Skills to become a Ranger
For the person who plans to pursue a career as a ranger there are specific skills that the prospective ranger must not only learn, but master. The skills necessary to succeed in a career path as a ranger includes not only the necessary education, but decisions regarding the specific type of ranger that the individual wants to become. Combined with the technical and personal requirements in the pursuit of a career as a ranger, the necessary skills may be considered truly diverse.
Education equals knowledge
There is a vast amount of knowledge that a ranger must have in order to execute not only the daily responsibilities, but on-going duties that every ranger is expected to perform. The first step is getting the proper education. This will allow the student interested in following a career path as a ranger to not only follow the correct educational program, but to explore options such as the different types of rangers, responsibilities and work environment of rangers, technical skills, career outlook and other important information. Appropriate educational programs that the student will want to pursue includes studies in natural resources, parks and recreation management, natural and earth sciences, law enforcement, social and behavioral sciences, as well as business and management courses.
Park rangers must possess many skills
The position of park ranger was first established after President Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service in 1916 to safeguard the national parks of the United States, the first being Yellowstone, which was named a national park in 1872. Today, theNational Park Servicetakes on the responsibility of preserving history and culture of national parks, protecting structures, land, waterways, archaeological sites, endangered species and many other duties related to preserving and protecting national parks. A large part of the related responsibilities is entrusted to the park ranger.
The park ranger may work in a variety of settings and performs a great deal of work outdoors, but some work responsibilities can be expected to be performed in an office setting. Park rangers not only operate many of the features of national parks such as campgrounds, but also acts in a law enforcement and management capacity which requires investigative and administrative skills.The National Park Service indicatesthat as the park ranger advances further along in his or her career, more administrative duties may require more time to be spent inside the office.
When working outdoors, the park ranger can expect to protect natural resources, “development of interpretive material for the natural, historical or cultural features of an era.” Park rangers must know how to properly conduct search and rescue, perform safety evaluations, assist visitors and to adjust to being required to working in a variety of areas within the country.
Park rangers must therefore focus on technical as well as personal skills which are imperative to representing the National Park Service as a park ranger.
Forest rangers possess detailed education and multiple skills
The US Forest Service saysthat “a career with the Forest Service will challenge you to manage and care for more than 193 million acres of our most magnificent lands, conduct research through a network of forest and range experiment stations and the Forest Laboratory…” The prospective forest ranger will also perform many other duties, dependent upon the area the forest ranger is assigned to and where that ranger is along his or her career path. Professionals employed with The Forest Service focus on improving and managing forest areas.
For the individual wishing to become a forest ranger, an educational program will include pursuit of engineering or biological disciplines or another scientific degree. Because forest ranger jobs are competitive,Trails.com explains, many individuals choose to pursue an advanced degree, beyond the undergraduate level.
Technical skills that a forest ranger needs includes the ability to develop and evaluate forest plans and fire management plans, designing plans to keep natural forest areas healthy and to provide expertise in environmental and land use, as well as conservation and wildlife management. Learning firefighting skills are also necessary. Construction skills will be necessary in some forest ranger positions, as is gathering, testing and analyzing biological samples and data.
In addition to the general technical skills that the forest ranger must master, specific technical skills will be determined by the specific occupation of the forest ranger, such as the civil engineer, forestry technician, contract technician or biological sciences technician.
The forest ranger must also incorporate imperative personal skills into his or her career. A love for working in the outdoors, desire to work in various natural settings, the ability to be a team player and leader, excellent communication skills, and the willingness to maintain a healthy lifestyle to successfully manage the rigorous physical requirements of the job as a forest ranger are all imperative.
Becoming a forest ranger may be ideal for the individual who wishes to work part-time as there are many part-time positions available. This is due to the seasonal nature of some Forest Service positions.
While skills to become a ranger may seem overwhelming, the skill set becomes more precise when the prospective ranger decides whether to pursue a career as a park ranger with the National Park Service or a forest ranger with the US Forest Service. Within each ranger career path are several options for pursuing a specific discipline within the field of park ranger or forest ranger.
