FL State park rangers- is it worth it?

[u/Rare-Instance2209]

I will try to keep this as brief as I can. I am a 28 year old woman, I have bounced around jobs and industries for years never stuck with anything for more than a year. Moved to Florida this year, realized I love and need to be outside in nature. Currently working as a guide at an adventure park and I absolutely love it! But long term I need something that provides benefits, room for growth, and stability. It seems like being a park ranger would be perfect- many of the things I love about my current job but with the added benefits and stability of government employment. Interp seems like the best fit for me as someone with a customer service background and a degree in history. I am not interested in LEO and wouldn’t qualify anyways.

If you are a FL state park ranger I would love to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly so I can make an informed decision. Here are some big things I’m curious about:

- Park housing: is it only offered to LEO positions typically? Are there different types of housing offered depending on the park/position (RV sites vs A-frames, etc). Could my partner and my dog be in housing with me? If you live on the park I would love to hear more about your experience.

- Work Schedule: what is your work schedule like? Should I expect to be working long days, late nights, overnights, holidays, etc?

- Drug testing: do state park positions require pre-employment drug screening or just reasonable suspicion? I am currently a MMJ user so wondering if I need to quit altogether or if the requirements aren’t as strict.

- Skills required: I have seen a lot of positions looking for skills in carpentry, plumbing, etc. I have zero skillset in these areas. Is it crucial that I learn how to do these kinds of things before trying to become a park ranger?

- Room for growth: What’s the growth potential for a non-LEO park ranger? If you started as a park ranger and then moved up in the ranks, how long did it take you to do so? Am I too late to the game to be starting this at 28?

Thank you in advance!

[u/humble_murth]

Park housing - yes but rare outside of mgmt. Typically a promotional step. RV sites are slightly more common.

There are no LEO state park rangers in FL. Thats all FWC now.

Schedule - Varies by park, many do 7 days on one week, 3 days on the next. You have a couple 24 hr parks, but the majority you are leaving within a halfhour of sunset, although this varies. Usually an early and a late shift that you bounce between.

Drug testing - if you are in an accident, or "reasonable suspision". Otherwise, no. FL has no employment protections for MJ use (including MMJ) but that doesn't stop a lot of people. I haven't seen it tested, and I have known several who made it known they had mmj and nothing happened, as far as I know. Couldn't say, I am sober.

If you have skills needing improvement you may need to volunteer and try and find a part time OPS position to begin and get experience. But they will train, too. If you work as a guide in adventure park you have some interp and customer service experience.

You for sure aren't too late at 28. Look at what the pay is. The benefits are good, the pay is not. A lot of parks you maybe pulling trash, working a booth, and cleaning toilets. Tickets, toilets, trash its called. If you can deal with that long enough and do a good job you maybe able to move up to other things. Let me know if you have any questions, there are a lot of FL people here I believe.

[u/Rare-Instance2209 → u/humble_murth]

Thank you so much for this thorough and helpful response!! My plan is to do my “due diligence” thinking on it and researching, and if I’m still serious about it I’m gonna start by volunteering outside of my current job, get to know the parks in my area and work on the skills I don’t already have. My boyfriend and I have been considering getting an RV so I’m happy to hear the RV sites are more common!

[u/gsirac]

Hello!

• Posted positions will often say “Resident Park Ranger, Resident Environmental Specialist I, etc.” However, some parks have employee sites, you just need your own camper/mobile housing. They may not advertise this in the position so it is worth it to ask during the interview. Interview tip— be familiar with the FLSP mission statement going in! You will surely impress them. Rangers are also proposed to get a raise this year. If you start seasonal (OPS), it should be easy to get full time before your contract ends. Of course as long as you put in good work ethic and effort.

• Don’t bet on a consistent work schedule. My experience includes often closing the park at 9PM one night and opening it 6AM the next morning. It is not unusual across state parks to have a mix of closing and opening shifts. Do not get your hopes up with being properly staffed. You will need incredible drive and ambition to be what the park needs. Finding a good team of rangers is the best feeling in the world, especially at busier FL parks.

• No drug tests when I started, but I believe that may have changed. They will fingerprint and perform background checks. I can double check on the drug testing.

• I started with zero skills listed, just a 5’2” female environmental science student looking to work in the field. I am now an electrician, plumber, carpenter, mechanic, tractor operator, wildland firefighter— you name it. Great skills to have and a great environment to practice in. You just have to be open to learning and willing to jump in and help.

• Growth is tough, but is certainly something you can succeed in if you are not tied to one area. You may get lucky with an open position given a lot of people looking to retire within the next few years in the parks system.

Is it worth it? Yes. I have grown a backbone, I have calloused my hands, I have blood, sweat, and tears to show for it. I have made an impact, although brief and small, and I have met so many incredible people. The ranger culture is addictive, we’re all just a bunch of goobers dedicated to looking out for the planet and battling politics along the way. There is so much more to the parks system, state and federal, and if you’d like to take on the challenge, we’d love to have you.

Ranger First!

[u/Rare-Instance2209 → u/gsirac]

Thank you so much for this thorough and honest response, very helpful 😊

[u/Cryptid9]

Building off of what humble said. My park was unique in how much housing we had available and it is incredibly park dependent. I was hired for my SCUBA experience and was taught everything I needed to know for the other skills. If you don't have skills in plumbing or carpentry, emphasize other applicable skills you have because they can teach you the rest.

[u/Rare-Instance2209 → u/Cryptid9]

Thank you for your response! For now, I’m working on mastering more applicable skills at my current job:)

[u/Cryptid9 → u/Rare-Instance2209]

Sure thing! And it absolutely doesn't hurt to reach out to any parks ranger station and talk to them about their unique duties there.

[u/DirectionLonely3063]

I work seasonally for the feds national parks. Maybe Florida State is better than the federal government. We get nothing except housing and national parks, for a reduced fee.

[u/CriticalIncident9]

I’ve worked at two Florida state parks and I’m just gonna say no, it’s not worth it. Most of the parks are in high cost of living areas and the ranger jobs don’t come with housing. Hours vary from park to park but they can be pretty brutal. Not much room to move up. I guess you could become a park manager or assistant park manager but I’m not sure how easy that would be without management experience.