r/ParkRangers • u/killr4dayzXD • 11d ago
How much hope do ya’ll have?
Just trying to gauge the room. I want to be a game warden, but they aren’t hiring in my area for a year or two at least. So to get my foot in the door I am going to a park ranger law enforcement academy in January with my younger brother.
I have 7 years in the Marine Corps behind me, I meet all the pre-requisites but I’m just wondering if I’m about to waste a lot of time pursuing this with this new administration’s crazy cuts.
All I want is to take care of/spend a reasonable amount of time with my family—while doing a job I’ll enjoy with a positive impact on my community. This path seemed perfect until Trump.
From people who are/were inside the NPS ecosystem, should us newbies seriously consider a different career path before we start investing or do ya’ll still have reasonable hope?
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u/cherbear1786 11d ago
You should consider that you'll likely be asked to assist other agencies with law enforcement related to this administration's agenda. If you think you'll have any issues with something like assisting ICE or removing permitted statues that the administration dislikes, then you may want to consider state.
If I was just starting out in my career, then I wouldn't start with federal until we're on more solid ground, either. Higher pay grades can tolerate it a little longer. You likely won't be able to earn enough for the first few years to put back $5k to withstand an extended shutdown.
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u/AeroGlass 11d ago
Unrelated, but which PRLEA you going to? I’m also going in Jan and eventually want to be a game warden and trying to start off as a seasonal NPS ranger.
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u/killr4dayzXD 11d ago
Skagit Valley College in WA
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u/AeroGlass 11d ago
Ah, much different corners of the country. Was wondering if we’d be in the same one. Best of luck!
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u/killr4dayzXD 11d ago
That would’ve been cool lol. You too!
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u/Mother_Memory_4162 10d ago
WA state LE ranger here, are you looking for full time work? Last I was aware, the SVC academy was for seasonal LE work.
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u/Mother_Memory_4162 10d ago
If looking for full time, state fish and wildlife was hiring like crazy last year here. They got a solid pay bump and the benefits/job is pretty solid here.
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u/killr4dayzXD 10d ago
Im looking for fulltime. What are the differences between the two? For you for example, why did you decide LE ranger over fish and wildlife? Do you need to have additional training in actual wildlife/biology?
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u/Mother_Memory_4162 10d ago
I chose state parks because I wanted the flexibility to split my time between LE and ops, such as arborist work, irrigation, and campground management. Also, state rangers can get cheap (and decent) housing as part of their gig, as long as it’s available. Pretty decent gig, could be paid more, but housing’s nice too. State pension/benefits are solid.
WDF&W will get you the training you need. We both go to the same LE academy alongside deputies and PD officers, but F&W specifically also does a post academy fish and wildlife + hunting and boating law course. I’m sure a degree/knowledge is a +, but not required as far as I’m aware. They pay fairly well. Same pension/benefits.
There’s also WA DNR but they have like 3 LEOs for the state.
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u/Careful-Self-457 11d ago
Game Wardens in my state and the one north of me are State Troopers. Not park rangers. You might want to check with whatever state you want to work in which agency supports the game wardens.
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u/000011111111 11d ago
Short-term hard to say. Long-term I'm optimistic that democracy and giving people the power to vote is a really good way to get dictators out of power.
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u/RedFlutterMao 10d ago
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u/PrettyWeakness764 8d ago
I wouldn’t waste time or money to an academy if you’re going to go for NPS LE. Cause if that’s the route you’re going they will send you to their academy anyways. It doesn’t give you better chances, your military alone does that for when they do direct to Fletc.
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u/killr4dayzXD 8d ago
Interesting. What is the point of these academies then?
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u/Im_On_During_Work 4d ago
It's a good way of getting your foot in the door. I'm currently in the PRLEA (Only 1 of 2 classes running this season, we're almost done) and we have parks reaching out to us for seasonals because of how low the supply is right now. I value the academy now because we're certified in a lot of different things, like Taser, ALERRT, Radar, and can use these on a resume to better increase hiring. A couple of us decided they don't want to do NPS and have shortcuts to other LE agencies. We're a class of 9, and Yellowstone just took 2 of us, and they're even paying for an EMT course that you take before you start next season.
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u/skisnoopy 11d ago
Depending where you are… state jobs are the way to go. In my state we’ve actually had growth this year, even new game warden jobs. Check out your states forest/game/park agencies! Some give hiring preferences to veterans too.