There are 417 areas including national parks, monuments, battlefields, and more that are part of NPS. Find one near you that you could visit and learn more about!

Day to Day

Visit a National Park near you! 

Check out the different opportunities available and identify which national parks you're most interested in. Contact the park and ask how to go about getting a summer internship.

Career

Get an internship at a national park.

Look for opportunities with an existing nonprofit, join a club, or start your own! Clean up beaches, plant trees, recycle...do something for your community that benefits the planet!

Advice

Do some environmental volunteering.

Park Naturalists

Plan, develop, and conduct programs to inform public of historical, natural, and scientific features of national, state, or local park.

Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Social

Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Realistic

Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Artistic

First Interest High-Point

Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Investigative

Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Enterprising

Third Interest High-Point

Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Conventional

Second Interest High-Point

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Conservation Scientists and Foresters

Conservation Scientists

Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Life Scientists

Provide visitor services, such as explaining regulations, answering visitor requests, needs and complaints, and providing information about the park and surrounding areas.

Conduct field trips to point out scientific, historic, and natural features of parks, forests, historic sites, or other attractions.

Prepare and present illustrated lectures and interpretive talks about park features.

Perform emergency duties to protect human life, government property, and natural features of park.

Confer with park staff to determine subjects and schedules for park programs.

Assist with operations of general facilities, such as visitor centers.

Plan, organize and direct activities of seasonal staff members.

Perform routine maintenance on park structures.

Prepare brochures and write newspaper articles.

Construct historical, scientific, and nature visitor-center displays.

Research stories regarding the area's natural history or environment.

Interview specialists in desired fields to obtain and develop data for park information programs.

Compile and maintain official park photographic and information files.

Take photographs and motion pictures for use in lectures and publications and to develop displays.

Survey park to determine forest conditions and distribution and abundance of fauna and flora.

Plan and develop audio-visual devices for public programs.

Plan and organize public events at the park.

Develop environmental educational programs and curricula for schools.

All-terrain vehicles ATV

Animal trapping equipment

Augers

Automated external defibrillators AED

Backpack tanks

Boat trailers

Brush cutters

Canoes

Chainsaws

Claw hammers

Computer laser printers

Digital still cameras

Digital video cameras

Drip torches

Dump trucks

Electronic cash registers

Emergency medical first aid kits

Fire rakes

Fire swatters

Fishing poles

Forest fire shovels

Four wheel drive 4WD vehicles

Global positioning system GPS devices

Hand pruners

Hand rakes

High-pressure pumper units

Horse bridles

Horse reins

Horse saddles

Horse trailers

Kayaks

Law enforcement handguns

Leaf blowers

Light pickup trucks

Line trimmers

Mobile radios

Mountain bikes

Multiline telephone systems

Multipurpose pliers

Multipurpose shovels

Multipurpose tractors

Passenger vans

Patrol motorboats

Personal computers

Phillips screwdrivers

Point of sale POS computer terminals

Pontoon boats

Power mowers

Snow skis

Straight screwdrivers

Surveillance binoculars

Survey levels

Survey transits

Tanker trucks

Utility knives

Water testing kits

Weed sprayers

Wood chippers

Work vans

Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Systems Adobe PageMaker

Data entry software

Email software

GroupWise

Mapping software

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Office

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Word

Point of sale POS software

Web browser software

Superintendant

<p>The Northern route team stops in Wyoming to meet with Lisa Eckert, superintendent of Devil's Tower National Monument. Meanwhile in Minneapolis, the Central route team visits Terrence Payne, artist and founder of Rosalux Gallery. The Northern route team heads off to Kansas City, home of the monster truck, to interview Bob Chandler, creator of Bigfoot. The Central route team continues on to Peoria, Illinois to interview Mary Bell, VP of Logistics for Caterpillar.</p>

Lisa Eckert

Superintendant

Videos

Lisa Eckert

Milestones

Education

Career

Career Roadmap

My work combines:

My work combines:

Environment & Nature

Government

Accomplishing Goals

Interviewed By

All Routes Open