the furthest corners of the U.S. that are really hurting either. It’s the ones located in urban surroundings, such as Philadelphia’s Independence Park (home of the Liberty Bell).

If that isn’t enough, the National Park Service, the federal agency that manages these parks, says the shortage is only going to get worse. It projects that over half (55%) of its current staff of rangers will reach retirement age within the next five year. If the Service doesn’t start filling up these gaping holes, it could end up being disastrous for such public institutions as the Lincoln Memorial and even the Arch of St. Louis.

For those interested in becoming a park ranger, one should first understand there are two basic types; security and ambassadorial. Ambassadorial rangers are the people who greet and guide you through the location, providing one with historical facts and other vital information (like the restrooms). Security or law enforcement rangers are there to protect the park from anything ranging from littering to vandalism to potential terrorist attack.

Those interested in becoming rangers should start by going to an on campus or online school with majors ranging anywhere from American History to Forestry and related environmental sciences. As it happens, many of the parks offer internships to college students that can either be paying positions or providing academic accreditation. Those interested in being in law enforcement can also get a degree in Criminal Justice and be considered. No matter what, one needs a Bachelor’s degree in their particular field before becoming a full-time ranger.

Salary is highly dependent on where one works as well as experience. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that salary actually does have a wide range, from $35,000 to $78,000. It also comes with standard benefits for a government employee.

Besides work-study, there are also a number of other ways one can obtain financial aid and/or grants. A good suggestion is to not only go on the web and see what the National Park Services has to offer, but also sit down with an on campus or online college financial aid counselor.

No matter what, if one has a love of the outdoors, American history or both, one can’t do much better than being a park ranger or entering into another green career with their environmental degree. It is an occupation that may seem a bit on the unconventional side, yet has an incredible satisfaction rate for those who do. Students will find that distance learning degree programs give them the tools they need to succeed in a great career.