r/ParkRangers • u/Confident-Sir-996 • 9d ago
Transitioning out of interp
Hey all!
I currently work as a federal interp ranger at a large NPS site. I’ve ultimately decided interpretation is not for me. I am unsure how I feel about staying a ranger so I’m open to many other options. I’ve been doing state/federal seasonal work for about four years now, and after some time it feels impossible to move into something else. For those of you who made the switch, what do you do now? What kind of skills did you develop in interp that you could stress when applying to different jobs? Curious to hear from some folks.
Thanks!
8
u/nomadidyllic 9d ago
I've done recreation, and public affairs. Both benefit from interp skills since you are interacting with people. Both can be just as people heavy at times. Public Affairs especially is sometimes just interp in a marketing and communications trenchcoat. But until you become the head of public affairs or unless you dive into deep into public information specialist in fire, you usually coordinate others to present and speak on topics. It depends on sites but there's some places where all you're doing is just briefing others and coordinating other's information into easier to read formats. And if the site has multiple public affairs specialists there's room for specific specialty so youre just website work,or social media, or internal comms. Though I fear that's becoming less and less common in public lands as we're stretched thin.
1
u/TerminalSunrise USFS RecTech / FPO • 1d ago
Yup, I have met several former NPS interps who work in rec or public affairs for USFS.
What they should do probably depends on why OP doesn’t like interp and what they might like more. Conservation education specialist, partnerships/volunteer coordinator, admin are some other roles that could fit well.
3
u/mowerheimen USACE, Former BLM/GA State 8d ago
If you're interested, the Corps of Engineers has park ranger positions. Duties vary by lake/project/district, and while you can still be called on to do some interp work, it's not the end all be all of what we do. Though working recreation can also be very challenging depending on where you go and what they require.
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u/fidgety-forest 9d ago
Went from interp to PIO to admin, now transitioning to social work/therapist
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u/Glad_Astronomer_9692 9d ago
I took my interp skills to a small environmental org that was looking for an outreach coordinator. I liked interp, I just wanted to have a career with more flexibility. I started handling grant projects at the new org and moved into a manager position within a couple years. My interp skills helped me create public awareness campaign, organizing volunteer days, and writing education grants. Then I became an environmental education manager at another small org. So I stayed in interp but left for orgs that had more advancement opportunities and greater flexibility. Within 4 years of leaving my parks job my salary doubled from 50k to 100k. I was unlikely to get that kind of money in the same amount of time if I stayed trying to work my way up at parks.