The Perfect Job in the Great Outdoors
By Dr. Todd Miner
Executive Director
Cornell Outdoor Education, Cornell University
The biggest mistake people make in life is not trying to make a living at doing what they most enjoy . ~Malcomb S. Forbes
In the classic movie The Graduate , an older gent whispers one word of career advice to the recent college grad played by Dustin Hoffman, "Plastics!" Hoffman, as any of us probably would, looks a little confused and very dismayed. Thinking about career goals while in high school or college, or recently graduated is kind of scary. Do you really want to spend the next 30 or 40 years sitting behind a desk in some nondescript, Dilbert-like cubicle, pushing papers or selling products (plastics!), for a cause you could care less about? How do you balance finding a career that is engaging and meaningful, and still pay off school loans and put bread on the table?
There is a growing field where you can follow your heart, escape "Dilbertdom," and do something that is exciting, while making a decent living. That field is adventure education. You might not be familiar with "adventure educator" as a job title, but there are a ton of jobs out there right this minute, and a multitude of career tracks, all covered by this term.
The adventure education (or more properly "adventure programming") field includes everything from therapeutic outdoor recreation to Outward Bound to ropes courses to collegiate outdoor recreation to camps to military recreation to outdoor retailer to corporate adventure training. To take a look at the career opportunities and number of jobs currently out there, or to find a job in the field, check out one of the excellent web sites which list such opportunities (see "Resources" below).
What Does It Take?
While the requirements for a career in the adventure field vary a great deal depending on the kind of adventure and the clientele, there are some generic recommendations that can help you land that first job. You will need first aid training, strong technical skills, leadership experience, excellent people and facilitation skills, and superb judgment. You will want to be a jack (or Jacqueline!) of all trades, and be top-notch in at least one.
Specifically, this means that you will want to gain certification in Wilderness First Responder, the standard first aid training required by most outdoor programs (see "Resources" below for where to obtain this training). You will want to have skills so that you can competently lead or assist on programs involving flat water paddling, top rope rock climbing, backpacking, and ropes courses. You will want to be an expert in at least one technical area, as well. You will want the ability to facilitate a debriefing of an adventure, for the mantra of adventure programs is that we learn from experience, and a structured reflection session reviewing that experience is key to the learning.
Experience with a wide variety of clientele is helpful. Many of today's programs work with a very diverse group of participants. Gaining experience in working with and leading people from a range of ages, ethnic backgrounds, and abilities and disabilities, will go a long way towards you finding a solid career.
Experience, Experience, Experience
The number one criterion I look for when hiring -- and I've done a lot of hiring over the years -- is experience. Through experience you build leadership skills, hone technical skills, and develop that all-important judgment. But how do you break that conundrum of "you need experience to get a job, but you can't get experience without the job?" It really isn't that hard, but you need initiative and drive.
