Jobs for the Major
How this major affects a job search
Some majors open all kinds of doors for their graduates and some funnel them into a more specific area of work. The parks, recreation, and leisure studies degree is definitely the latter. If you walk into a job at an accounting firm, they're likely to show you the door before it even closes behind you.
That said, within the career field that a degree in parks, recreation, and leisure studies opens up, there's a surprising amount of variety—and you'll be well-equipped to take your pick. Your degree will arm you with some pretty awesome presentation and people skills. You'll be all set to organize and build a variety of programs, be it coordinating summer programming for low-income urban youth or recruiting brawny, young people to maintain trails in the Rocky Mountains.
Plus, since you'll be pushed to develop your public-speaking skills while still in school, you'll be able to waltz into interviews all cool, calm, and collected. We dare them not to hire you.
Common Career Fields
Camp Director. You don't necessarily need a graduate degree to land this gig, though it doesn't hurt and will likely help you rise to the top of the candidate heap. If you want to earn your living by reliving the glory days of childhood summers, becoming a camp director might be the right job for you. Since there's a camp for pretty much everything, this is a chance to use your degree while engaging with other passions, be they music, sports, or something else completely.
Environmental Lawyer. Do you think trees are the bee's knees? Are you ready to throw down in the name of protecting parks? If so, then perhaps becoming an environmental lawyer is the path for you. You'll need to go to law school in order to do so, of course, but sometimes it takes a lot of time in classrooms in order to land your dream job and live happily ever after.
Leisure Services Programmer. Don't worry, this doesn't involve any computer programming—it does, however, involve a lot of good ol' quality time…at a desk. Yep, this is a gig for fresh college grads; an entry-level position (perhaps in a spa or gym) where you support a programming manager by reviewing documents, updating databases, and other (sort of) mind-numbing stuff. Do a good job, though, and you'll have your boss's desk in no time, complete with your own programmer to boss around. A+, we say.
Outdoor Experiences Coordinator. You know all the awesome stuff that happens in your town? We're talking birding workshops, plant identification walks, lectures on the local flora and fauna—all that good stuff. Well, none of this goodness happens on its own; it's actually someone's job to pull it all together so residents can reap the benefits. And that person is an outdoor experiences coordinator. Boom.
Park ranger. The most important thing about being a park ranger is that you get to wear one of those cool hats. Also, you have a bunch of badges. To top things off even more, you spend a whole lot of time outside by keeping an eye on the park and making sure visitors are safe and the nature is preserved. Do the perks ever quit with this career? Maybe around the time winter arrives…it seems like it'd be a pretty cold job then.
Park and Leisure Services Marketing. Do you think park and leisure programming is awesome? Then perhaps working as a champion for the cause is how you want to earn your living. To do so, taking a few communications classes will help you hone your marketing chops and give you a leg-up come interview time. If you think parks and recreation programs are awesome but you'd prefer to stay safe inside your office, this might be the job for you.
Youth programming coordinator. Love kids? Believe the children are the future? If so, then perhaps a gig coordinating programs for young people is for you. This is one of those jobs where your passions can come together, too. So if you love dancing, you can totally coordinate dance programming for kids, and if you love cooking, well…same deal. So long as you think kids really matter, the sky's kind of the limit with this career.
Current unemployment of the major
4.2%Percentage of majors who get a higher degree after college
43%Stats obtained from this source.